St. Paddy's Day leftover makes comforting hash

If St. Patrick's Day gives you too much corned beef, make corned-beef hash.

Hash is a dish designed with leftovers in mind. It's even worth cooking an extra brisket to ensure enough leftover meat.

When I was younger, you could get hash in some restaurants, often at Sunday brunch. And people still made it at home.

Now it seems to have gone out of style. Perhaps hash is too plain-Jane in this era of sophisticated palates.

But it's great comfort food, the kind of meat-and-potatoes goodness that used to be the hallmark of the American table.

Hash, of course, isn't restricted to corned beef. The name is said to come from the French verb hacher, which means to chop or mince.

A hash then is a bunch of chopped leftovers all fried together in a skillet. In "A Real American Breakfast" (William Morrow, 2002), Bill Jamison and Cheryl Alters Jamison devote an entire chapter to hash. The 14 recipes include hash made with crab, salmon, ham, sweet potatoes, spicy Italian sausage, chicken, shrimp and even tamales.

And hash can be made solely from mixed vegetables. In general, though, the stars of the shows are a protein and a starch. I like them in equal proportions.

Onions are essential in my book. I usually don't add too much else, at least to corned-beef hash. I do like a mix of red and green bell peppers sometimes. And a bit of spicy kick from cayenne pepper or a hot sauce is welcome.

Other recipes, though, call for adding an assortment that may include garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, carrots and even leftover cabbage.

The meat and potatoes must be precooked. Deli corned beef can substitute for home-cooked corned beef. I like the meat minced or shredded to more easily spread the flavor into every bite.

Potatoes, which should be peeled, are typically cut into about ½-inch pieces. I prefer Russet or all-purpose potatoes; red or other waxy potatoes tend to stay a bit too firm for hash.

The difference between a so-so hash and a good one mostly comes down to having a nice brown crust.

A well-seasoned, cast-iron skillet is the traditional pan for hash, and a nonstick skillet will do the job, too. Don't try this with another kind of skillet or you'll risk burning the hash.

The basic method that I like for forming a good crust is to pat down all the ingredients into an even layer. Let them brown for a few minutes, and then stir and pat down again. Doing this about three times usually results in lots of nice, crusty bits throughout the hash.

For me, the crowning touch of corned-beef hash is an egg with a runny yolk.

The eggs can be fried sunny side up or poached. Or you can cook the eggs right on top of the hash during the last few minutes.

Think of the egg yolk as a sauce that will flavor and enrich the hash. That egg on top also makes for a nice presentation -- raising the lowly hash to a dish worthy of company.

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Corned-Beef Hash

2 tablespoons butter or bacon drippings

1 medium onion, diced

½ to ¾ cup diced red and green bell peppers (optional)

2 cups cooked corned beef, minced or shredded (about 1 pound)

2 cups peeled, cooked and cubed Russet or all-purpose potatoes (1 to 1¼ pounds)

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash cayenne pepper or hot sauce (optional)

¼ cup corned-beef cooking liquid, heavy cream or chicken broth

4 eggs (optional)

1. Melt the butter in a 10-inch, well-seasoned, cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, if using. Cook, stirring once or twice until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the corned beef, potatoes, salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. Lightly pat down with a spoon or spatula into an even layer. Pour the liquid over the mixture and cook undisturbed, without stirring, for 5 minutes.

3. Stir the mixture to loosen any browned bits on the bottom. Fold the mixture a bit at a time so that browned parts move to the surface and unbrowned parts make contact with the bottom of the pan. If any parts have blackened at all, reduce the heat a little. Let cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Fold the mixture again, and let cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 more minutes, until brown and crusty throughout. If necessary, repeat the folding one more time.

5. If desired, cook the eggs during the last few minutes of cooking the hash. To do this in the same skillet, make four slight indentations or nests, evenly spaced in the hash. Crack an egg into each of the four places and season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and cook just until the whites have set, about 5 minutes.

6. Use a spatula to cut the hash between the eggs into four portions. Remove each portion gently, taking care not to break the yolks, and serve immediately.

7. Makes 4 servings.