.....Drumroll....and here's what I did with the leftover potato innards from my experiment the night before. We're going with the whole Viking theme, so the name is in Old Norse, but it is my version of Shepherd's Pie Soup. You'll probably notice that it shares some ingredients in common with my regular Shepherd's Pie. NO ACCIDENT!
Sauðamaðr Soup
3 pounds beef
2 tbsp minced garlic
14 cups beef stock
10 extra bouillon cubes
1 cup red cooking wine (didn't like the wine flavor, you might consider leaving it out)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
5 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp pepper
Innards of 20 potatoes, or approximately 8 regular potatoes
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp rice flour for thickening (or gluten-free flour of your choice)
2/3 cup parsley
1 tsp celery seed
Topping:
Gluten free toasted bread slices
Sliced extra sharp cheddar cheese
Okay. I cooked the beef with the minced garlic, then drained the grease out. I added everything but the flour and let it simmer approximately 25 minutes, then added some of the liquid from the soup to the flour to blend it, and then returned it to the pot to thicken the soup. Once the soup was done, I used my ceramic bowls and poured servings for everyone in the house. I placed a slice of toasted gluten-free bread on top of the soup (floating on the surface), then placed two slices of cheese on top of that. I put the tray in the oven on broil long enough to make the cheese bubble, like on French onion soup. Everyone loved the concept and most of the flavors, but the red wine was not a hit. I plan to try a variant of this recipe again this weekend, and post both pictures and results to see if eliminating that element will help with flavor. I tried to retain the beef flavor with the added bouillon cubes, but the wine was a bit overpowering, so taking out the wine may change everything quite a bit. We'll see...
Showing posts with label Potatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Potatoes. Show all posts
Friday, May 30, 2014
Test Kitchen: Viking Gold
This is our go at potato skins - not super healthy, but hey! They're gluten-free... We tried both red and gold potatoes, and we're still deciding which we prefer. It may take another batch to decide...yum.
Viking Gold
10 red potatoes
10 Yukon Gold potatoes
24 oz jalapeno bacon (or bacon cooked with a jalapeno with no seeds or core)
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Seasoned salt (Lawry's)
Cooking oil
Okay. First we baked our potatoes in the oven at about 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until they were just firm enough to stay together, but definitely cooked through. While they were baking, I sliced the bacon into small pieces, then cooked them until golden brown, draining them on a paper towel. Once the potatoes were out of the oven, we hollowed out the skins and set the cooked potato innards aside for more experimentation. We left about a quarter to a half an inch of potato "meat" inside the skin. We discovered that frying makes the best crisp, though oven broiling is an option. Let's be honest, though. No one makes potatoes skins to have a "healthy treat," so we fried those bad boys. Once they were crispy, we immediately (if you don't, they get too soft) sprinkled the interior of the skin with seasoned salt, filled each with cheese, and topped them with jalapeno bacon bits. We put these on a baking sheet and broiled them until the cheese was melted and a little bubbly. These were a huge hit with thefamily test subjects, and the hollowed out skins can be frozen for up to a week for easy prep, as long as they go straight from the freezer into the oil.
Viking Gold
10 red potatoes
10 Yukon Gold potatoes
24 oz jalapeno bacon (or bacon cooked with a jalapeno with no seeds or core)
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Seasoned salt (Lawry's)
Cooking oil
Okay. First we baked our potatoes in the oven at about 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until they were just firm enough to stay together, but definitely cooked through. While they were baking, I sliced the bacon into small pieces, then cooked them until golden brown, draining them on a paper towel. Once the potatoes were out of the oven, we hollowed out the skins and set the cooked potato innards aside for more experimentation. We left about a quarter to a half an inch of potato "meat" inside the skin. We discovered that frying makes the best crisp, though oven broiling is an option. Let's be honest, though. No one makes potatoes skins to have a "healthy treat," so we fried those bad boys. Once they were crispy, we immediately (if you don't, they get too soft) sprinkled the interior of the skin with seasoned salt, filled each with cheese, and topped them with jalapeno bacon bits. We put these on a baking sheet and broiled them until the cheese was melted and a little bubbly. These were a huge hit with the
Monday, May 5, 2014
Homemade Potato Skins
Homemade Red Potato Skins
So, Ritz and I were experimenting in the kitchen with a recipe for the cafe. We decided that homemade potato skins would be worth exploring, but that neither of us really like russet potatoes.
