Corned Beef Hash - Correct consistency.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Steve

Properly cooked it will be soft on the inside and have a crisp exterior,
or at least a crisp bottom. Press it into a non-stick pan with some oil
and let it cook undisturbed and uncovered for a while, perhaps half an
hour, over low or medium low heat.

--
Peter Aitken

Steve Y said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

No rule... whatever consistancy you like.

Quoted message said:

Is it just a mush

I prefer chunky (with identifiable pieces of meat, potato, onion,
peppers, etc.), and on the dry side (I remove as much visible fat as I
can before dicing)... if it leans to pate it's not hash.

Quoted message said:

or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

A crispy exterior is nice, either pan fried of baked... corned beef
meat loaf is nirvana.

Steve Y said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Definitely not a mush. I like James Beard's idea: after some frying
in
a cast iron skillet, add a bit of heavy cream at the end and let it
cook
over medium or medium-high heat for a few minutes. This produces a
great crispy bottom, which becomes the top when you invert it onto a
platter. (This might not work as well if you're using a non-stick
skillet,
but I don't know because I don't use one for this dish.) Top with a
poached egg. -aem

aem said:

Steve Y wrote:
I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it

Quoted message said:

again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Quoted message said:

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Definitely not a mush.
Top with a poached egg.

No need to poach eggs... once the hash is heated and almost ready with
the back of serving spoon make depressions in the hash and crack an
egg into each... continue to bake in oven or fry covered until whites
are firm but yolks are still soft (shirred eggs).

Sheldon

Steve Y said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Steve

Mush to begin with, and that "mush" can be formed into patties and fried
till crisp on the outside, if desired.

And when i write "mush" i mean a mixture of cooked but firm dice of
potatoes mixed with whatever meat and sauce one chooses to use.

I used to try to make this dish with irregular sized potatoes, slices,
of potatoes do not work as well as a small regular dice of potatoes.
And raw potatoes rather than cooked or else one often times ends up with
the more literal mush of a meat in a thick paste.

I never had any success making fresh "hash browns" till somebody told me
about squeezing as much water as i could out of the shredded potatoes
before i fried them, works like a charm and i know get crispy, golden
"hash browns".
--
JL

Sheldon said:

corned beef meat loaf is nirvana.

Oy!

The "Reuben Loaf"!!!

Philosophically im a Peligian heretic, and so i believe every thing and
every body is essentially good, but it is nice to see a demonstration of
it every now and then🙂

Reuben Loaf Recipe

From Everybody Loves Meatloaf by Melanie Barnard (Harper Perennial Library)

Swiss cheese, corned beef, and sauerkraut combine with ground beef to
create a meatloaf based on the classic Reuben sandwich.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 carrot, chopped
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1/2 pound cooked corned beef
* 1 pound lean ground chuck
* 1 cup rye bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup well-drained sauerkraut
* 2 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into small cubes (about 1/2 cup)
* 1/2 cup prepared Thousand Island salad dressing
* 2 teaspoons dry mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 egg

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium skillet, heat the oil and
cook the carrot and onion over medium-low heat until the vegetables are
softened, about 5 minutes.

Cut the corned beef into pieces and finely chop them in a food
processor. In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to gently but
thoroughly combine the ground chuck, bread crumbs, sauerkraut, Swiss
cheese, 1/4 cup of the Thousand Island dressing, mustard, pepper, egg,
cooked vegetables and corned beef.

Pat the mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking pan. Spread the top with
the remaining 1/4-cup Thousand Island dressing. Bake until the meatloaf
is firm and the top is browned, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the meatloaf stand
in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Yield: 6 servings.

Leftovers:

Cut meatloaf into slices and serve on toasted rye or pumpernickel bread
with lettuce and more Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing.

Source:

Everybody Loves Meatloaf by Melanie Barnard (Harper Perennial Library)

==
JL

Sheldon said:

aem said:

Top with a poached egg.

No need to poach eggs... once the hash is heated and almost ready with
the back of serving spoon make depressions in the hash and crack an
egg into each... continue to bake in oven or fry covered until whites
are firm but yolks are still soft (shirred eggs).

I like the all-in-one idea of that and tried it once but got a rubbery
overcooked egg result. The next time I thought of trying again, to
learn to do it right, but decided to stick with poaching, since I
could count on a good result even if it was a little more effort.
Took the lazy way out, I s'pose, but that's life.... -aem

Steve Y said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Steve

You get lots of flavor if you let some of it brown really well. I like
the differing textures and extra flavor when it is done that way.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Y said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Steve

It's crispy after it's been browned in a hot skillet with a little fat
on the bottom. The insides are pretty soft, but I don't know I'd say
mushy. I make mine by chopping cooked spuds, meat, and carrot in the
food processor along with a little bit (1/4 of one?) of raw onion.
Served with beef gravy on top.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com - story and
pics of Ronald McDonald House dinner posted 6-24-2007

Steve Y said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Mary's Kitchen or Hormel, right?

There is *NO* proper way to cook it.

-sw

Not sure I understand "Mary's Kitchen or Hormel, right?"

Thanks for all the inputs, guess I'll just have to keep experimenting
till I find a method that works for us

Steve

Steve Wertz said:

Steve Y said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Mary's Kitchen or Hormel, right?

There is *NO* proper way to cook it.

-sw

Make sure you have plenty of corned beef and shred it! Cube up
leftover potatoes, rough chop some onion... brown it all in a frying
pan. Don't add any liquid. Top off a mound of hash with a poached
egg (except mine is usually soft boiled) - cover all with hollandaise
sauce. Mmmm! I just made myself hungry.
🙂

``````````````````````````````````

On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:33:37 +0200, Steve Y <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Not sure I understand "Mary's Kitchen or Hormel, right?"

Thanks for all the inputs, guess I'll just have to keep experimenting
till I find a method that works for us

Steve

Steve Wertz said:

Steve Y said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Mary's Kitchen or Hormel, right?

There is *NO* proper way to cook it.

-sw

--

History is a vast early warning system
Norman Cousins

Steve Y said:

Not sure I understand "Mary's Kitchen or Hormel, right?"

I assumed you were using a canned version - those being the only
two brands I've ever seen in the stores. And they both suck.

I see now (amongst the top posting) that you're making it from
scratch.

-sw

Quoted message said:

Thanks for all the inputs, guess I'll just have to keep experimenting
till I find a method that works for us

Steve

Steve Wertz said:

Steve Y said:

I have never had this cooked by anyone else and having tried to make it
again tonight and consulting various recipe sites, I am not sure at what
consistency I should be aiming at.

Is it just a mush or should there be a crispy aspect to it ?

Mary's Kitchen or Hormel, right?

There is *NO* proper way to cook it.

-sw