Buttermilk Fried Chicken

This one was the first recipe Aaron saw in Ad Hoc at Home that he really, really wanted to try. There are a lot of steps, so make sure you get yourself organized well ahead of time before digging into this one. It is very, very delicious though and Aaron and I were very impressed with the results as were Corey and Brian.  Best part of this? Corey is not much of a fried chicken fan, but enjoyed this meal. If you’ve been disillusioned by fast food fried chicken, I think this will change your mind. I’m listing a quarter recipe of Thomas Keller’s brine below, but because Aaron wasn’t a big fan of it, you can use any brine you normally use with poultry. Do stuff to your taste. I’m also doing a half recipe as that is what we did. I normally list a full one, but I think you all can figure this out. This makes more than enough chicken by itself.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken from Ad Hoc at Home:

Serve 4 to 6

4 lb. chicken

For the brine-

1 lemon, halved

6 bay leaves

¼ bunch flat leaf parsley

¼ bunch thyme

2 Tb. honey

¼ head of garlic

Handful peppercorns

½ c. kosher salt

½ gallon water

For dredging and frying-

Peanut or canola oil

½ qt. buttermilk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the coating-

3 c. flour

2 Tb. garlic powder

2 Tb. onion powder

2 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. cayenne

2 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Sea salt or kosher salt for garnish

To make the brine, combine all of the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from heat and cool completely, then chill before using. The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Cut the chicken into 10 pieces: 2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 breast quarters, and 2 wings. Pour brine into a container large enough to hold the chicken piece, add in the chicken, and refrigerate for 12 hours only.

Remove the chicken from the brine and discard the brine. Rinse the chicken under cold water, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin. Pat or let air dry. Let rest at room temperature for 1½ hours, or until it comes to room temperature.

If you have 2 large pots, about 6” deep, and a lot of oil, you can cook the dark meat and the white meat at the same time; if not, cook the dark meat first, then turn up the heat and cook the white meat. Aaron did the latter method. No matter what size pot you have, the oil should not come more than 1/3 the way up the sides of the pot. Fill the pot with at least 2” of oil and heat to 320 degrees. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Have a second baking sheet ready.

Meanwhile, combine all of the coating ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer half the coating to a second large bowl. Pour the buttermilk into a third bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set up a dipping station: the chicken pieces, one bowl coating, the bowl of buttermilk, the second bowl of coating, and the second baking sheet.

Just before frying, dip the chicken thighs into the first bowl of coating, turning to coat and patting off the excess; dip them into the buttermilk, allowing the excess to run back into the bowl; then dip them into the second bowl of coating. Transfer to the baking sheet. Your hands will get messy, but it’s worth it.

Carefully lower thighs into the hot oil. Adjust the heat as necessary to return the oil to the proper temperature. Fry for 2 minutes, then carefully move the chicken pieces around in the oil and continue to fry, monitoring the oil temperature and turning the pieces as necessary for even cooking, 11 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is a deep golden brown, cooked through, and very crisp. Meanwhile, coat the drumsticks, and place on the baking sheet.

Transfer the cooked thighs to the cooking rack skin side up and let rest while you fry the remaining chicken. Putting the pieces skin side up will allow excess fat to drain. Make sure that the oil is at the correct temperature and cook the chicken drumsticks. When the drumsticks are done, lean them meat side up against the thighs to drain, then sprinkle the chicken with sea salt.

Turn up the heat and heat the oil to 340 degrees. Meanwhile, coat the chicken breasts and wings. Carefully lower the chicken breasts into the hot oil and fry for 7 minutes, or until golden brown, cooked through, and crisp (as you will with all the pieces). Transfer to the rack, sprinkle with salt, and turn skin side up. Cook the wings for 6 minutes or until done as before. Transfer the wings to the rack and turn off the heat.

Rest the chicken for 7 to 10 minutes before serving to allow it to all cool down. If it is too cool because of the timing of cooking everything, place in a 400 degree oven for a minute or two so the crust is crispy and the chicken hot.

