Forget the Reuben — I tried a recipe an Ann Arbor.com reader, Vicki Pope, sent me that combined leftover corned beef and potatoes with beets. Yankee ingenuity and New England frugality inspire this delicious recipe, which leaves me pondering how that delicious flavor combination eluded me until now.

Using butter instead of margarine, heavy cream instead of milk and doubling up on the freshly ground pepper may have had something to do with the dish's unctuous flavor as well. The recipe calls for a fine dice, but I cut the ingredients to 1/2-inch diced pieces.

The contributor, Vicki Pope, grew up in New England and says Red Flannel Hash was her favorite and her mom often made it. "I could eat that hash for breakfast, lunch or dinner — my brothers didn't like it so more for me...from the lips to the hips with butter and cream!

According to The Heart of New England online magazine, the recipe name was born of marital discord. A woman, angry with her husband, threw his red flannels into the dinner hash. He enjoyed the dish, and when his wife's mood lightened at at later meal, she used beets instead of his underwear. Hmmm... food for thought.

Vicki adapted the following recipe from NewEnglandRecipes.com.

Ingredients

1/3 cup finely chopped shallots or onion
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups diced cooked potatoes
2 cups diced beets
1 1/2 cups diced corned beef
3-5 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
Chopped parsley, optional garnish

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large sauté pan. Cook shallots or onions until tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in potatoes, beets, and corned beef. Spread evenly in skillet; stir in cream or milk until well-moistened, amount varies depending on moisture in the potatoes.
2. Cook over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper, kosher salt if needed and chopped parsley, if using.