Ingredients:
About 8 or so decent-sized red potatoes, washed1 bag Mexican blend cheese
Bacon ends and pieces
Lawry's Seasoned Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Ritz started the potatoes off, baking them at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes wrapped in foil, though the larger potatoes stayed in the oven a bit longer until they were tender.
After the potatoes cooled off a bit, we sliced each potato in half and scooped out the insides, leaving about a quarter inch or slightly less of the innards around the skin. After they were hollowed out, we made two separate batches to check taste with our teenage boy audience.
Both batches were fried (I used peanut oil because no one has allergies to that, but I'll use sunflower for the masses, since it has lower occurrences of creating allergy problems). I seem to have misplaced my lovely home frier with its basket, so I fried them in a pot instead. Unfortunately, that means I can't estimate the temperature, but I basically just watched them until they were nicely brown.
The first batch was filled with cheese (each got enough cheese that the cheese came up to the level top of the skin, rather than a set amount for each one) and we sprinkled the fried bacon pieces over the tops. These were then baked in the oven until the cheese got nice and melty, which was around 7 or 8 minutes at 325 degrees. The boys liked these, but said they were a little bland.
The second batch was sprinkled with a gentle dash of seasoned salt and pepper before being stuffed with the cheese and bacon. I made half of that batch with the seasoning on the bottom of the potatoes and half with the seasoning inside the bowl of the potatoes, with the taste test winner being the potatoes which had the seasoning inside the bowl area immediately after frying.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Best Shepherd's Pie I Have Ever Made
The Best Shepherd's Pie I Have Ever Made
5 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained
4 cups beef bouillon
4 tsp tomato bouillon powder
10 tbsp flour
4 tsp Worschestire sauce
3lbs red potatoes, washed and boiled until soft
1 bulb fresh garlic
2 cups half and half
1 stick butter or margarine
4 cups cheddar
Mix beef bouillon, tomato bouillon powder, flour and Worschestire sauce in a blender or high speed mixer to create the sauce. After cooking beef, drain grease and add the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly and layer in the bottom of a casserole pan.
Using a garlic press, smash the garlic cloves from one bulb. Add the smashed garlic to a small sauce pan with the half and half and margarine or butter. Bring to a gentle boil (continuously stirring), and pour the mixture over the red potatoes. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until they reach the texture you desire. Spread the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture in the casserole pan. Top the potatoes with the cheddar cheese and bake at 325 degree for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce starts to bubble around the edges of the melted cheese. I always broil mine for a few minutes afterwards, to brown the cheese a little, but that is all about personal preference. Enjoy!
5 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained
4 cups beef bouillon
4 tsp tomato bouillon powder
10 tbsp flour
4 tsp Worschestire sauce
3lbs red potatoes, washed and boiled until soft
1 bulb fresh garlic
2 cups half and half
1 stick butter or margarine
4 cups cheddar
Mix beef bouillon, tomato bouillon powder, flour and Worschestire sauce in a blender or high speed mixer to create the sauce. After cooking beef, drain grease and add the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly and layer in the bottom of a casserole pan.
Using a garlic press, smash the garlic cloves from one bulb. Add the smashed garlic to a small sauce pan with the half and half and margarine or butter. Bring to a gentle boil (continuously stirring), and pour the mixture over the red potatoes. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until they reach the texture you desire. Spread the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture in the casserole pan. Top the potatoes with the cheddar cheese and bake at 325 degree for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce starts to bubble around the edges of the melted cheese. I always broil mine for a few minutes afterwards, to brown the cheese a little, but that is all about personal preference. Enjoy!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Ham and Potato Casserole
I have to make something tonight that the kids can eat tomorrow with very little fuss, so I am making a casserole for them. They can either pop it in the oven tomorrow night, or I can do it later this evening and they can just heat portions up in the microwave. I haven't decided yet.
