How to Make Corned Beef Hash for St. Patrick's Day

Christopher Hirsheimer & Melissa Hamilton 

We are traditionalists, so we go all out on St. Paddy’s Day. We cook a classic corned beef and cabbage dinner, replete with floury spuds, parsley sauce, and brown bread with salted Irish butter. It’s a very fine supper. But to be completely honest, it’s the hash we make for breakfast the following day that is our favorite.

With that in mind, we order two cuts of corned beef brisket from our local butcher: the lean “first” or “flat” cut for our boiled dinner (its tight grain allows for carving into uniform slices), and the thicker, marbled “second” or “point” cut for making hash (it shreds easily when cooked to fork-tenderness). The brisket that we buy has been traditionally cured—or “corned”—with coarse, corn-size grains of salt; pink salt to preserve its rosy color; and a mixture of mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves, allspice, juniper berries, and cloves to add a distinctive warm flavor. It’s worth finding the right butcher for.

Together, the two hunks of beef go into our largest pot. We add onion, parsley, pickling spices, and enough water to cover. As the beef gently simmers on the stove for hours, it fills the kitchen with its celebratory fragrance. With respectful duty, we serve the first corned beef for dinner. The second piece—the one we’re eyeing for tomorrow’s hash—is left to cool in the broth, taking on even more flavor.

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Our morning-after hash stars tender, toothsome shreds of corned beef, with just the right saltiness. We keep it pure, adding only rough chunks of starchy potatoes and slices of onions that were simmered in the corned beef cooking broth. The hash is pressed into a skillet of bubbling Irish butter, then sautéed until deep golden brown and crisp around the edges. Each serving is crowned with a perfectly poached egg, its richness like velvet against the crisp cake. How lucky we are when it’s corned beef hash for breakfast. We can’t think of a better “leftover” dish to cook.

CORNED BEEF HASH

Ingredients
Corned Beef:

• 2 pounds uncooked corned beef brisket (about 1 small), rinsed, trimmed if fatty, spice packet discarded if included

• 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

• 3 bay leaves, torn

• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

• 1 medium onion, peeled, halved through root

• 1 large russet potato, peeled, halved crosswise

Hash:

• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

• 4 large eggs

• Chopped fresh chives (for serving)

Preparation
Place corned beef in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot and add water to cover by 1”. Add parsley sprigs, bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and mustard seeds. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer, skimming surface often and adding more water to pot as needed to keep meat submerged, until corned beef is tender, 3½–4 hours.

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Add onion and potato to corned beef in pot and cook until vegetables are very tender, 20–25 minutes. Remove onion and potato from pot. Let cool; wrap separately and chill. Let corned beef cool in cooking liquid. Transfer corned beef to an airtight container and add as much cooking liquid as will fit (at least 1 cup). Cover and chill. Discard any remaining aromatics and cooking liquid.

Remove corned beef from cooking liquid and shred enough to measure 2 cups (reserve any remaining corned beef for sandwiches or snacking).

Preheat oven to 200°. Thinly slice cooked onion and cut cooked potato into ½” pieces; toss in a large bowl with corned beef and ¼ cup parsley. Moisten with cooking liquid if mixture is dry; season with salt and pepper.

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Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ½ of corned beef mixture and press into a pancake. Cook undisturbed until underside is brown and crisp, 6–8 minutes. Set a plate over pan and carefully invert pancake onto plate; slide back into pan, pressing back into shape if needed. Cook until second side is brown and crisp, 6–8 minutes. Transfer hash to a rimmed baking sheet (it may break up a little), tent with foil, and keep warm in oven until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining butter and corned beef mixture.

Meanwhile, bring 2” water to a boil in a large saucepan; reduce heat to a gentle simmer and add vinegar. Crack an egg into a small bowl and gently slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining eggs, waiting until whites are opaque before adding the next (about 30 seconds apart). Poach until whites are set and yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs as they are done to paper towels.

Serve eggs over hash, seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with chives and more parsley.

See more from Bon Appetit: 
The 10 Farthest-Flung Irish Pubs in the World
The Best Do-Ahead Drunk Food for St. Patrick’s Day
Leftover Corned Beef Recipes