Red Flannel Hash

Around the Campfire

Red flannel hash is corned beef hash's older, more colorful cousin. It comes from the New England boiled dinner — corned beef simmered with cabbage and root vegetables, beets included. The next morning, the leftovers got chopped and crisped in a pan, and the beets turned the whole skillet a deep red. That color is where the name comes from. It's the same leftover-redemption idea, just dressed in flannel.

Why This Recipe Works

You're building the same crust as a standard hash, with one wrinkle: beets are wet. If you add them straight from the can or the boil, they'll keep the potatoes from crisping and bleed across everything before a crust can form. Dice the beets, pat them dry, and fold them in late with the corned beef — that way they warm through and pick up color at the edges without flooding the pan.

Quick Facts

• Serves: 4
• Heat zone: Medium
• Best for: St. Patrick's and boiled-dinner leftovers, a colorful camp breakfast
• Teaches: Working a wet add-in into a crisp hash

Shopping List

• Potatoes (or frozen diced hash browns)
• Cooked corned beef
• Cooked beets (vacuum-packed or canned is fine)
• Onion
• Eggs

Home Prep

Dice the potatoes, onion, and beets at home and bag them separately — beets stain everything they touch. Vacuum-packed or canned cooked beets skip the boiling entirely; just drain and pat dry before packing.

Cooler Packing

Seal the beets in their own bag away from the rest. Keep corned beef and eggs cold; keep potatoes sealed and dry.

Equipment

• Blackstone griddle or cast iron skillet
• Sturdy spatula / burger turner
• Tongs

Heat Zones

Medium heat, potatoes spread thin so they crisp instead of steam. Keep a gentler corner for the eggs.

Ingredients

• 1½ lb potatoes, diced ½ inch (or 4 cups frozen diced hash browns, thawed and pressed dry)
• 2 cups cooked corned beef, diced
• 1 cup cooked beets, diced and patted dry
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 4 large eggs
• Chopped parsley, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. If using fresh potatoes, par-boil 5–6 minutes until just tender, drain, and steam-dry. Frozen hash browns: thaw and press dry.
2. Heat the oil on the griddle over medium. Spread the potatoes in a single layer and cook undisturbed 4–5 minutes, then flip and crisp the other side.
3. Add the butter and onion; cook 4–5 minutes until softened.
4. Fold in the corned beef and the patted-dry beets with the salt and pepper. Press the hash down and cook 4–5 minutes, flipping in slabs, until the edges crisp and the color deepens to red.
5. Make 4 wells, crack in the eggs, and cook until set to your liking.
6. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Related

• This is built on the Corned Beef Hash method — start there if you want the plain version.
• Part of the Camp Hash guide.
• See also Breakfast Hash.