Ham and Potato Casserole
2 pounds ham
3 pounds red potatoes or 1 bag of frozen southern style hashbrown potatoes
2 can cream of mushroom soup
Dash of Worcestershire sauce (I only use Lea & Perrins)
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
This one is really easy. Let's start with the potatoes. Slice them into cubes and boil until tender. If you use the pre-cut hashbrown style potatoes in the frozen section, toss them in a pot and boil them for 8 minutes. I love these in a pinch, they make for a much faster prep. Drain your potatoes and put them in the bottom of a casserole dish. I have Pyrex now. I used to use my super-awesome Pampered Chef stoneware casserole pan, but that was decimated a few moves ago. Throw in your cream of mushroom soup. I used to use Campbell's, but I have found that for this, you really don't taste it much anyhow, so store brand works just as well for half the price. There have been a few times that I substituted cream of potato when one of the girls was here for dinner who hates mushrooms, and that works just fine, too. Add one can's worth of water to the mix and stir well. Dash in some of that yummy Worcestershire sauce (to taste, though I have been known to use as much as a quarter of a bottle on this meal) and mix that in as well. Slice up your ham and stir that in. Sprinkle your cheese evenly across the top and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until your cheese is as bubbly as you like it. I like to zap it under the broiler for a minute or two at the end to brown my cheese a bit, but it is entirely up to you. Super easy, especially on busy work/school nights, and the kids love this one!
Ham and Potato Casserole
2 pounds ham
3 pounds red potatoes or 1 bag of frozen southern style hashbrown potatoes
2 can cream of mushroom soup
Dash of Worcestershire sauce (I only use Lea & Perrins)
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
This one is really easy. Let's start with the potatoes. Slice them into cubes and boil until tender. If you use the pre-cut hashbrown style potatoes in the frozen section, toss them in a pot and boil them for 8 minutes. I love these in a pinch, they make for a much faster prep. Drain your potatoes and put them in the bottom of a casserole dish. I have Pyrex now. I used to use my super-awesome Pampered Chef stoneware casserole pan, but that was decimated a few moves ago. Throw in your cream of mushroom soup. I used to use Campbell's, but I have found that for this, you really don't taste it much anyhow, so store brand works just as well for half the price. There have been a few times that I substituted cream of potato when one of the girls was here for dinner who hates mushrooms, and that works just fine, too. Add one can's worth of water to the mix and stir well. Dash in some of that yummy Worcestershire sauce (to taste, though I have been known to use as much as a quarter of a bottle on this meal) and mix that in as well. Slice up your ham and stir that in. Sprinkle your cheese evenly across the top and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until your cheese is as bubbly as you like it. I like to zap it under the broiler for a minute or two at the end to brown my cheese a bit, but it is entirely up to you. Super easy, especially on busy work/school nights, and the kids love this one!
Chicken & Dumplings
It is only right and proper that I begin with the ultimate in Southern food. My husband swears when I make this that it is his absolute favorite thing I cook, though I'm pretty sure he says that about everything I make, so I can't be sure. Please remember that I am never going to be cooking for less than four people, and sometimes as many as 8, with the hope of leftovers. My typical pot of choice for this is my largest silver stock pot with the thick bottom. Those cheapie thin bottom stock pots have issues with burning whatever you cook, no matter how careful you are to stir frequently. Also, my chicken and dumplings is a full MEAL, and I make it with some veggies, just to make sure my kids get something decently healthy in their bodies, whether they like it or not.
Here goes:
Chelsea's Chicken & Dumplings
2.5 pounds chicken (I prefer breast meat or tenders, use what you like)
14 to 18 chicken bouillon cubes
14 to 18 cups water
1 bag shredded carrots
1 bag frozen southern hash brown potatoes
Dash of lemon juice
Cavender's Greek Seasoning to taste (this is the most important part!)
Dumplings:
6 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
9 tbsp shortening
2 cups milk
I start the chicken first. Add 14 cups of water and bouillon cubes, lemon juice, and a healthy sprinkling of the Cavender's to your stock pot with the chicken and carrots, and boil for about 15 minutes. Turn it down to a simmer and pull out your chicken (Do NOT use your hands - use a slotted spoon!). Slice or shred it up depending on your preference (I always remove every last bit of chicken fat, because I just can't stand biting into it) and put it back in the simmering juice. While it simmers, make your dumplings.
Dumplings: Mix your flour, soda, and salt together. I sometimes add black pepper if I'm feeling it, since it gives it a nice flavor. Sometimes I toss some Cavender's in there, and sometimes I do it exactly like it says above. Once your dry ingredients are mixed, cut your shortening in. I use a fork and just make it crumble nicely. Add your milk and mix. At this point I usually have to stick my hands in there and knead it like I'm making bread. Once you get a nice dough, roll it out flat on your flour-dusted cutting board and slice your dumplings. I have a small countertop, so I do it half at a time. As I finish cutting them, I feed them into my simmering pot. The whole process of the dumplings takes the longest, so you will likely be simmering for close to an hour by the time you finish. As you drop them in, you will have to stir everything up so they don't stick together.
