Corned Beef Hash Pie

The recent sunny spell didn't last very long, so Rachel and I found ourselves having to get our coats back out and craving warming comforting food again...We've got an expensive few months coming up with our wedding and buying a flat so are trying to keep all other expenditure to a minimum. That unfortunately includes my food shopping so this recipe was perfect - warming and cheaper than chips!

Corned beef hash used to be a common dinner when i was a child but we haven't seen much of it for a couple of decades. Now like other fashionable things from the 80's (neon, converse trainers, shoulder pads, high waist shorts...)  it is making a bit of a comeback, albeit with what we'd consider an improved twist.

So this is what i've tried to do, take something great from the 80's and refine it with the knowledge and experience that hindsight and over two decades has provided us with.


Ingredients for 6-8 servings - 

Can of corned beef - 340g
Onion large, finely chopped
Red pepper, finely chopped
Garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp sherry
Tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp tomato puree
Approx 350ml beef stock

Salt and pepper

1-1.25kg of maris piper potatoes, roughly chopped, skin on
Butter
2 tbsp english mustard

Large free range eggs

• Fry onion and garlic in oil in a pan for a few minutes until soft.
• Add thyme and red pepper and continue to fry.
• Add corned beef and fry for a few minutes, breaking up the meat.
• Splash in sherry and worcestershire sauce, fry for 2 mins.
• Add tomato puree and stock to the pan, boil for around 10 minutes to reduce slightly.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and then transfer to a baking dish.
• Chop the potatoes, leaving skin on (this adds another texture and speeds things up!) until soft then mash.
• Add mustard, butter and a little milk and mash until smooth.
• Top the meat with mash like a shepherds pie and bake at 200c for 25 mins until browned and crispy on top.
• Serve each portion with a runny yolk, fried egg on top.

BBQ Season - German Potato Salad

'The sun is shining, the weather is sweet,
Make you want to barbecue all kinds of meat.....'

The only trouble with this great weather is that we live in London and our budget stretched to a lovely one bedroom flat but did not extend to any outside space...

So while this potato salad is the perfect accompaniment to barbecued meats we do not have the ability to barbecue any meat, and everyone knows that the inside grill is just not the same.

So which lucky garden owning friend is coming 'to the rescue, I've let you know, yall, where i stand!'


Ingredients -

1kg new potatos, halved, third big ones
Large bunch of spring onions, all chopped
4 hard boiled eggs
3-4 heaped tbsps of mayonaise, light is fine
Heaped tsp english mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
6 rashers of smoked bacon, grilled and chopped
Gerkhins, sliced or mini ones halved to serve

• Bring the potatoes to boil in salted water and then simmer for 15-20 mins until soft
• Remove from the pan and cool completely
• Hard boil the eggs - if you need help try delia's website
• Chop eggs
• Put everything in a large bowl and stir to evenly combine, refrigerate until ready to eat
• Top with gerkhins, baby or sliced.

Serve with german sausages or other meat as a main course, on it's own as a snack or as side dish at a bbq