Good things come when you yield to temptations! Case in point are the gorgeous beets that caught my eye when I was in the grocery store last week. I had a ton of purple beets already at home, but I could not stop falling for the lovely orange (golden) beets freshly sprinkled with water and tops maddeningly green and luscious. And right next to them were gorgeous purple beets that I could not resist either, although my inner voice was reminding me that I have some (actually many) at home already.

So, I got home with an arm load of this stuff and was contemplating how best to use them…Beet Halwa, Borscht, Hummus, Tapenade…. The inconsequential thing was that I did not have to debate….I had that many beets on hand! But I got fixated on trying something totally different–Beets Hash!! Thats it!! Since I had colors to play with I threw in some potatoes for their pale blandness to contrast against the color explosion and essentially made it into Root Vegetable Hash…sounded rustic enough that I chose to add modern twist in presentation.

I would have eaten this anytime of the day, but it happened to be brunch time, so did not have to search for a reason to top it with a lightly fried egg with yolks running. It was a riot of colors on the plate as the runny yolks flowed over. The brunch was perfectly balanced with a nice cup of coffee. The earthy flavor of purple beets dominated golden beets, which were sweeter and milder. Different textures played up the eclectic combination. It would make an impressive brunch course especially when the farmer’s markets start brimming with spring produce and early potatoes. Can’t wait for that!!

What you need (2 servings):

1 Purple beet (diced)
1 Golden beet (diced)
1 Potato (diced)
2 Eggs
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 tsp oil
1 tsp Sambal Olek or hot sauce (optional)

How to make it:

• Heat a pan and add few drops of oil and separately saute saute the potatoes, golden beets, purple beets (in that order) with a pinch of salt and pepper. This way you can just use one pan and not cross-contaminate the colors.
• Using a ring mold, plate them in colorful layers. Or you may choose to just toss them all on the plate–either way the colors would be lovely
• Top with a lightly fried egg, yolks runny
• If you prefer, top the egg with Sambal Olek or some hot sauce.