Once all of your dumplings are in the pot, your soup should be thickened from the extra flour that was added from rolling your dumplings. You shouldn't need extra, in fact, you may need to add those other four cups of water and bouillon cubes to the mix if too much of your liquid has boiled off. You can add that at any time, or not if you don't need it. Just remember to keep it as an option. Not every meal will come out the same way every time.
If you want potatoes in there (and we love potatoes at my house), toss that bag of the pre-cut ones in now. I sometimes cook up fresh ones, but this is the fastest way, and chicken & dumplings can be a bit time consuming already. Keep stirring after you toss them in, and turn your pot back up to about a medium high, unless your stove cooks really hot, then you might want it at medium so you don't burn the rest. Once it bubbles a bit (not a full boil, mind), turn it back down to low. This is when I taste-test a spoonful. Sometimes I need to add another dash of lemon juice, sometimes it needs a bit more Cavender's. You decide. Once you have your seasonings just right, put your lid on and turn it back down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, and you have a fantastic meal, chock full of yummy potatoes and carrots and chicken and tons of dumplings. And that's doing it my way. If you have any questions, let me know. I'll be happy to answer any that you have.
Here goes:
Chelsea's Chicken & Dumplings
2.5 pounds chicken (I prefer breast meat or tenders, use what you like)
14 to 18 chicken bouillon cubes
14 to 18 cups water
1 bag shredded carrots
1 bag frozen southern hash brown potatoes
Dash of lemon juice
Cavender's Greek Seasoning to taste (this is the most important part!)
Dumplings:
6 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
9 tbsp shortening
2 cups milk
I start the chicken first. Add 14 cups of water and bouillon cubes, lemon juice, and a healthy sprinkling of the Cavender's to your stock pot with the chicken and carrots, and boil for about 15 minutes. Turn it down to a simmer and pull out your chicken (Do NOT use your hands - use a slotted spoon!). Slice or shred it up depending on your preference (I always remove every last bit of chicken fat, because I just can't stand biting into it) and put it back in the simmering juice. While it simmers, make your dumplings.
Dumplings: Mix your flour, soda, and salt together. I sometimes add black pepper if I'm feeling it, since it gives it a nice flavor. Sometimes I toss some Cavender's in there, and sometimes I do it exactly like it says above. Once your dry ingredients are mixed, cut your shortening in. I use a fork and just make it crumble nicely. Add your milk and mix. At this point I usually have to stick my hands in there and knead it like I'm making bread. Once you get a nice dough, roll it out flat on your flour-dusted cutting board and slice your dumplings. I have a small countertop, so I do it half at a time. As I finish cutting them, I feed them into my simmering pot. The whole process of the dumplings takes the longest, so you will likely be simmering for close to an hour by the time you finish. As you drop them in, you will have to stir everything up so they don't stick together.
Once all of your dumplings are in the pot, your soup should be thickened from the extra flour that was added from rolling your dumplings. You shouldn't need extra, in fact, you may need to add those other four cups of water and bouillon cubes to the mix if too much of your liquid has boiled off. You can add that at any time, or not if you don't need it. Just remember to keep it as an option. Not every meal will come out the same way every time.
If you want potatoes in there (and we love potatoes at my house), toss that bag of the pre-cut ones in now. I sometimes cook up fresh ones, but this is the fastest way, and chicken & dumplings can be a bit time consuming already. Keep stirring after you toss them in, and turn your pot back up to about a medium high, unless your stove cooks really hot, then you might want it at medium so you don't burn the rest. Once it bubbles a bit (not a full boil, mind), turn it back down to low. This is when I taste-test a spoonful. Sometimes I need to add another dash of lemon juice, sometimes it needs a bit more Cavender's. You decide. Once you have your seasonings just right, put your lid on and turn it back down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, and you have a fantastic meal, chock full of yummy potatoes and carrots and chicken and tons of dumplings. And that's doing it my way. If you have any questions, let me know. I'll be happy to answer any that you have.
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