My recent move had me feeling pretty nostalgic as I was unpacking both my maternal and paternal abuela’s photos and belongings. To make sure I did right by the two of them, I decided that the first meal I made in my new home was something they’d both enjoy eating: corned beef hash. Hear me out, it’s the one that comes in the can. And even though I’m a professional cook and often work with very high-brow ingredients, I’ll never be above eating certain foods that I grew up eating as a kid, and canned corned beef is one of them.

This dish comes together fairly quickly, and growing up, we ate it during the winter months since it was nice and comforting with a bowl of white rice (with the pegao, of course) and some sweet plantains. If you’re worried about the saltiness of the dish since corned beef can be a bit on the salty side, no worries! The potatoes soak up most of it without compromising any flavor in the pot. Because of that, we actually don’t use any additional salt in the recipe since we’ve got enough of it in the meat.

I will say though, a vivid food memory replayed in my head as I was chopping up the potatoes while making this that reminded me of my Tata Abuela, my maternal grandmother. This was her favorite thing to make for my mom next to her amazing bacalaitos when she visited us. The memory? She always used to cut potatoes in the palm of her hand. It was terrifying to me; still is now. But she was truly a magician in the kitchen. You can be one too, when you make this savory and traditional Puerto Rican meal for your family. Let’s get cooking!

Puerto Rican Corned Beef Hash

Serves: 4-6

Cook time: 30 minutes

Vegetable oil

1/3 cup Simple Sofrito

2 tbsp capers, roughly chopped

2 tbsp roasted red peppers, roughly chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cans corned beef

3 cups water

3 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium-large chunks

2 packets Goya Sazón con Achiote

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

Steamed white rice, for serving

Fried plantains (ripe or green), for serving

In a large saucepan or deep frying pan, add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom. Over medium-high heat, sauté the sofrito for about 5-7 minutes or until fragrant. Then, add the chopped capers, roasted red peppers, and tomato paste and stir well until they’re warmed through, about 3 minutes.

Next, add the corned beef and using the back of your spoon or spatula, break it apart in the pan to evenly heat through, stirring occasionally.

Then, add the water, peeled and chopped potatoes, sazón packets, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Stir well and make sure that the potatoes are folded in nicely so they can steam up with the water added in the pan.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender, making sure to stir on occasion. Adjust any seasonings to your liking and serve immediately with steamed white rice and fried plantains.

¡Buen provecho!