Dumb Question Time.

[swestrup]

I'm thinking of making up a home batch of Corned-Beef Hash. The big question I have has to do with the potatoes, which need to be finely cubed. Is it better to:

A) Boil the potatoes, and then cube.
B) Cube the potatoes and then boil.

I fear if I do A) then they'll mush when I try to cube them fine enough. I'm worried that if I do B) then they'll all stick together into one giant mass as I boil them...

Comments

[electorprince.livejournal.com]

Cube, then boil. It's a universal constant, or all you'll get is mashed potatoes once the whole one is done boiling and you try and cube it.

[foms.livejournal.com]

Corned beef hash recipes call for anything from one-centimetre cubes to putting everything into a blender together. Traditionally, hash is a way of getting rid of left-over potato and using little meat. This means starting with cold potato that was boiled yesterday or so.

Most recipes that start with raw potato call for boiling (or just frying) cubes. If you do this, don't overcook. Leave a little for the baking or sauteing process.

There's nothing wrong with boiling first, then chopping. It's supposed to be messy and uneven. Have fun.

[sps.livejournal.com]

I thought you boiled them but left them undercooked, and then cubed them. But am I an expert? No. Maybe that's how you make bunnies.

[foms.livejournal.com]

To make bunnies, you put two appropriate bunnies together, put the black jack on the red queen, and add the vermouth.

[pythonian.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the lemmings!

[sps.livejournal.com]

You have a source of appropriate bunnies? All mine are horribly inappropriate, especially when the Queen comes to tea.

[swestrup]

You should never have given them the little handcuffs!

[sps.livejournal.com]

Yes, obviously the Queen needs much bigger ones. But you can't plan for everything....

[metawidget]

I always cube then boil, generously.

[cloquewerk.livejournal.com]

I concur with the others here. Cubing them first will make them cook a lot faster. You can also go half way and slice them, then boil them, then cube them. And as has also been said, don't overcook them, especially if you are going to fry them after.

[hendrikboom.livejournal.com]

If I'm going to mash them, I cut them up first, just to make them cook faster. I slice them, though, instead of cubing them. That's enough to reduce the distance of any bit of potato to the surface, which seems to be what matters. And, yes, stir them about a bit so they aren't stuck together.