Corned Beef Hash

With only two of us in the house, we often end up with leftovers.  Even when we have people over, it seems I always make an enormous amount of food so there's enough left over for lunch.  After two days of eating the same thing you can get pretty sick of it no matter how tasty it is.  So, with leftover corned beef and potatoes that weren't going anywhere fast, we decided to turn it into corned beef hash.  We added a diced red pepper, onion, and garlic for some extra flavor.   With a fried egg on top, it is a delicious and savory meal.  A great way to transform your St. Patrick's day dinner leftovers!

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped corned beef

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chopped boiled potatoes (about 1/2 inch cubes)

vegetable oil

salt and pepper

eggs for frying

chives, green onion, or parsley for garnish

Directions:

Bring a cast iron or large heavy bottomed pan to medium heat.  Pour in 2 T oil and when the pan is hot, and add the diced onion and bell pepper.  Add 1 t salt to the mixture and stir.  Saute for about 6-8 minutes until they are soft and the onions are turning golden and translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.

Next, add the corned beef and saute for 2 minutes.  Then, add the potatoes to the mixture, stir to combine, and let it sit for a few minutes without touching.  Stir to scrape up the bottom that might have stuck to the pan.  Keep letting it sit for a couple minutes and stirring, to let the potatoes and onions brown.  After about 10-15 minutes it should be turning more of a crispy brown color.  You may need to add more oil if it seems to be sticking too much.

Add lots of freshly ground black pepper to the hash mixture.  Taste for more salt.  In a separate non-stick skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil over medium heat, and fry the eggs with salt and pepper.  Top the corned beef hash with the chopped herbs and fried egg and serve hot.  Delicious for breakfast, brunch, or even dinner!

Home-made Mayo

Mayonnaise is a kitchen item most people would never think of trying to make themselves... I mean, who even knows what is IN mayo in the first place?  On cooking shows, they always make a big deal out of making this condiment, as if it is extremely difficult to master.  Well, I'm hear to tell you it is one of the most simple things to make, as long as you have an immersion blender.  And it uses pretty standard household ingredients that most people have on hand so you can whip it up at any moment's notice.  Best of all, you get great taste without all the preservatives they include in the store-bought stuff.  Thank you to my favorite food blog, Serious Eats, for teaching me this trick!

Ingredients: (makes about one cup)

1 egg yolk

1 T lemon juice (lime juice or white vinegar will work too if that's all you have)

1 T water

1 t dijon mustard

1 cup Vegetable oil

Directions:

Combine the egg yolk, lemon (or lime) juice, water and dijon mustard into your cup.  If you have a tall measuring cup like the one in the photo, that is ideal for using the immersion blender.

Pour the oil into the cup next. 

Place the head of the blender in the cup, and turn it on, moving it around slightly as needed.  You may need to stop every once in a while to scrape the edges or stir.  The total blending time is only about one minute.

You will see the mixture become solid and in the end it will be the same texture as the mayo you buy at the store!  Season with a little kosher salt, and you are done. So easy!