red flannel hash

I tried it meatless, but this is definitely better with bacon. The salty smoked flavor is so good in this colorful, otherwise sweet-ish ensemble. For my vegetarian friends out there... soy bacon might do the trick?

1 large yam (aka orange-fleshed sweet potato)
5-6 medium red or white potatoes
2 small beets (or cheat with canned beets)
1/2 medium onion
3-4 slices bacon
big handful of chopped fresh parsley
vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Peel the yam and cut it up into 2-inch chunks. Wash and quarter the potatoes. You can peel them if you like, but you'll be missing out on a lot of fiber (it's good for you, dammit!). Put the yams and potatoes into a large pot, and add enough water to cover them. Add a little salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through but not totally falling apart.

If you've got fresh beets, cook them unpeeled in boiling salted water for about 30 minutes. When they're done cooking, the skins should slip off easily. Peel the beets and cut them up into 1/2 inch pieces. And be careful not to stain anything. I'd like to include an excerpt from Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins:

"The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious."

Moving on. If you're nocturnal like me (I often suspect DSPS), you can perform the above tasks after dinner one night, or even at 4am after a night out. Just store the cooked beets and potatoes in the fridge. It'll save you some time when you get up at 1pm to make brunch.

Moving on (again). Open the windows and turn on the fan over your stove (if you're lucky enough to have one, unlike me). Fry the bacon in a hot pan until it's nice and crispy. Drain on paper towels. When it's cooled off a little, chop it up. Leave all that bacon grease in the pan. Chop the onion. Throw your inhibitions out the window, and add the onions to the pan with the bacon fat in it. Heck, you might even want to add a little bit of vegetable oil. Let the onion cook for a minute or two, until slightly softened.

Before adding the potatoes and yams, mash or chop them up just a little. Add beets, potatoes, and yams to the onions, then add chopped bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Fry over medium heat until nice and browned. Toss in some parsley at the very end. Serve with fried eggs. Start your day with a full stomach.