Red Flannel Hash

A while back I was telling a friend who resides on our West Coast that I made Red Flannel Hash for breakfast. Unbeknown to me, this dish is only well known regionally, and I thought I'd share this time honored favorite. My mother used to make this, usually after one of her New England boiled dinners when she would give new life to leftover vegetables and ham. A can of diced beets was added, giving this dish its traditional "red flannel" color.

This dish is more often associated with corned beef, I think, (which my family does not enjoy), so we've adapted the recipe to use either precooked hamburg or leftover ham. I think no matter what meat you use, this is a very hearty and filling breakfast. Roadside diners typically serve this with a poached egg on top and hearty slices of toast~waaay too much food for me now, though there was a time.....

Red Flannel Hash

1/2 cup hamburg, cooked and drained
1 can (14 oz) beets, drained, large dice
3 or 4 boiled, leftover potatoes, large dice (unpeeled red potatoes is nice here)
1 cup or so leftover vegetables from a boiled dinner (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
A couple of good splashes of cream or milk
Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

Combine all ingredients into a good sized bowl, except the butter; stir to combine. The beets will stain the potatoes red. That's good. That's what you want.

Find a fry pan that is large enough to hold all the ingredients that will make a layer of about an inch or so.

Heat butter in your fry pan and saute onion and garlic until soft. Add to ingredients in bowl. Stir until well combined. Add a little more butter (or oil) to the fry pan. Add mixed ingredients and pat firmly into pan, making a kind of "pancake. "

Now, if you're good and if you're patient, you'll cook this slowly over moderate heat and make a beautiful crust on the bottom. If you're good and if you're patient, you should be able to turn this over and cook this slowly enough to make a crust on the opposite side. I have never been able to do this. My mother could though. I stir it around several times while it's cooking, looking to brown as much of the potato as possible. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Truly a terrific breakfast for men who are going out and doing manly things.

Good for women, too!