Corned Beef Hash

Canned corned beef, really? To most this would seem more like an ingredient on a cooking challenge rather than a food mentioned in a food or cooking article. Despite the relative disregard for this product, every year as a sort of Remembrance Day tribute I attempt to do something…anything halfway decent with canned corned beef as soldiers as far back as the Boer War (1899-1902) were given this product as a part of their rations.

Canned corned beef, Bully Beef, Corned Willie. Whatever you wish to call it this product appears to have wartime rations as its’ humble beginnings. This is a low-grade meat product predominantly produced in South America. As one may guess this was not seen as something to look forward to, however the product was certainly written home about. Regardless of what a product is, it will always have someone making something, or consuming it in some fashion. For our purposes the dish is a corned beef hash, which historically was a way to use up leftovers.

This recipe will easily serve three.

Ingredients:

1 can corned Beef
1 cup grated carrot
2 cups grated potato
2 eggs
½ tbsp. black pepper
1 tsp. allspice
1 large onion
2 Tbsp. cooking oil

On medium heat with 1 Tbsp. of oil sauté the large onion until lightly browned. In a large bowl flake the canned corned beef. Add the grated carrots, potatoes, cooked onion two eggs and allspice. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. This mixture can be pan fried as a whole batch in a large pan or moulded into individual patties depending on your personal preference. If patties are selected cook one side until golden brown, flip and cook until cooked through. If the whole batch method seems more appealing to you simply cook the batch on medium or medium high heat and regularly flip and mix the ingredients until it is fully cooked. This can be served on its’ own, with poached or with fried eggs. For those of you who are concerned about the nutritional value of that you put in front of your loved ones, lets just say the more vegetables you can incorporate the better.

While you may not see canned corned beef as a featured food often, it can have its’ place in the pantry. This particular recipe is more of a personal salute to those who serve, have served or have fallen as opposed to a “you have to try this”. So as we pin our coats with poppies and bow our heads at eleven o’clock this Monday why not try something that may allow you to relate, a little bit more, to those who were given this canned meat while on the front lines of war.