• 1 Tbsp. butter (or duck or goose fat)
• 1/2 medium onion , diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small rib celery , diced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 medium new potatoes , cooked, peeled, and diced
• 1 small beet (about 5 ounces), roasted or boiled, peeled, and diced
• 3 ounces cooked pork , diced (see Roast Pork Tenderloin)
• 1/4 cup stock (beef, veal, goose—whatever's on hand)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley (about 2 Tbsp.)

Note: When making a hash—any hash, no matter what kind of meat—it is essential to cut the meat in small pieces (never grind it) and include some aromatic vegetables in addition to the roughly equal amounts of meat and potatoes. The vegetables give off their sweetness and help form the glaze that later becomes the hash's crust. This recipe uses chopped beets and celery, but you may substitute carrots, mushrooms, peppers, or fennel.

Melt butter in a small, heavy skillet (a cast-iron or stainless steel surface is best). Stir in onion and celery, and cook gently until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Add new potatoes, beets, pork, and stock. Salt and pepper lightly, and cook slowly, covered, over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove cover, and cook until the liquid evaporates and the bottom is golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Watch it carefully because it can easily blacken.

When browned, press hash down firmly with an ample spatula, and turn the whole hash over (probably in two or three pieces), and brown the other side, about 7 minutes.

Transfer to a warm plate, and sprinkle a little parsley on top to make a lovely, nostalgic-tasting supper.

Adapted from The Pleasures of Cooking for One, by Judith Jones, copyright © 2009, with permission from the publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.