I made this dish and modified the recipe to optimize it in ingredients and procedures. One item in particular that I changed was to form the hash into patties before the final frying. That sure simplified the process of lightly browning both sides. Another big change, shown in Version #2, is to shred the potato and partially air dry it, then season it, then cook it in a hot oven to finish removing excess moisture. Ultimately, that results in having a corned beef hash pattie with a great texture, ergo, having overly soft potato pieces is avoided, which is true for both Version #1 and Version #2.
Oh, it is a good idea to have freshly made coffee ready at serving time. Also some hot, buttered rye bread toast, which I have included in this recipe. I also suggest serving a cold fruit juice or cold melon pieces or a small, cold fruit salad. These items enhance the overall meal a lot by adding variety to colors, tastes, textures and warm vs. cold food temperatures.
Have fun and enjoy life!
Ingredients: (Makes four servings of two patties each)
2 tbsp. of butter for sauteing the vegetables
2 large cloves of garlic, minced (optional)
1 medium size onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
2, 12 oz. cans of canned corned beef
2 tbsp. of olive oil (for frying the patties)
1 tbsp. of butter (for frying the patties)
2 extra large or jumbo eggs, whisked in a large bowl
For the potatoes: (I've provided two different versions for the potatoes. Try both.)
Version #1 potato ingredients and cooking directions:
This is the easy version. Simply purchase frozen potato hash patties, thaw six of them in the microwave oven and then break them up into small pieces, season them lightly with salt and pepper, and saute them on medium heat in 2 tbsp. of butter until they start to turn crisp. Then set them aside on a plate to cool. Then skip to the general directions given below, avoiding the steps specific to Version #2.
-- End of Version #1 potato ingredients and directions --
Version #2 potato ingredients:
1 very large or jumbo russet potato, peeled, shredded and rinsed using cold water to remove excess starch, then partially air dried
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1/2 tsp. of dried thyme (I like to use it in powdered form)
1/2 tsp. of dried oregano
1/2 tsp. of dried basil
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
1/4 tsp. of salt
-- End of Version #2 potato ingredients --
For the eggs:
4 extra large or jumbo size eggs
2 tbsp. of butter
For the toast:
8 slices of fresh, seeded (caraway seeds) rye bread
3/4 of a stick of soft butter
Directions:
Specific directions for Version #2:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel and shred the potato. Wash the shredded pieces thoroughly in a colander with cold water to eliminate excess starch.
Squeeze excess water out by hand and then partially dry the shredded potato pieces on three paper towels, spreading the shredded pieces out evenly. Allow the pieces to air dry at room temperature for fifteen minutes.
Put the olive oil, thyme, oregano, basil, salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix them, then add the shredded potatoes a little at a time while mixing, as described next.
Gently toss the mixture with a pair of dinner forks to coat the potatoes with the olive oil and the herbs, etc. Continue adding portions of the shredded potatoes and mixing using the forks until all the shredded potatoes have been evenly coated with the herbs.
Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil.
Dispense the potato mixture by hand into a single, well spread out layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it and the potato pieces aside.
-- End of Version #2 specific potato directions --
Continuation of general directions for Versions #1 and #2:
Set the oven temperature to 180 degrees F and put four dinner plates and one serving plate into the oven to pre-warm them.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat.
Whisk the two eggs in a large bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Add the garlic (optional), onion and bell pepper pieces to the skillet, and cook on medium heat, stirring often, until the onions have become translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Do not let any of the ingredients start to turn brown in color.
Remove the vegetables, let them cool on a plate for about three minutes, then whisk them gently into the whisked eggs in the large bowl.
Stir the potatoes a small amount at a time into the vegetables and egg mixture and mix well with a large spoon.
Stir in the canned corned beef a small amount at a time and mix well with each addition.
Add 2 tbsp. of olive oil and 1 tbsp. of butter to the skillet and heat it on medium heat.
Spread the oil and butter around in the skillet with a spatula to totally coat the frying surface.
Make four hash patties about 3/4" thick by hand using only 1/2 of the the corned beef and potato and vegetable mixture. You may want to divide the bowl contents in half first to assure using the right amount of the mixture for each pattie. The patties will be very soft. Put each one as you make it into the skillet gently so it retains its shape. Then use a spatula to flatten the tops of the patties.
Fry the patties on the first side on medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes. The idea is you want the surface to be crisp (but not burned) so adjust the time if necessary.
Use the spatula to turn over the patties and fry them on the second side for about 3 to 4 minutes or until they are crisp.
Remove the patties to the pre-warmed serving plate and put it back into the warming oven.
Repeat the hand forming/frying for the second four patties, putting a small additional amount of olive oil into the skillet first to cover the surface, if needed.
Put the second group of fried patties onto the warm serving plate and keep it in the warming oven.
Make eight pieces of rye toast, butter them, cut them diagonally, and put them onto the plate of warm patties in the oven.
Fry the eggs in a separate non-stick skillet with 1 tbsp. of butter on medium high heat, to make eggs over easy. Season the eggs lightly with salt and pepper.
To serve, put two hash patties side by side, touching each other, onto each of the four pre-warmed dinner plates, and top each pair of patties with a fried egg. Put four diagonally cut pieces of the hot buttered rye toast onto each dinner plate.
It is a good idea to have freshly made coffee ready at serving time. Ditto one or more of the fruit items mentioned earlier in this recipe.
Let your guests/family season the corned beef hash patties with salt and pepper to suit their individual preferences.
Enjoy!