Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Some things just go together like St. Patrick’s Day and corned beef – and, of course, for me it was only a small leap until I was asking, “Are there hundred-year-old recipes for corned beef?
I’m happy to report that I found an excellent hundred-year-old Corned Beef Hash recipe that was simple to make and a great way to use any corned beef left over from St. Patrick’s Day. However, there was one little glitch. I couldn’t bring myself to try the serving suggestion.
Here’s the original recipe:
Pour a ring of ketchup around the Corned Beef Hash? It might make a lovely presentation (though I tend to think not), but I’ll never know for sure.
And, I didn’t serve the Corned Beef Hash with baked bananas. Baked bananas may be tasty, but the 1919 cookbook didn’t include a recipe for them, and I don’t know how to make them. I must be lacking a bit of common cooking knowledge that most cooks had back then . . .sigh.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Corned Beef Hash
1 cup cold cooked corn beef, chopped
1 cup cold boiled potatoes, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons broth that the corned beef was cooked in or water (I used water.)
paprika
Melt shortening in a skillet that has a lid; add corned beef, potatoes, and broth or water. Sprinkle with paprika. Gently stir to combine. Cover pan and cook using medium low heat until hot and steamy (and until most of the broth has been absorbed or evaporated). Stir occasionally. Do not allow the potatoes to brown. Remove from heat and serve.
A Hundred Years Ago 
This is a meal from my childhood. Well, the hash part, not the baked bananas part. Where they meant to be the dessert or a side dish, do you suppose?
I’m not sure. It seems like they might have worked as either a dessert or side dish.
as a child I had corn beef hash at school but it was not like this. Boil and mash the potatoes, fry onions and the corn beef then mix into the mashed potatoes which have been mashed salted and peppered, then pop into the oven to brown. Let it stand until it is cooled and serve with salads. Everything tasted as I remembered it. but I will try your chopped version/
The corned beef hash you remember sounds lovely. It’s interesting that it was allowed to cool and then served with salads.
The Mary Kitchen brand of canned corned beef hash was a staple during my childhood. I always enjoyed it — odd that I’ve never had “real” corned beef. I realized when I read your recipe that I’ve lived all these years not knowing what “corned” beef actually was. Now I know it’s beef that’s been brined with “corns” of salt. Amazing.
I don’t think that I’ve ever had canned corned beef hash. Maybe a missed something growing up. I usually buy one corned beef brisket each year- in March for St. Patrick’s Day.
The canned really was quite good. I’ve resolved to try it again. Mom would open both ends of the can, push it out intact, slice it, and then fry it. Delish!
I’m going to have to look for the canned variety. I just googled it, and see that the Mary Kitchen brand of corned beef is still sold.
Oh I laughed — picturing the mix of banana & beef, then read a second time, slower. I like ketchup, and could eat it w/the beef and potatoes. Wondering if the cook was thinking of a bananas-Foster-type dessert? We may never know ; ) Hope everyone has a happy St. Pat’s!
mmm. . . I like the idea of a bananas-Foster-type dessert. What a fun pairing. . . though it seems very elegant to serve with the left-overs that go into Corned Beef Hash. In any case, it make me smile just thinking about it.
Even though I have Irish heritage, we never ate it at home. Maybe it is time to feed the Irish side of me.
You should give it a try. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever had Corned Beef Hash and I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty it is.
Corn beef hash was one of my favourites as a child made with tinned corn beef although I also love proper corned beef which we call salt beef in the UK…but that was never used for corn beef hash…Mum used to bake the bananas in their skins which go well with the hash minus the ketchup…
Now I’m curious, and may have to give it a try. It’s good to know that the pairing of Corned Beef Hash and baked bananas work well together. Do you remember whether your mother just threw them in the oven . . . or did she wrap them with foil or something? Was the oven very hot or more of a medium heat?
Sorry Sheryl I don’t. I remember. her cooking them in the ash pan just in their skin if that helps same as she did chestnuts…That was the ash pan under the coal fire
It sort of sounds similar to the way that baked potatoes might have been baked years ago. I’m getting more and more curious about baking bananas – and may just throw a couple in my oven sometime.
Oh no. I couldn’t do corned beef. Sorry. It reminds me too much of 1950s school dinners. ‘Nuff said. By the way, unlike CarolCooks2, I’ve never heard corned beef called salt beef. Perhaps it’s a regional thing?
