Shepherd's Pie

I wanted to make something Irish for dinner on St. Patrick's day, so I decided to try making shepherd's pie.  It was quite a tasty little Irish treat!  My 3/8th Irish husband gave it two thumbs up. :)

INGREDIENTS

4 large potatoes, cubed
2 lbs lean ground beef
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1.5 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
12 oz bag of frozen peas
12 oz bag of frozen carrots
2 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
1 packet of beef gravy mix
1/4 cup Worcestershire
2 Tbs ketchup or tomato paste
Milk as needed
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1.  Basically, step one is to make mashed potatoes.  So if you have a tried a true method, just do that.  Otherwise, follow my method: bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15-20 minutes.  Drain as much water as you can (if a little is left in the bottom, it's okay).  Put pot back on the still hot burner (but turn burner off).  Add butter and a little salt and pepper.  Once butter is melted, mash with a potato masher or a hand blender.  Keep adding milk, one splash at a time, until potatoes are nice a fluffy.  Then add 1 cup of the shredded cheese.  Set aside.

2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Meanwhile, cook ground beef, onion and celery in a large skillet until beef is well browned.

3.  Drain off excess grease, then transfer to a mixing bowl.  Add flour, gravy mix, Worcestershire, and ketchup or tomato paste and mix well.  

4.  Spread ground beef mixture in an even layer on the bottom of a large casserole dish.  Next, layer on frozen peas and carrots.  Finally, spread mashed potatoes over everything and top with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

5.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, until top is golden brown and filling is boiling rapidly.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Gumbo

In honor of Mardi Gras, I decided to try my hand at this New Orleans classic - gumbo!  I'm not going to lie - it was a lot of work, so I probably won't make this one a regular menu item.  But in our opinion, it was totally worth the effort for a special festive occasion like today!

Be warned - it is spicy!  But I didn't find it uncomfortably hot.  If you're nervous, just cut down on the spices the first time you make it.

INGREDIENTS

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of flour
2 chicken breasts, chopped into rather small pieces
1/2 pound of pork sausage links, thinly sliced
1 pound of shrimp (raw, peeled and deveined)
6 stalks of celery, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (including liquid)
1 can regular diced tomatoes (including liquid)
1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
4 (14oz) cans chicken broth
12 oz beer (I used Guinness because it has such a nice flavor in soups!)
1/4 cup of cajun spices
2-3 garlic cloves, minced

DIRECTIONS

1.  Begin with making a roux.  Although I've never made a roux before, I've read that a great roux is the key to gumbo, so I didn't want to mess this up!  I found some great instructions here.  To sum up, you melt your stick of butter in a small sauce pan.  When it gets good and hot, slowly begin to whisk in your flour.  Then you just cook it until it turns dark brown (add the minced garlic to this when it's a dark-medium brown, then continue to cook until it turns dark brown).  It does take a while to turn dark brown, but if you get it started cooking first, it will be ready just about the same time you've got everything else ready to go in the pot, so don't worry!

2.  While you're roux is cooking, cook your sausage in a skillet until it's evenly browned.  Then transfer to a large stock pot.

3.  In the same skillet (in the left over oil), cook your chicken pieces until no longer pink.  Then transfer chicken to the stock pot too.

4.  When the roux is ready, combine with the meat in the stock pot.  Add the chicken broth and beer, and bring to a boil.

5.  Stir in all the remaining ingredients - EXCEPT for the shrimp - to the stock pot.  Reduce, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

6.  Finally, add your shrimp.  Raise the heat a little and cook for about 5 more minutes, until shrimp shrink up and are an opaque pink.  As soon as shrimp are done, remove the pot from the heat so your shrimp don't overcook and turn rubbery.

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Potatoes and Onions

This recipe is ultra simple, but surprisingly yummy!  The onions give the potatoes a really great flavor.  I made it a few times as a last-minute side dish with dinner, but just recently discovered it also works great with our weekend brunch (kind of a hash browns substitute). 

INGREDIENTS

2 large russet potatoes, chopped [the perfect amount for 2 people - double the recipe if you need to feed more]

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

2 Tbs cooking oil

Salt, black pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning as desired

DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add potatoes and onions and cook over medium heat, covered, for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. 

2.  Add seasonings (I go pretty light on the salt - you can always add more at the table if necessary).  Cook for another 10 minutes or so, uncovered, until potatoes are tender and browned.