Corned Beef Hash
House-brined corned beef crisped up with onions, peppers, and potatoes — a breakfast legend from San Antonio.
Prep: 20 min · Cook: 35 min · Total: 55 min · Serves: 4 · Difficulty: Medium · Rating: 4.8/5 (174 reviews)
INSPIRED BY
Magnolia Pancake Haus — San Antonio, TX
Inspired by Magnolia Pancake Haus in San Antonio, TX, where the corned beef hash is made from house-brined beef that puts every diner-can version to shame.
Story
The Sunday after St. Patrick's Day I had a fridge full of leftover corned beef and no desire to eat another slice of it the way it was, so I made corned beef hash, which is the entire reason you cook a brisket that big in the first place. I'd had a memorable version at Magnolia Pancake Haus in San Antonio years ago and mine is not that, but it's mine and it's good. The secret to hash that actually crisps is drying the potatoes, and I ignored this for years. I'd dump diced raw potatoes straight into the pan and wonder why they steamed into a gray mush. Now I parboil the Yukon Golds for five or six minutes, drain them, and spread them on paper towels to dry completely before they ever hit the skillet. Dry potatoes, crispy hash. It's not optional. The other thing I learned is patience. You add the potatoes in a single layer to a hot cast iron skillet and then you leave them alone for four or five minutes. Every instinct says to stir, and stirring is exactly how you get pale, sad potato pieces. Let the crust form, then flip in sections. I cook the onions and peppers separately first and add them back at the end so they don't burn while the potatoes are doing their slow crisping. I crack the eggs right into wells in the hash and cover the pan for three minutes, just until the whites set and the yolks stay runny. The runny yolk is the sauce. Hot sauce on the side, chives on top. Honest take: this is a weekend breakfast, not a quick one, because the parboiling and the slow crisping take real time. My husband ate three eggs' worth and called it the best use of leftovers I've ever managed. My 4-year-old ate the egg and exactly two potato pieces and declared herself full. If you don't have leftover corned beef, deli corned beef chopped fine works fine, and honestly the whole thing is forgiving except for that one rule about drying the potatoes, which I will keep repeating because I learned it the hard, mushy way.
By Casey
Ingredients
- 1 lb corned beef (deli or homemade brisket), finely chopped
- 1.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, diced 1/2 inch
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 eggs (for topping)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- Hot sauce for serving
Instructions
- Parboil the potatoes: place diced potatoes in salted cold water, bring to a boil, and cook 5–6 minutes until just barely fork-tender but not fully cooked. Drain and spread on paper towels to dry completely. Dry potatoes = crispy hash.
- Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly caramelized — about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove to a plate.
- Add remaining butter and oil to the skillet. Increase heat to high. Add dried parboiled potatoes in a single layer. Do not stir — let them sit and develop a crust for 4–5 minutes.
- Flip sections of potatoes with a spatula. Add the corned beef and the cooked vegetables back to the pan. Mix to combine, then press the entire hash down into the pan with the spatula into a flat pancake. Season with smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt.
- Let the hash cook undisturbed over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes until the bottom is deeply browned and crispy. Use the spatula to flip sections of the hash and press down again. Cook another 3–4 minutes for maximum crunch.
- Make 4 wells in the hash with the back of a spoon. Crack an egg into each well. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until egg whites are just set but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.
- Scatter fresh chives over the top. Serve directly from the skillet with hot sauce on the side.
Chef Tips
- The crust is the whole game. Press the hash flat and don't touch it — every time you stir, you're sacrificing crust for scrambled potatoes. Flip once, press again, walk away.
- Dry your parboiled potatoes completely. Steam is the enemy of crunch. Spread them on paper towels or a rack and wait 10 minutes.
- Good corned beef makes all the difference. If you have time, brine and boil a brisket yourself — the flavor compared to deli-sliced is staggering.
- A runny egg on top is non-negotiable. The yolk becomes a sauce that ties everything together when broken.
Cook's Notes
- **Corned beef source:** Leftover St. Patrick's Day corned beef is ideal. Canned corned beef works well and is what many classic diners use.
- **Potato tip:** Par-cook the potatoes first (microwave 4 minutes or boil 10 minutes) before adding to the hash. Raw potatoes don't cook evenly in the skillet and end up undercooked inside.
- **Make-ahead:** The hash mixture can be made and refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat in a hot cast-iron skillet and re-crisp before adding eggs.
- **Storage:** Fridge 3 days. The crust won't fully recover on reheating but the flavor is still excellent.
- **Equipment:** A cast-iron skillet is the right tool here. Its heat retention creates a crust that non-stick and thin stainless pans can't match.
- **Common mistake:** Stirring the hash too frequently. Let it sit undisturbed for 3-4 minutes to build a crust before flipping. Constant stirring produces soggy hash with no texture.
- **Doneness cue:** The bottom of the hash should be deeply browned and release cleanly from the pan when you slide a spatula under it. If it sticks, it needs more time — don't force it.