Corned Beef and Potatoes are an all time favorite of mine. My dad didn't cook often when I was little, but when he did cook he had a few favorite dishes that he made and this was one of them. When my dad made corned beef and potatoes, he always used canned corned beef. And I did too, until I did Whole30 and realized that there is sugar added to everything, including the canned corned beef.
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Here's a little immigrant backstory: When I first came to the USA I went to a NYC deli to pick up lunch for my boss. While at the Deli I saw a sign that said that the special for the day, was a corned beef reuben. I was so excited and proudly ordered the special because I thought that it was the corned beef I was used to. The kind my dad made. The one every Caribbean person is familiar with. Imagine my disappointment when I got back to my desk and found strips of beef and sauerkraut. Let's just say I was starving for the rest of the day.
Years later I still remember that day fondly and now I've come to love the type of corned beef that was in that sandwich. It's the type of corned beef I am using in my recipe today. In Guyana we also call this fresh corned beef, salt beef. So when you are ready to try this recipe you will need some salt beef, if you are in Guyana.
Fresh Corned Beef versus Canned?
For this corned beef and potatoes recipe I used uncooked corned beef that I bought in the meat section at the supermarket. The canned corned beef I currently have in my pantry has sugar listed as an ingredient, so that makes it not suitable for my current Whole30 reset. I carefully read the label of this corned beef that I bought to ensure that there were no ingredients that are not allowed on the Whole30. I consulted the Whole30 forum for some questionable preservatives and found that they were ok.
Since the corned beef was raw I searched the internet for cooking instructions and found one for cooking it in my Instant Pot. After pressure cooking the corned beef for 1.5 hours in my Instant pot I removed it from the broth and chopped it into small chunks. I didn't want it to have the same texture as the canned version but if you want to mimic that, simply add the cooked corned beef to your food processor and pulse it until it has the desired texture.
Pan fry the potatoes first
Whenever my dad makes corned beef and potatoes, he always pan fries his potatoes before adding the corned beef. This makes the potatoes crunchy on the outside but tender on the inside. I used this method for my potatoes and I was not disappointed. It was perfect.
Once the potatoes are fully cooked, then I add my seasoning. For this corned beef and potatoes recipe I used lots of fresh tomatoes, green onions and garlic. Very simple, but very tasty. Alternatively you could add regular onions, thyme, bell pepper and some wiri wiri or scotch bonnet pepper for heat.
Finishing up the corned beef and potatoes
I cooked down the tomatoes until they were mushy and then added the chopped corned beef. For the best flavor pay off, I sautéed the corned beef and potatoes for about 5 minutes on high heat, allowing a bit of crust to form at the bottom of the pan. This dish was so delicious. The texture was not the same as the one my dad makes because I didn't use canned corned beef but the flavor was exactly the same.
The Printable Corned Beef and Potatoes Recipe:
Printable Recipe Card
Caribbean Style Corned Beef and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs of uncooked corned beef
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of onion powder
- 3 cups of water
- 1 large russet potato peeled and sliced into thin wedges
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 4 medium sized tomatoes diced
- 5 cloves of garlic grated
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
Instructions
- Wash corned beef thoroughly to remove all of the liquid used to preserve the meat.
- Season corned beef with onion powder and garlic powder then pressure cook the corned beef for 1.5 hours or until tender
Instant Pot instructions for pressure cooking:
- Add 3 cups of water, garlic powder and onion powder to your instant pot.
- Then add the corned beef. Be sure to wash the corn beef thoroughly before adding to the instant pot.
- Pressure cook on high for 1.5 hours then release the pressure and let cool before proceeding to the next step
Making the corned beef and potatoes:
- After the corned beef pressure cooks, allow the corned beef to cool, chop into small pieces, then set aside. Alternatively you can add the cooked corned beef to a food processor and pulse until it is similar in texture to canned corned beef
- Next bring 2 tablespoon of olive oil up to temperature in a large skillet on medium heat
- Then add the sliced potatoes and pan fry until the potatoes are brown on both sides.
- Add ¼ cup of water then reduce the heat to low, cover and let the potatoes cook until they are fork tender. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Next increase the heat to medium and add the tomatoes, grated garlic and green onions, reserving about 2 tablespoons of green onion for garnishing at the end
- Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooks and soft
- Then add the chopped cooked corned beef
- Increase the heat to high and sauté the corned beef and potatoes for 5 minutes until a light crust forms at the bottom of the pan
- Then remove from the heat and garnish with reserved green onions and a pinch of cayenne pepper
Loving all of my new recipes? Check out my post about The Whole30 and me!
Need some more ideas for healthier Caribbean recipes? Click on the picture below to see the full list of Whole30 Recipes:
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