The smell of roasting beets, potatoes and onions punctuate the cold morning in our drafty country home. A warm oven heats the house with the promising aromas of a special brunch. Roasted red beets create the distinctive color and flavor here. If you don’t have red beets on hand then substitute with whatever beet you have.
This is a version of Chef Jessica Koslow’s Red Flannel Hash recipe that I originally used as a Father’s Day special as the Chef de Cuisine at Bob’s Well Bread Bakery in Los Alamos Ca. Most of the vegetables used in this recipe were sourced from the Talley Farms Fresh Harvest Box; a Community Supported Agriculture program based in San Luis Obispo County.
This isn’t a complicated recipe but the root vegetables call for some longer roasting times. I suggest roasting the vegetables the day before you intend to serve it, and assemble the hash shortly before cooking. There is no meat in this particular recipe but some leftover corned beef, bacon or sausage are welcome additions. Keep them in large chunks similar in size to the vegetables. Serve alongside eggs and a thick slice of olive oil grilled bread.
Yield: A hearty brunch portion for 6 adults
Ingredients:
FOR THE HASH
2 large red beets (about 1 lb), trimmed and washed
2 large gold beets (about 1 lb)), trimmed and washed
1 1/2 lbs red potatoes, washed
1 large red onion
6 large green onions, bottoms trimmed and washed, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 1/2 cups best quality shredded Jack or Cheddar cheese
2 cups chopped corned beef, sausage or bacon (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
FOR THE SALAD
1 large head or 2 small heads of your favorite lettuce, washed and chopped in 2 inch pieces
12 asparagus spears, thinly sliced on a bias
2 lemons, cut in half
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Coarse Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put the beets and potatoes on it. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. olive oil over and season with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and seasoning evenly over everything. Tightly cover with foil and roast until the centers are easily pierced with a knife. The roasting times can vary greatly depending on the size of your veg. I used small potatoes so those took about an hour, the larger beets took 2 hours to cook.
While the vegetables are roasting start prepping your red onion.
Peel it and cut it in half. Then slice it into 1/4 inch thick slices.
Heat a 10 inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Add the onions to the pan and immediately season with salt and pepper. stir everything together and drop them into the oven with the veg.
Pull them out after 10 minutes, give them a stir and a taste. Add more salt and pepper if necessary and cook for 10 more minutes in the oven or until cooked through and nicely caramelized. Set aside for later.
Peel and dice the beets into about 3/4 inch chunks while they are still warm and break the potatoes into pieces roughly the same size as the beets.
In a large bowl combine the beets, potatoes, red onions, green onions and cheese. Season well with salt and pepper
I recommend using a non-stick electric griddle set to 350 degrees to cook this hash. Alternately you can use a stove top griddle or your largest non-stick skillet set to medium heat
Preheat the griddle and drizzle some olive oil over the surface. Put the hash on the griddle and divide it up into individual portions about the size of your largest spatula and press down firmly. This will help form a nice crust and make it easier to flip.
Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side. There should be a nice roasty vegetable smell when the portions are ready to be flipped. Start your salad while the hash is cooking.
THE SALAD
Put the washed and dried lettuce leaves and asparagus in a large bowl. squeeze the lemon juice directly over the lettuce, season with salt and pepper and mix together. Drizzle over the olive oil and mix. Balance the flavor by adding more salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil to your taste.
Put your nicely browned red flannel hash on a plate or large platter and put your dressed salad on the side.
RECIPE NOTES
When making a simple salad dressing like this it’s important to mix the salt and lemon juice with the lettuce first to dissolve the salt. Salt won’t dissolve in pure fats like olive oil
Don’t assemble and season the hash the day before. Seasoning in advance will draw water out of the veg and the hash will be difficult to brown and will fall apart while cooking.