Corned Beef Hash-Hot Pot Lancashire Style

This is a Corned Beef Hash recipe or Hot Pot recipe that is made on the top of the oven. It is one of those dishes where you can add a few extras that you like. It is a good meal for kids to join in with and do some of the peeling and chopping. We have a huge pan and make enough of this for at least 10 meals. It keeps really well in the freezer. We serve it with mushy peas and English HP sauce. This is a tangy sort of sweet and sour sauce. It is also served at Bonfire parties on November 5th in England. Some people make a short cut pastry to go with it. The mushy peas can be bought in tins in England or you can boil your own dry peas till they are very soft. These types of peas are a traditional accompaniment to fish and chips in the UK.
Ingredients
5 lbs--15 cups--20 large potatoes( the type for boiling) peeled and rough cut by hand into irregular chunks not diced.
4 large onions sliced
10 carrots peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch--1 cm slices
5 sticks of celery sliced
4 leeks washed and sliced into 1/2 inch--1 cm chunks
1 large tin of corned beef. This is beef in a can and is not the type of corned beef that comes in tangy slices in the USA or Canada. It is beef in cans rather like spam. Ours is imported from Argentina.
1 tablespoon of mixed herbs
salt and pepper
Method
Put a very large saucepan on top of the oven.
Put in the sliced potatoes, carrots, onions, celery and leeks.
Add the mixed herbs and stock cubes.
Add the salt and pepper.
Top up the pan with water so it finishes just below the vegetables. I boil up the water in the kettle so it speeds up the process.
Turn on the heat and bring to the boil.
Turn down so that it simmers and put on the lid.
Cook for about 30 minutes. Check on the pan. The vegetables must get cooked but not go to mush. In the photograph you can see that the Hash thickens itself. The rough cut potatoes help to create a thickening of the Hash.The cooking time depends on the type of potatoes and the quantity that you use.
Cut up the corned beef into 1 cm--1/2 inch cubes.
Add the beef to the vegetables and stir in.
Cook for 10 minutes.
WATCH THAT IT DOES NOT STICK TO THE BASE OF THE PAN.
Serve with:
Mushy peas.
Red Cabbage Pickle
Red cabbage sliced and covered with malt vinegar is another favourite.
Pickled Onions
White strong onions sliced and covered with malt vinegar is another good option.
HP sauce
Crusty bread, try the Irish Soda Bread Cupcakes on the cupcake link.
Variations
1. Add chillis fresh or powder for a spicy variety.
2. Leave out the corned beef and add beans of your choice(ready cooked or tinned such as haricot, black eye beans for a vegetarian version) and use a vegetable stock cube.

I find that portions that have been frozen and reheated in the microwave are thicker. It can be made the day before it is needed and it seems to thicken and improve with keeping.

This is good Winter food, hot and filling
Enjoy