We served these with biscuits, mashed potatoes, and green beans. If you plan it out, this makes for a great weekend meal. At the very least, it’s worth trying once. 

Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

Not too long ago I managed to get a copy of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home for super cheap at Title Wave. Even though the weather has been warm (and then cold and then warm), chicken recipes, especially Thomas Keller’s chicken recipes, make for great weekend dinners. That’s why this Saturday and next Saturday I will be posting two recipes Aaron and I have made recently from Ad Hoc. They are good meals to share with family and friends and I’m excited to master them in the future.

Today is all about roasted chicken. Try to get one as close to the size listed below to match the roasting time. And nothing is better than a good meat thermometer. We like to get many of our meats from New Seasons because they specialize in ethically and locally raised animals. If it is available and affordable to you, why spend the time making a wonderful family meal based around sad, hormone laden chicken?

The root veggie part is great because you can use whatever it is you have available to you. I’m listing below what is in the recipe itself, but I’ll mention here that we used sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, leeks, an onion, and carrots. Use what you like because it’s your dinner. This is a long process, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time for prep and cooking.

Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables from Ad Hoc at Home:

One 4-4½ lb. chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

6 thyme sprigs

2 large leeks

2 tennis ball sized rutabagas

2 tennis ball sized turnips

4 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut in half

1 small yellow onion, trimmed, leaving root end intact, and cut into quarters

8 small red-skinned potatoes

1/3 c. canola oil

4 Tb. unsalted butter, room temperature

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 1½-2 hours, or until it comes to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Remove the neck and innards if they are still in the cavity of the chicken. Using a paring knife, cut out the wishbone from the chicken for easier carving later. Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper, add 3 of the garlic cloves and 5 sprigs of thyme, and massage (yeah, I know) the inside of the bird to infuse it with the flavors. Truss the chicken.

Cut off the dark green leaves from the top of the leeks. Trim off and discard any darkened outer layers. Trim the root ends, cutting around them on a 45-degree angle. Slit the leeks lengthwise almost in half, starting ½” above the root ends. Rinse the leeks well under warm water.

Cut off both ends of the rutabagas. Stand them on end and cut away the skin, working from the top to the bottom and removing any tough outer layers. Cut into ¾” wedges. Repeat with the turnips, cutting into wedges to match the size of the rutabagas.

Combine all of the vegetables and the remaining garlic cloves and thyme sprig in a large bowl. Toss with ¼ cup of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables in a large cast iron skillet or a roasting pan.

Rub the remaining oil all over the chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper. Make a nest in the center of the vegetables and nestle the chicken in it. Cut the butter into 4 or 5 pieces and place over the chicken breast. Put the chicken in the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 and roast for an additional 45 minutes, or until the temperature registers 160 in the meatiest portions of the bird (the thigh and under the breast where the thigh meets the breast) and the juices run clear. If necessary, return the bird to the move for more roasting and check every 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 20 minutes. Just before serving, set the pan of vegetables over medium heat and reheat the vegetables, turning them and glazing them with the pan juice. Cut the chicken into serving pieces, arrange over vegetables and serve.

Obviously not a warm weather dish, but it is perfect when the temperature dips. The taste is incredible and it just feels so homey and warm. Give it a shot when putting your oven on doesn’t sound like the worst idea ever.

Ravioli

Ravioli is super easy to make, especially once you’ve already got the hang of making pasta. You can fill it with anything you like, easily changing a meat based recipe like this one to a vegetarian one. The best part is that this doesn’t take long at all.

Ravioli:

Serves 2 with leftovers

1 recipe egg pasta

½ lb. ground meat (turkey, beef, or some combination of what you like)

¼ c. ricotta

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & pepper

Basil

Oregano

1 egg, beaten

Sauce of your choice

Prepare the pasta. Roll it out as you would for long noodles, but leave in sheets. Set aside to dry.

Mix together all other ingredients except egg. Roll into balls and evenly space them across the dried pasta sheets, leaving another sheet to place on top of this one. When all of the meat (or pasta) is used up, brush the beaten egg in the spaces between the filling balls. This acts as a binder for the top sheet. Take the other sheets and press them down on top of the meat filled side. Create pockets for the filling, pressing down firmly to remove as much air as possible from each pocket.

