-
1
Boil the potatoes until tender
20 minutes
100°C (212°F)
Put the potato chunks in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a rolling boil at 100°C (212°F). Cook for about 20 minutes until a knife slides through a chunk with no resistance, then drain well and leave the pot lid ajar for 2 minutes so the steam escapes.
Start the potatoes first, then fry the beef while they boil, so the two jobs finish together.
Done when: Potatoes break apart easily when pressed with a fork and feel dry, not wet.
-
2
Fry the onion and corned beef
8 minutes
190°C (375°F)
While the potatoes cook, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F). Fry the diced onion for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent, then add the cubed corned beef and 2 tablespoons of the gherkin brine. Cook for 4-5 minutes, breaking the beef up with a spatula, until it is heated right through to at least 74°C (165°F) and lightly browned at the edges.
Do not add salt here; the beef and brine are salty enough on their own.
Done when: Beef is steaming hot throughout and the onion is soft and golden.
-
3
Mash the potatoes and mix the hash
5 minutes
Residual heat, about 80°C (175°F)
Mash the drained potatoes roughly in the pot, leaving some small lumps for texture. Fold in the fried onion and corned beef, then stir in the beet juice and the remaining gherkin brine. Season with the black pepper and taste before deciding whether the pinch of salt is needed at all.
A rough mash is the Hamburg way; a smooth puree turns the hash into baby food. For the vivid pink version some Hamburg kitchens make, mash 100 g of the sliced beetroot into the hash instead of serving it all on the side.
Done when: A coarse, spoonable hash that holds together in a mound and smells salty and sour.
-
4
Pan-fry the hash until crisp at the edges
5 minutes
175°C (350°F)
Wipe out the frying pan, add a thin film of oil if needed, and spread the hash in an even layer over medium heat, about 175°C (350°F). Press it down lightly and leave it alone for 4-5 minutes so the underside crisps and browns, then fold and turn it in sections so more of it gets a crisp edge. Keep the hash hot, above 63°C (145°F), while you fry the eggs.
Resist stirring constantly; the crisp crust only forms where the hash sits still against the pan.
Done when: Golden-brown crisp patches on the outside, steaming hot and soft inside.
-
5
Fry the eggs sunny-side up
3 minutes
175°C (350°F)
In a second pan, melt the butter over medium heat, about 175°C (350°F), until it foams. Slide in the eggs, season lightly with pepper, and fry for 2-3 minutes until the whites are fully set and opaque and the yolks are still bright and runny. Do not flip them.
Cook the eggs last, one per plate, so they land on the hash while the yolks are still runny enough to break over it.
Done when: Whites completely set with no clear jelly left; yolks intact and wobbling.
-
6
Plate with beetroot, gherkins and rollmops
2 minutes
Serve hot, above 63°C (145°F)
Spoon a generous mound of hot hash onto each warmed plate and lay a fried egg on top. Arrange the sliced pickled beetroot, two whole gherkins and one rollmops beside the hash, scatter a parsley sprig over the plate, and serve at once while the hash is still steaming.
Warm plates keep the hash hot while you arrange the cold pickles beside it.
Done when: The egg yolk is unbroken, the pickles are cold and crisp against the hot hash, and the plate looks like the Hamburg original.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Break the yolk over the hash at the table so it runs into the crisp edges, and take a bite of beetroot or gherkin between mouthfuls; the sour crunch is what keeps the rich, salty hash from feeling heavy.
Germany
3h 30m
