Recipe: Rick and Ann's Red Flannel Hash (with vegetarian variation)

See Vegetarian Notes at bottom:

RED FLANNEL HASH

At the restaurant, the hash comes with eggs, served either poached or over easy.

2 cups 1/2-inch pieces red-skinned potatoes (about 11 ounces)
1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled sweet potatoes (about 6 1/2 ounces)
1 cup 1/2-inch pieces peeled beets (about 2 small)
8 bacon slices, chopped*
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup whipping cream*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place steamer rack in large pot. Fill pot with enough water to come just to bottom of rack. Place all potato pieces on steamer rack. Bring water to boil over high heat. Cover pot. Steam potatoes until tender, about 13 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Place beets on steamer rack; steam until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with potatoes.

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.

Add bacon, onion, parsley, whipping cream, salt and pepper to vegetables in bowl.

Heat drippings reserved in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in hash mixture. Flatten with spatula to compact. Cook hash until brown on bottom, about 4 minutes. Continue cooking until heated through, stirring up bottom crust occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Divide hash among 4 plates and serve.

Servings: 4
From: Rick & Ann's, Berkeley CA
Source: Bon Appetit, December 1998

*Vegetarian Notes:
What a wonderful recipe. As a vegan I made a couple of changes and it still turned out great. Instead of bacon I substituted 8 strips of tempeh marinated in dijon mustard, maple syrup, and soy sauce and seasoned with a bbq spice rub. The marinade carmelized beautifully when fried. I also substituted unsweetend soy milk for the whipping cream and no richness was lost. I left out the parsley as well because, well I don't like it. Goes perfectly with tofu scramble, sauteed collards, and dilled tofu sour cream.