Home-made, from scratch as we say, corned beef hash and Irish soda bread. What could be better than to sit down on a lovely sunshiny morning, and enjoy this March tradition. The corned beef is from a thick slice purchased in the deli section of the grocery store. The onions and potatoes are caramelized before the beef goes in to give this dish an extra depth of flavor. Serve with Irish soda bread and fresh fruit.

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups peeled, diced potatoes
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 1/2 cups diced corned beef
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes, onions, thyme and salt. Cook until the potatoes are tender and slightly caramelized.  Add the diced corned beef, and mix well. Cook until heated through. Use an oven proof skillet, or transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Make 4 wells in the corned beef mixture. Break one egg into each well. Spray a piece of foil, and place loosely over the top of the baking dish, but not touching the eggs. Place the baking dish in the oven and cook until eggs are set to your liking. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or thinly sliced green onions. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

I’ve been making this recipe for Irish soda bread since I saw it in a magazine over 45 years ago. It’s easy to make, and has a wonderful texture and flavor. You’ll wonder why you don’t have toast from this bread every morning of the week.

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray two 8 or 9-inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Add the flour, salt and soda to a large mixing bowl and whisk with a fork. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk all at once. Stir the flour into the milk. Mix well. When the dough starts to hold together, knead it in the bowl. It will look ragged, and that is okay. Form it into a round and cut a cross in the top of the dough with a sharp knife. Place the dough round into the cake pan. Cover the top with the second cake pan by placing it upside down over the dough pan. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the top cake pan. When you take the cake pan off, the dough will have risen and turned golden brown.  Cook for another 10 minutes. Bread should sound hollow when done.