Red Flannel Hash

RED FLANNEL HASH

Ingredients:

2 beet roots

2 russet potatoes, cooked

2 sweet potatoes, cooked

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

Handful of Italian parsley, chopped

½ cup olive oil

Directions:

Peel and quarter beets.  Toss in small bowl with ¼ cup olive oil and one clove chopped garlic.  Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until beets are soft.

If you don’t have any leftover cooked potatoes, use raw potatoes.  Cut sweet and white potatoes in small squares approximately the same size as the beets. Toss in olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic sprinkle with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning. Spread out on another baking sheet and bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Recipe can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated up to this point.

When you are ready to serve, heat the rest of the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion, add the roasted sweets and white potatoes and stir gently until they are heated through.

Add fresh chopped spinach, stir, turn off the heat and cover to keep warm

Lastly, heat the beets in a separate pan so they don’t bleed too much.  When the beets are hot add to rest of mix and turn out into a serving platter and sprinkle top with the chopped parsley.

Brunch requirements and a recommendation

Sunday brunch is not a necessity or a requirement. I see it as a luxurious option with no compromise allowed.

During the week I’ll settle for “cheap, hot and fast.” at a “Get ‘em In and Get ‘em Out” breakfast mill. However, my preferences for Sunday brunch are quite extensive:
• No dress requirements (real or imagined)
• No hassle
• No bums’ rush
• No waiting in line
• No fast food
• No frazzled server
• Maybe I want a drink, but I don’t want to feel pressured or unwelcome if I don’t
• Maybe, I want to bring a section of the Sunday paper with to avoid and/or encourage conversation.
• Yes free parking
• Yes comfortable seating
• Yes large portions of good fresh food
• Yes pleasant service

I know, that’s a long list and sometimes I’d rather just stay home rather than strain my brain and the “Google” trying to figure it out.

So here’s my pick. Johnny O’Hagan’s at 3374 N. Clark.

Free parking in Wrigleyville is unheard of but Johnny O has a small lot on the south side of the building. The seating is quite cozy. Actually, this is the coziest place I’ve been since my grandma’s kitchen. The tables are tucked away in cozy little nooks that allow goodly amounts of space and yet still have good views of the rest of the place. “People watching” is part of the reason for not staying home.

Recommended is the Irish breakfast. It is a huge, hearty platter of all things breakfast good: eggs, potatoes, sausages, bacon, tomatoes, and beans. I felt strong enough to plow a field or shovel snow after downing only a “Half” portion.