News from the frozen potato front!

I’ve been unsatisfied with my hash for a while. I like to make hash of any kind of leftover meat or fish, but it wasn’t getting crispy enough. So I asked on [eGullet](http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?s=7d990b89ac57be561909bd15b13fedc7&showtopic=100379&mode=linear).

My favorite response was from slkinsey, who said:

> I think it depends on what kind of hash you’re going for. Not all hash is supposed to be crispy. I call that a “dry hash”–which says something not only about the final texture but also the way it’s made.

Sure enough, I had been doing things like putting broth, cream, and braising liquid into my hash and then wondering why it wasn’t crispy. It was tasty, of course, and I’ll still make this style of hash in the future. But for a recent episode of leftover corned beef, I wanted a dry hash.

I already knew I was going to start with frozen potatoes. I’d been buying Ore-Ida, but I decided to try Kroger brand. It turns out Kroger’s frozen hash browns are diced much more evenly than Ore-Ida’s. I put a pound of those in the skillet with half a stick of butter and some salt. When they were pretty well browned, I added diced corned beef and minced onions and continued cooking until everything was browned and crispy–some of the onions were a little burned, even, which for hash is a plus. It was excellent.

To go with the hash, I made that awesome caramelized fennel with Meyer lemon again. And Iris ate some. I repeat: Iris ate fennel. Of course, the possession was quickly exorcised, and this morning, she said, “I only like regular eggs, not with ramps.”