Tator Tot Casserole

This is an easy make-ahead meal to just pop in the oven to cook. It also freezes beautifully before and after cooking. I couldn't find the picture I took of it, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was pretty.

1 lb ground beef, lean

1 onion, diced

2 16 oz frozen cut green beans (you can used canned if you prefer softer)

Package Frozen Tator Tots

32 oz beef broth

1/2 c butter

2/3 cup flour

2 tsp salt

1 T. pepper

2 tsp poultry seasoning

1 T. onion powder

1 T. garlic powder

2 T. dried parsley

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add beef and cook till done. Drain the fat. Season beef and onion with all the seasonings. Set aside. In a medium pot on medium-low heat, melt butter. Add flour and whisk together. Cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring. Slowly whisk in beef stock until all added. Turn heat up to bring to a boil, constantly stirring. Once it starts to thicken, turn off heat. Add green beans and seasoned beef/onion mixture. Mix well. Pour into a 9x13 or bigger casserole dish. Top with tator tots in rows till covered completely. Bake in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. 

Note: A sauce substitute can be cream of mushroom soup if you don't feel like making the sauce from scratch.

Cornish Pasties (meat pies)

Erika made this recipe for us while we were visiting her last fall. The Pirate Pie's are from that trip. I LOVE Pasties! My Grandma made them all the time while I was growing up. Here is the original from Sorted. It's worth watching. There is also a Cornish Pasty Company in Phoenix, AZ that I miss eating at. If you get the chance, GO! It's delicious. Having an easy recipe for traditional Cornish Pasties was an easy sell. I made them for Christmas and meant to freeze some. That didn't happen. I ate them for lunch for two weeks straight until they were gone. It was worth it! You can make your own dough or use store bought. Both work great!

1 lb stewing steak

1 small onion

1 small carrot

1 rutabaga

1 potato

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp mustard powder

3 oz water

1 egg, beaten

Enough dough for 4 pasties. (1 box store bought, one recipe of Best Pie Crust EVER.)

Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Peel and finely dice all of the vegetables. Try to make them as uniform as possible. Finely cube the beef as well, to match the vegetables. Mix veggies and beef together in a bowl. Add the seasonings and a splash of water. Mix well. You can cut the dough in circles to make half-moons, make mini-pies or make Pirate ships. Put about 1/4 of the mixture in the center of your dough shape. Use a bit of water along the edges of the dough to seal and crimp shut. Repeat till all mix and dough is used. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Brush the entire top of each pasty with the egg wash. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Hello, gentle readers! Sorry for the gap in postings, but I'm back now! (You can, of course, feel free to fill any gaps with recipes of your own...)

I found this salad to be very tasty--and easy to make. Can be served when the potatoes are still warm or used as a make-ahead dish and served chilled. Either sour cream or Greek yogurt can be used depending on what you have on hand and how health-conscious you want to be.

4 Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes

1/4 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup finely shopped chives (or 1 T dried chives)

8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled*

scant 1 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

Wash potatoes, stab with a fork and pop in the microwave. Bake on the "Baked Potato" setting. (Sorry, I don't know how long. It will vary depending on your microwave and size of your potatoes.) It's OK if they are "fork tender"-still a little firm-as that will help them maintain their shape in the salad.

While the potatoes are cooking, mix the mayo and sour cream/yogurt in a small bowl til completely combined. Stir in cheese, pepper, and half of the chives. Chill in fridge until ready to use.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into cubes or slices. (I cut in half, longwise, then sliced into crescents.) In a large bowl, gently mix the potatoes with the sour cream mixture. Fold in most of your crumbled bacon. Taste and add salt, if desired. Top with remaining chives and bacon.

Serves: 4-6

Note: You could peel the potatoes if you want, but I like the potato skin on a baked potato (and I'm lazy), so I just left it on when I chopped the potatoes.

*Laney showed me this fabulous trick for when you're needing to cook and crumble bacon--cut the bacon into short (1/2") pieces before you toss it in the pan. Not only does it cook faster, but you can cook more at once. Just stir occasionally as it's cooking. Brilliant!

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

Crisp Roasted Potatoes

NOTE: The steps of parcooking the potatoes before roasting them and tossing the potatoes with salt and oil until they are coated with starch are key to developing the trademark crisp exterior and creamy interior. For the creamiest texture, the potatoes should be just undercooked when they are removed from the simmering water in step 1.

