Breakfast Corned Beef Hash with Bacon & Eggs

I have been trying to locate the origin of corned beef hash which in its earliest form can apparently be dated right back to the 1600s where a similar dish of ground meat was served with cubed potatoes. It became especially popular in the UK during the war when meat was rashioned and remains a staple in many people's kitchens to this day.

I would like to claim it as a Northern dish as it has that comforting Northern charm you just don't get down south. I think it is quite local to Cheshire (Windsford, Middlewich and Northwich in particular) and it is particularly nostalgic for me as I'd often come back from school on cold winter days to find my mum standing over a huge pan of the stuff (just what you needed!) Anyway the 'hash' is quite popular in America as a breakfast dish, or so I've read, so I thought I would make it for me and my man one cold Saturday March morning.

It really is the perfect hearty breakfast on a cold morning and the ultimate hangover cure. We had it with tortilla wraps left over from a few nights ago which was just enough as it is rather filling but I think any nice homemade bread (I'm thinking soda bread...) would be a match made in heaven.

Ingredients
(for 2)
1 x 200g tin of corned beef
1 large potato (cut into about 1cm cubes)
1/2 white onion (chopped)
200g bacon lardons
1 tsp harissa paste
1 clove of garlic (minced)
2 eggs
Salt & pepper
Parsley
Olive oil

So to make this I used 2 x 8" cast iron skillet pans but any frying pan would be fine, I'm just a bit addicted to using mine since I got them and I think they look dead cute as an individual portion (plus I like saying the word skillet). 

First of all boil your potato cubes in a saucepan for about 3-4 minutes then take off the heat, drain and leave to one side.

Heat a splash of oil on a low to medium heat in each of your skillet pans and cook the onions until soft. Then add the lardons, harissa paste and garlic, stirring occasionally.

After a few minutes divide the potato cubes between the pans and allow to crisp up (probably between 5-10 minutes).

Carefully open your tin of corned beef. I say this in all seriousness as you would not believe the trouble we had trying to open a tin, not being all that familiar with the intricate mechanism of the key. We both speculated that we had seen out father's opening these antiquated objects but in the modern world with all our technological knowledge we could not fathom it and spent a full 15 minutes (with several injuries) trying to open it! Not a word of instruction in sight - is it that obvious?! Surely there should be an app for that these days... So after breaking off the key, slicing my finger open, attacking it with both tin opener and bread knife we managed to prize open the tinned goodness! I digress.

Once tin is opened mix half into each pan and break up with a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Whilst this is cooking fry 2 eggs in a separate frying pan and warm your tortillas in the microwave or under a hot grill.

Place an egg on each of the pans of hash and sprinkle with chopped parsley then serve in the pan with wraps on the side (remember the handles will be hot). Great start to the day.