Cook potatoes, onion, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in cooking oil in a large nonstick skillet, gently turning occasionally, for about 20-25 minutes or until  potatoes are cooked through and browned, adding corned beef the last 5 minutes or so just to heat through.

If you want poached eggs, heat 2 cups water in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon vinegar until it just simmers. Keep it at a simmer, and by that, I mean little bubbles coming up from the bottom, but not quite boiling.

Break your eggs singly into small dishes.

When water is simmering, use a spoon to swirl the water around into a whirlpool. While the water is still swirling, bring the dish close to the water and very gently tilt it so the egg goes in without a "plop". Keep a close eye on the water and do NOT let it boil. Turn it down if it tries, and note that this may affect your poaching time, which should be from 2-4 minutes.

To gauge the doneness of your egg, put a spoon beneath it and lift it just a little bit, and give it a little jiggle. How much the yolk area wiggles will let you know how soft it is- a bit of jiggling for runny yolk, less for a more cooked egg. You know what you like. ;)

When it is done, lift it out with a slotted spoon onto a bed of hash or toast. If you don't use the slotted spoon it is going to add water to your plate.