2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, rinsed and cut crosswise into ½-inch thick rounds

salt and pepper

5 Tbsp olive oil

1.       Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 450’F. Place potatoes and 1 Tbsp salt in large kettle and add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat and gently simmer until exteriors of potatoes have softened but centers offer resistance when pierced with a paring knife, about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes well and transfer to large bowl. Drizzle potatoes with 2 Tbsp oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Using rubber spatula, toss to combine. Drizzle potatoes with another 2 Tbsp oil and ½ tsp salt and continue to toss vigorously until exteriors of potato slices are coated with starchy paste, 1 to 2 minutes.

2.       Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven and drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp oil over surface. Carefully transfer potatoes to baking sheet and spread into even layer (skin side up if an end piece). Bake until bottoms of potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 25 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes.

3.       Remove baking sheet from oven and, using metal spatula and tongs, loosen potatoes from baking sheet and carefully flip each slice. Continue to roast potatoes until second side is golden and crisp, 10 to 20 minutes longer, rotating baking sheet as needed to ensure potatoes brown evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen “All-Time Best Holiday Recipes”

Finger Foods #2 - Roasted Red Potato Bites

1 1/2 lbs red potatoes (about 15 small) **Note: we've used small yukon golds as well. Both are good.
1 c shredded cheese of choice
1/2 c mayo or sour cream (we prefer sour cream over mayo)
1/2 c sliced green onions
10 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On large baking sheet arrange potatoes and bake 35 minutes or until tender.  Let stand until cool enough to handle.  Cut each potato in half, then cut thin slice from bottom of each potato half.  With small melon baller or spoon, scoop pulp from potatoes leaving 1/4 inch shell.  Place pulp in medium bowl; set shells aside.  Lightly mash pulp.  Stir in ingredients.  Spoon or pipe potato filling into potato shells.  Arrange filled shells on baking sheet and broil 3 minutes or until golden and heated through.

Potato and Carrot "Fries"

These got eaten before I thought to take a picture.  I was skeptical about these - I'm picky about carrots.  Especially cooked.  The original recipe calls for sweet potatoes - neither of us like them so we used Yukon Gold's instead. 

2 Medium Potatoes
2 Large Carrots
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 tsp Rosemary
Salt and Pepper

Preheat over to 425.  Wash the potatoes and carrots.  Cut the potatoes and carrots into wedges or strips.  Make sure they are all as uniform in size as possible.  Add to a gallon zip lock bag and add the olive oil.  Seal the bag completely and mix the "fries" so that they are all coated with the oil.  Add the seasonings and then reseal and mix to season evenly.  Arrange a baking sheet with parchment paper and then pour the contents of the bag on to the parchment paper.  Arrange the "fries" so that they are in one single layer and not overlapping.  Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until they are lightly brown and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. 

Rosti Casserole with Baked Eggs

Erika made a variation of this for us on a visit a while back.  I have been wanting to make it since.  Here is the original recipe from Cooking Light (myrecipes.com):

I only added egg to a portion since Blaine isn't a huge fan of eggs

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups fat-free Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups grated peeled turnip (about 8 ounces, 2 small)
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
• 1 (30-ounce) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed (such as Ore-Ida)
• Cooking spray
• 8 large eggs
• Chopped fresh chives (optional)
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
• 2. Combine yogurt and flour in a large bowl, stirring well. Add turnip, Gruyère cheese, butter, chives, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and potatoes to yogurt mixture. Spread potato mixture evenly into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven. With the back of a spoon, make 8 indentations in top of potato mixture. Crack 1 egg into each of 8 indentations. Return dish to oven. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until egg whites are firm and yolks barely move when pan is touched. Cut into 8 pieces. Garnish with additional chives and black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

Amount per serving (8): Calories: 347 -Fat: 17.4g - Saturated fat: 9.3g -Monounsaturated fat: 5.7g -Polyunsaturated fat: 1.4g -Protein: 18.1g -Carbohydrate: 27.3g -Fiber: 2.1g -Cholesterol: 220mg -Iron: 1.2mg -Sodium: 605mg -Calcium: 242mg   

And here are the variations that I made for our dinner one evening:

1. low fat sour cream instead of greek yogurt
2. omitted turnip
3. used 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese instead of gruyere
4. added diced canadian bacon
5. added cooked turkey breakfast sausage (bulk, not links)

 We ate it with some steamed zucchini on the side and it was delectable!

