Madhouse recipe : Corned beef hash-chouka

Let me just say, before you go any further, this tastes a lot better than it looks ! Sophie said "yuck, it looks like the dog's been sick" and I have to say, at one point, she wasn't far wrong !! This was a classic "use it up, don't throw it out" recipe that evolved during cooking. Sophie had made herself some instant mash yesterday for lunch and there was loads left in the fridge. I planned on making corned beef rissoles but the mash went very runny when I reheated it in the microwave. I decided to make a kind of corned beef hash and, having mentioned chakchouka yesterday, thought it would be nice to crack in some eggs to cook. The result was definitely not pretty but it tasted pretty good and it's great comfort food. I think it would work better and be prettier with firmer proper mash.

Corned beef hash-chouka

ingredients :

drizzle of olive oil

1 onion 

1 clove of garlic

2 marge mushrooms

3 tomatoes

1 small tin of sweetcorn

1 tin of corned beef

leftover mash (homemade of instant)

salt, pepper, smoked paprika

1 egg per person

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and fry the onion and garlic.

Toss in the chopped mushrooms and tomatoes.

Break up the corned beef in a bowl then add to the pan, season and stir. It still looks fairly appetising at this point.

Not any more ! I'm not sure if Sophie put in too much milk when she made up the mash or if it was because I reheated it but it was very runny. Adding in a tin of sweetcorn just made it look even worse !

Crack in the eggs, reduce the heat and leave to cook for about 15 minutes until the eggs have poached.

They sink a bit so check the white is firm before serving. The bottom of the potato may burn so be prepared to leave a small layer in the bottom of the pan when serving, if this happens. The potato should become a bit firmer during this time too.

Carefully slide a fish slice under each egg and serve then pour the corned beef hash around the edges.

The verdict is still out on this one ! Sophie didn't like it (the look put her off !), Pierre hardly touched his (but he'd just come back from a birthday party where he probably ate his entire body weight in sweets, crisps and cake !) and Juliette, who usually has the appetite of a sparrow, ate three bowlfuls ! I thought it was OK - it tasted nice but I would like it to look prettier ! (I think using proper mash, not instant, would be a big help.)

Oh well, it saved the leftover mash from the bin - we'll call it a work in progress !

What's lurking in your fridge/freezer/kitchen cupboard that needs using up? Come and join in on the #KitchenClearout linky