Corned Beef and Potatoes is a delicious hash meal made with diced corn beef, tender cooked potatoes, and tomatoes. This Caribbean-inspired dish isn’t the typical St. Patrick’s Day corned beef but you can learn how to cook corned beef with this simple recipe.
Corned Beef and Potatoes
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 corned beef and potatoes was one of them. 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.
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.
- Corned Beef and Potatoes
- Why You’ll Love This Corned Beef and Potatoes Recipe
- What is Corned Beef?
- Ingredients for Corned Beef and Potatoes
- Fresh Corned Beef versus Canned?
- How to Make Corned Beef and Potatoes
- Storage
- Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Corned Beef and Potatoes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Caribbean Style Corned Beef and Potatoes
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.
Why You’ll Love This Corned Beef and Potatoes Recipe
- Versatile: This meal works for breakfast, lunch, or dinner so you can enjoy it any time of the day.
- Delicious: Most corned beef hash recipes use canned corned beef but with this recipe, learn how to make corned beef from scratch. It is salty, savory, and slightly sweet, with a depth of flavors that canned versions lack.
- Carribean Twist on Corned Beef: Caribbean-style corned beef and potatoes bring together fresh corned beef, potatoes, tomatoes, green onions, and garlic in a new and flavorful way.
What is Corned Beef?
Corned beef is a salt-cured beef brisket. It is traditionally made by soaking the meat in a seasoned brine containing salt, sugar, and other spices.
Then it is slow-cooked until tender, resulting in a flavorful and often slightly salty meat commonly associated with St. Patrick’s Day meals and hearty comfort dishes. It is commonly used to make Reuben sandwiches and corned beef and cabbage.
Ingredients for Corned Beef and Potatoes
Make your corned beef hash Carribean style with the following ingredients.
- Uncooked corned beef: I prefer to prepare my own rather than use the canned stuff.
- Seasoning: Use garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Water: Cook the corned beef in seasoned water.
- Russet potato: Peeled and sliced into thin wedges for quicker cooking.
- Green onions: Thinly sliced for garnish.
- Tomatoes: Add diced tomatoes for fresh flavor.
- Fresh garlic cloves: Grated.
- Tomato paste: This enriches the tomato flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
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 it did not contain ingredients that would affect my Whole30. I consulted the Whole30 forum for some questionable preservatives and found that they were ok.
How to Make Corned Beef and Potatoes
How to Make Corned Beef in Instant Pot
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 Potatoes
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 payoff, sauté 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.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers in the oven or microwave.
Recipe Variations
- Corned Beed and Cabbage: Swap the tomatoes for sauteed cabbage to make this a classic Irish meal.
- Potatoes: Try Yukon gold potatoes or sweet potatoes if you want something other than russet potatoes.
- Eggs: Want to serve corned beef hash for breakfast or brunch? Top it with poached eggs, fried eggs, or scrambled eggs.
Tips for the Best Corned Beef and Potatoes
- Rinse corned beef before cooking it. Rinse it under cold water in order to remove excess salt from the curing process. Pat it dry with paper towels afterward.
- Corned beef takes time to cook. Preparing it in the Instant Pot cuts the cooking time significantly but it still takes 1.5 hours. This allows the meat to become tender and flavorful.
- Thinly slice the potatoes so they cook faster. Make sure the pieces are even to ensure they cook at the same rate. This helps prevent some pieces from becoming mushy while others remain undercooked.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t rinse corned beef before cooking, the final dish may be too salty. Rinse the beef to remove excess salt.
Boiling is the most common method used to cook corned beef. It tenderizes the meat and draws out excess salt.
It can take up to 3.5 hours to cook corned beef on the stove or oven. Cut the cooking time nearly in half by preparing it in an instant pot or pressure cooker.
Caribbean Style Corned Beef and Potatoes
Equipment
- Large Skillet
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs uncooked corned beef
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 3 cups water
- 1 large russet potato peeled and sliced into thin wedges
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 4 medium sized tomatoes diced
- 5 cloves garlic grated
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon 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 1/4 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
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
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