The Perfect Steakhouse Baked Potato

For those who like their baked potato with crispy skin and soft fluffy insides, this recipe is for you!

Russet baking potatoes

Preheat oven to 475'F. Wash potatoes and pierce with a fork. Place directly on the rack and bake for 1 hour. Voila!

I read that this also works for sweet potatoes, but that you need to place a pan under them because they leak out some "sweet" juices.

Luck of the Irish-Part I

I figured since St. Patrick's Day was this Thursday, that I would offer some Irish recipes. This colcannon is my own take combining several recipes for the fastest, easiest version.

Colcannon



6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 small head cabbage, chopped

1/2 cup diced onion (or green onion)

1 cup diced ham (or corned beef, or 1/2 cup crumbled bacon)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Place chopped potatoes in a large pot, cover with water to an inch over the potatoes. Bring to a boil for 5-7 minutes. Add chopped cabbage to the pot and boil another 7-8 minutes or until potatoes are fork soft. Drain.

Meanwhile, sautee onions in a little oil in a small skillet.

Mash potatoes, cabbage, milk and butter. Stir in sauteed onions, ham, salt and pepper.

Garnish with chives or green onions.

beef chip gravy

I had this at a diner in Pennsylvania and fell in love with it. It's good over toast, home fries, hash browns, baked potatoes, biscuits, and probably pasta.


1 pkg. dried chipped beef
4 T butter
4 T flour
2 1/2 c milk

In skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Break up 1 package dried chipped beef into small pieces. Add beef to butter and stir until browned. Sprinkle flour over beef, mix well. Add 2 1/2 cups milk slowly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Makes 6 servings.

It took me a while to find chipped beef. Not sure where it will be in your grocery store. Might be in the canned meat section or like DE, in the meat section of the store - comes in either a jar or a sealed package.


p.s. No need to add salt - the beef is plenty salty.

French Fries & Belgian-Style Dipping Sauce

Yet another entry from my America's Test Kitchen "Cooking for Two." The blurb on this one gave the science behind a couple of specific points: 1. Use Yukon Gold potatoes. The Russets turned tough; 2. Start with the oil at room temperature ("cold-start"). This makes them gold on the outside, creamy on the inside, and with about a third less oil absorbed than traditionally cooked fries; 3. If we don't touch the spuds for about 20 minutes after putting them in the pan, enough of a crust formed that we could stir them with no ill effects; 4. You don't have to rinse the cut potatoes, and since using golds, you don't have to peel them, just wash them good.


"You will need a 4-quart saucepan for this recipe; if your pan is larger, you may need more oil to cover the potatoes. For cooking oil, we like both peanut and vegetable oils because of their high smoke points and neutral flavor." (EP-I don't have a 4-qt sauce pan, so I just poured in enough oil to cover the potatoes in my 3-qt saucepan.)


FRENCH FRIES

1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 medium), sides squared off, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick batons
3 cups peanut or vegetable oil
Kosher salt

1. Combine the potatoes and oil in a 4-qt saucepan. Cook over high heat until the oil has reached a rolling boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the potatoes are limp but the exteriors are beginning to firm, 12-14 minutes.
2. Using tongs, stir the potatoes, gently scraping up any that stick, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the fries are golden and crisp, 5-10 minutes longer. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the fries to a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.

BELGIAN-STYLE DIPPING SAUCE

3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/4-1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt


Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Makes about 1/4 cup.

Potato Casserole

Erika made a breakfast casserole for us a couple months ago called Rosti - it's Swiss in origin.

I was wanting something similar so I made up the following:

1 Package Frozen Hashbrowns (30 oz), partially thawed
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cups diced ham
1 cup shredded cheese
2 Tablespoons flour
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Parsley
Onion Powder
Oregano


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 pan.  In a large bowl combine all the ingredients together well.  Pour into greased pan and spread evenly.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes and serve. 
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I didn't add any salt to ours because I figured the soup and ham would have plenty.  I only use low sodium soups and the casserole was really tasty.  Hope you enjoy it!

Crushed Potatoes

Erika told us about a potato dish she had at a restaurant.  Who knew I had a recipe card for it?!  We made them tonight.  They're super easy and tasty!  We used small white new potatoes instead of Yukon Gold.  Erika said that small is key - she tried them with bigger YG and they were not successful.  Enjoy!!