I get the thing about school dinners. We got some school meals that weren’t good. I think that you are probably right that there is regional variation in what corned beef is called.
Maybe they meant plantain, as they were called baking bananas back then.
Makes sense.
We call it that in Nfld too, I’m half Newfie. Salt beef out of a bucket which is measured by the hand and boiled and treated like brisket and is the centre of a boiled dinned and tinned corned beef which is called “Bully Beef” and sliced for sandwiches.
-John
It’s fascinating how the name differs across locales. “Bully Beef” is a really fun name.
I love corned beef hash!!
It is tasty.
Oh yes, this recipe has been used in our family for years,not the bananas though,never heard of baked bananas. Oh, and we always put ketchup on top,it’s really good.
Based on your recommendation, I may have to try Corned Beef Hash with ketchup.
John used to cook corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day. He was gone on the 17th two years running, and we had other plans today. I must file this recipe away and hope to remember it if we have corned beef again. I wouldn’t use the ketchup, either.
I hope that you had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day.
We had a lovely St. Patrick’s Day. After church we ate at a seafood place and much later had little cakes decorated with green and white frosting. Did you do anything special for that day?
Your St. Patrick’s Day sounds really nice. My day was uneventful – and a fairly typical Sunday.
Still here. Thank you for sharing St Patrick’s day fare
Our first great grandchild was born today on St. Patrick’s Day.
Congrats on the great grandchild.
I would use cream or milk in place of water or broth
Yes, that would work. The dish just needs a little liquid to keep it from burning while it is heated.
You lost me at ‘bananas’
Everything else sounds delish!
I had the same feeling – I just couldn’t quite imagine baked bananas with this dish, though I probably should have given it a try.
I get what you are saying. There must be a reason for the bananas, right. Mind if i let you try it first? 😃
Sure I can try it first . . . though you might be waiting a long time for me to do it. 🙂
Corned beef hash is one of my husband’s favorite breakfasts, topped with a couple of fried eggs. We add some chopped onion and red bell pepper to it for flavor and do let it cook enough to get a little crispy.
One of the things that really surprised me about the old recipe was how it said, “Do not let the hash brown next to the pan.” Similarly to your husband, I thought that Corned Beef Hash was typically a little crispy – though I must say that the hash that I made using the old recipe was tasty even though it wasn’t browned.
Corned Beef Hash looks like it’s be a tasty meal.
Like you I’m not sure about the baked bananas, they had such curious ideas for serving back then. I bet it was a nutritional thing to help add more vitamins with the meal.
If you give baked bananas a try, I look forward to your thoughts.
You’re probably right that the recipe author was trying to create a well-rounded meal by adding the bananas.
I enjoy my corned beef hash with ketchup too. Or sometimes my mother would make a sort of homemade barbeque sauce to go with it. For all the nay-sayers to the corned beef – there is a big difference between the tinned version and “fresher” refrigerated version. The part I couldn’t get beyond was the baked banana. Seems like it should have been a dessert? I will have to try it out sometime.
I agree – there is a lot of difference across the two types of corned beef. I definitely prefer the type that I find in the meat section of the store.
That is different. Baked bananas!
The Corned Beef Hash recipe seemed to assume that cooks just knew how to make baked bananas, but it assumed wrong. I need a recipe. If I ever find a hundred-year-old recipe for baked bananas, I’m definitely going to make them.:)
I have baked bananas in the oven. I wonder if they season them such as with cinnamon or anything. It would be interesting if you came upon an old recipe!
Wow – It’s awesome that you’re making some. I have no idea whether they seasoned baked bananas a hundred years ago – but cinnamon sounds good to me. You’ll have to let me know how they turn out.
Looks very yummy! I went for dinner at friends’ place on St. Patrick’s Day and was served delicious corned beef sandwiches, but I have not experimented much with corned beef.
I typically buy a corned beef brisket each March. It is easy to make. I just boil it with spices for several hours, and then usually add some cabbage to make corned beef and cabbage. On the following days, I make other corned beef recipes with the left-overs.
This does look very good and I’m with you on nixing the serving suggestions!
It was yummy. Sometimes I think that the ways we serve food have changed more across the years than the actual recipes.
I think that’s very true!
Corn beef hash plus bananas sounds weird… 🙂
hmm. . . I take it that I shouldn’t plan on serving this combination to family or friends. 🙂