B O PLENTY'S CORNED BEEF HASH

4-tins of Libby's canned corned beef
2 large Idaho potatoes
4 garlic cloves
1 large sweet onion
a rasher of bacon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 ribs of celery
4 tbsps butter
eggs

(1) Finely dice potatoes with skins and boil until almost soft. Set aside.  (2) Dice sweet onion garlic. Set aside. (3) Destring celery, dice, and set aside. (4) Saute onion, garlic, and celery until onion is transparent in 1 tbsp butter.(5) Dice and fry bacon.  Mix with onion, celery, and garlic. Set aside. (6) Melt rest of butter. (8) In large bowl break up and mash corned beef. (9) Mix potatoes with corned beef. (10) Add melange of onion, garlic, bacon, celery, and mix with nutmeg. (11) Add cooled melted butter and mix, combing with hands. (12) Fry over medium heat until browned, flipping several times to brown again. (13) Remove to oven at 250 degrees. (14) Poach eggs. Use vinegar in poaching water to keep eggs contained. (15) Put poached eggs on top of hash and serve with plenty of ketchup in honor of B O Plenty. Best eaten all mixed together.

Taken from Chester Gould’s comic strip Dick Tracy, B O Plenty was the nick-name we gave our river guide down the San Juan River. Clad in the same clothes night and day, he remained fully clothed without change for a week. Never bathed. His clothes developed an oily sweat-stained sheen. However, he knew the river, all the unexplored archeological sites along the river, and the lore of trappers, thieves, hideouts, and Indians. While camped on a sand spit in the Goose Necks of the San Juan, he made the best tasting corned beef hash I’ve ever eaten. As far as I can remember, this was his recipe. He called it Cowboy Hash because most of it came from cans. The early cowboys lived mostly on canned foods, such as sardines. No bagged salads. The cattle were too pricey to be slaughtered for a cowboy.

The Rev. Dana Prom Smith, S.T.D., Ph.D.
stpauls@npgcable.com