Corned Beef Hash Recipe

I whipped this up from leftovers last week, and I think it deserves to be elevated from leftover status. It's a little unusual in that it calls for mashed potatoes. A good, aged cheese adds depth to the mashed potatoes and goes really well with the roasted garlic.

Corned Beef:

1 1b. - Corned Beef (all or part of a vacuum-packed corned beef is fine)
2 - Carrots, cut into medium chunks, leave on the greens if present
1 tsp. - Red Pepper Flakes
2 - Bay Leaves
1 tsp. - Black Peppercorns
4 cloves - Garlic
1-2 tsp. - Salt

Place all ingredients in a large pot with enough water to cover the corned beef. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 3 hours.

Mashed Potatoes:

5 - medium Idaho Baking Potatoes
1 bulb - Garlic, large
3/4 cup - Cheese, Aged Gouda or Cheddar, grated fine
6 Tbsp. - Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup - Half & Half
1 tsp. - Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the potatoes, place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour or until cooked through. After the potatoes go in, slice off the top 1/4" of the garlic bulb and wrap in foil so that the cut area is exposed at the top. Sprinle the cut area with salt and pepper and drizzle on the olive oil. Place the garlic in the oven and bake till the top is good and brown, about 40 minutes. Let the garlic cool.

When the potatoes are done, place them in a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Remove the wrap after about 30 minutes and carefully peel the skin from the potatoes (they'll still be hot!) A paper towel or two may help with this. A few remaining bits of skin is OK. The goal is for the potatoes to remain hot enough to melt the butter. If they've cooled too much, melt the butter very gently in a microwave oven.

Add the butter to the bowl of potatoes and let it melt for a few minutes. Add the grated cheese. Take the (cooled!) garlic in one hand, turn it over and squeeze the roasted garlic cloves onto a cutting board. Mash them completely with a knife, taking care to remove any pieces of garlic skin. Add the garlic to the bowl.

Mash the potatoes with a hand masher while slowly adding the half & half to get to the desired consistency. A little more or less half & half may be needed. The potaotes should be smooth, but not completely smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Hash:

Cut the corned beef into very small dice. Trim and discard any fat. The finer you cut it, the better the results. A food processor *may* help, here, but I haven't tried it.

Variation: Add some very finely chopped green pepper and onion that's been sauteed in olive oil.

Thoroughly mix approximately equal proportions of corned beef and mashed potatoes. Divide into batches that will fill a small frying pan to the depth of 1 to 1-1/2 inches. Cook a batch by heating frying pan, lightly oiled or sprayed with Pam, then pressing the hash into the frying pan. Cook on one side till it's a crusty golden-brown, but not burnt. Spray some Pam on the top, flip it over and cook the other side. Try to flip it as a single piece, but it's OK if it falls apart, just re-form it with the spatula.

Serve with eggs, toast, etc. Ketchup remains a good condiment for this hash.