Today, February 21, is Johnny Cash's birthday and NPR broadcast an old Terry Gross interview with him that played this song.

We may have fallen off the meat wagon but we’re still trying to stay on the high road by eating less meat. Our small-in-size but large-in-carbon footprint corned beef has lasted for four meals. One carrot/cabbage/potato with corned beef, one Reuben sandwich with salad, one-half Reuben sandwich with white bean/beet salad, and one Red Flannel Hash. Bob looked a bit dubious when the answer to his usual 4:00 pm inquiry, “What’s for dinner?” was “Red flannel hash”.

My mom used to make it; I made it at Sound Food, after the obligatory St. Patty’s Day corned beef and beer special ran its course. Served with a poached egg on top—to dip the edge of rye toast in (now that we have a toaster)—it ranks right up there on the list of good diner food. The color is off-putting, definitely reddish, maybe pinkish-gray but at least it doesn’t turn out blue. When I previously made hash, I used a cast iron skillet. This time I used a non-stick Calphalon and didn't get any crustiness. The hash tasted the same but I missed the crunchy bottom.

Moving right along with "Freezer Adventures", tonight featured a strange mix. Secret freezer ingredients included one small chicken andouille sausage, some unidentified tomato stuff, and some grayish clear pasta—presumably glass rice noodles left over from the January Korean extravaganza. Gumbo jumped to mind, so gumbo is was, over those glass noodles instead of rice. When I bought the noodles from Boh Han, there were no instructions in English so I didn't know what to expect. I covered them with boiling water and waited for them to soften—they mushed instead into a mass. Tonight I covered the noodles with cold water, waited a short time, then drained and added them to the gumbo at the end. They mushed in the gumbo but at least they retained their shape until we ate. Not a dish I'd recommend, so I'll skip that one; but the white bean and beet salad is tasty.

Red Flannel Hash

• 2 red-skinned potatoes
• 2 peeled carrots, large dice
• 2 small peeled beets
• Some corned beef 

• 1 bacon slice, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper  

• 2 eggs

Toss beets with a small amount of oil, salt, and black pepper and roast in a 425-degree oven for 60 minutes.  Chop potatoes and carrots in small-medium pieces. Toss with oil, salt/pepper and roast in the same oven for 45 minutes. Cool beets until you can handle them, then slip skins off and chop into small-medium pieces. 

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown but not crisp. Drain all bacon grease but 2 Tbs.

Sauté onion with bacon until translucent, add potatoes, carrots, and beets to onions in the skillet. Flatten with spatula to compact. Cook hash until brown on bottom, about 10 minutes. Continue cooking until heated through, stirring up bottom crust occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Crack eggs on top of hash, cover with lid and cook until whites are solid. Serve with a piece of toast.


White bean and marinated beet salad

 For the beets:

Toss whole beets with small amount of olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Place in a aluminum foil pouch and roast in 425 degree oven for 45 minutes. Let beets cool, slip off skins, and cut in wedges. Combine vinegar, the sugar. Toss with the beets. Arrange the beans on a plate or in a bowl and surround with the beets

Place the beans in a pot. Cover by 2 inches with water, and bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any foam, and add the onion, garlic and bay leaf. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer until tender. Add salt to taste, and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the onion, garlic cloves and the bay leaf. Allow the beans to cool in the liquid, then drain through a strainer set over a bowl.

Gently toss the beans in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, celery, peppers, onion and herbs. If desired, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the bean broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Either combine beets and beans for that pinkish look or separate them on the plate and garnish will chopped dill.