This Saint Patrick’s Day was the first time I ever made corned beef and cabbage. Its debut at our table can only be attributed to our supermarket’s almost giving it away at a ridiculously low price and my better-half’s sneaking it into our grocery cart.

Being Italian and having attended a predominantly Irish parochial school in the 50s, I remember that Saint Patrick’s Day typically led to some kind of minor altercation between the Irish majority and the Italian minority, with the latter opting to celebrate their saint’s day, Saint Joseph, two days later on the 19th.

In fact, one squabble I had was with an Irish nun, who asked me, a soloist in our church choir, to sing an Irish song. I agreed to only if I would be allowed to sing an Italian one on Saint Joseph’s day. The miffed sister considered that insubordination and immediately sent me off to the principal’s office.

I chuckle at this memory now, but it may explain why my approach to this iconic Saint Patrick’s Day dish was a bit lackadaisical, leading me to choose to prepare it in a pressure cooker following a simple recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s Pressure Cooker Perfection. The two-stage recipe, the first for the meat and the second for the vegetables, took a little over two hours, but it was worth the wait. The dish far exceeded our expectations and left us with a load of leftovers.

Given the times we’re living in, the leftovers were indeed a godsend. So, with the remains of our Paddy’s Day meal, I decided to make corned-beef hash, following a recipe I found on the web on The Spruce Eats website. More enthusiastic about this dish than I was about the corned beef, I decided we’d take photographs of the preparation and write a post about it.

I pretty much followed the recipe as written, except for adding a bit of salt to the onions as they sautéed and choosing to put the hash under the broiler for about 10 minutes to brown the top rather than attempting to flip it. I also opted to omit the leftover cabbage.

Served with a fried egg, the hash was truly delicious. The meat’s flavors were heightened by the frying and broiling and, along with the vegetables, were enhanced by the garlic, thyme, and parsley. In fact it was so good that these Italian eyes were smiling all through dinner.

Corned Beef Hash With Cabbage and Carrots (adapted from a recipe by Diana Rattray on The Spruce Eats.com)

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (pressed)
3 cups leftover potatoes (diced)
2 cups leftover corned beef (chopped)
Optional: 1 cup leftover cabbage (diced)
Optional: 1/2 cup leftover carrots (diced)
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
Kosher salt (to taste)

Instructions

1. In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.

2. When the butter is hot, add the chopped onion. Sauté the onion, adding a pinch of salt, stirring, until it is translucent and softened.

3. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer.

4. Add the diced potatoes, chopped corned beef, the cabbage, and the carrots, if using.

5. Stir in the thyme, parsley, and pepper.

6. Taste the hash and add salt, as needed. Stir to blend ingredients.

7, Pat the mixture down in the skillet and let brown for about 8 to 10 minutes.

8. Turn and brown the other side, or place under the broiler for another 8 to 10 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning.

Serve on heated plates accompanied by a fried egg or two.

Wine Pairing: Dry Riesling