Using a knife or a pastry cutter, cut the pockets into squares. Place the ravioli into a pot of boiling salted water. Like all fresh pasta, these do not take long to cook, 3-4 minutes at the most. Serve warm with any sauce (marinara is always good).

A fast and very tasty way to do a weekday meal. I like that the basic idea lends itself to many different types of ravioli, depending on what you like to use to fill it. 

Aaron's Cheesesteak

My food habits have changed quite a bit over the last few years. I eat all sorts of meat now and have started to venture into new meat territory. Well, new to me. So when Aaron suggested he make some cheesesteaks because the meat is really thin and I like everything else about them, I said okay. I’m glad I did because these are wonderful. This makes enough for two very hungry people and three regularly hungry people. All of this stuff saves well, so if you make a bunch for yourself, you can have sandwiches for a couple of days. No biggie.

Aaron’s Cheesesteak:

12 oz. thinly sliced steak

½ onion, sliced

½ - 1 green pepper, sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Flour

Butter

Milk

Cheddar cheese, grated

Mayo

4-6 garlic cloves

Kosher salt

Even more pepper

2-3 French rolls (depending on how hungry you are)

To make the garlic mayo, smash the garlic cloves with some salt a la the fried lemon recipe. Mix in with some mayo.  Add some freshly cracked pepper. Set aside.

Coat onion and peppers in olive oil and cook in a large cast iron or other heavy bottomed pan over medium heat until soft. To prepare the steak, season liberally with salt and pepper. Add to onion and pepper mixture and cook until browned. Turn heat to low while you prepare the cheese sauce.

The cheese sauce is easy and just like this one for mac and cheese. Make a roux with a knob of butter and some flour and cook until lightly browned. Slowly add in some cold milk and mix until a good consistency. Add in some grated cheese until it looks cheesy enough (is it ever?) Add some pepper and salt if you’re so inclined (I usually am).

Spread some mayo on the French rolls. Fill with meat, pepper, and onions. Cover in cheese sauce. Eat over a plate because these bad boys are messy. And really, really satisfying. 

Reuben Dip

 November is usually a big month for me posting recipes. This one - not so much. In my defense I've been very busy. And when I'm not busy, I've been very lazy. I'll try to make it up to you in December. This Saturday my friend Chelsea is coming down from Seattle so we can start test driving wedding cakes for Corey. And my parents are coming to visit for Chrisannukah, so there should be some good stuff from that.

This recipe comes from my dear friend Lisa and Aaron and I made it shortly after his second batch of corned beef was done. It is perfect for parties and especially perfect for parties that involve watching football. Lisa made this on Monday and shared while we watched the Saints win at a house full of Louisiana natives and had bellies full of gumbo. This is all about getting good quality corned beef (homemade if you can get it).

Reuben Dip from Noble Pig:

Makes enough for at least 6 snacky football fans

½ lb. diced corned beef
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. sour cream
1 c. swiss cheese, grated
1 c. sauerkraut, drained well
1 Tb. ketchup (we subbed out the ketchup for Aaron’s Russian dressing)
1 Tb. spicy brown mustard
Rye crackers or toasts for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Place in a greased baking dish (we used a brownie pan) and bake until dip is browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

This is so good. It’s the reuben sandwich you can share.

Reuben Sandwiches

It seems a little weird to post sandwich recipes (I know I’ve done it before) because sandwiches are flexible and easy to make. These are also easy, but man, so worth posting a recipe. Even if you don’t like big hunks of meat (like me), you may want to give these sandwiches a shot. They are classic deli style and wonderful. And make the Russian dressing. It’s just not the same with thousand island.

Reuben Sandwiches from Lobel’s Meat Bible:

Serves 2

½ lb. thinly sliced corned beef, at room temperature

3 Tb. corned beef cooking liquid

4 slices Jewish-style rye bread

4 Tb. Russian dressing, plus more for serving (recipe follows)

3 oz. good quality Swiss cheese, thinly sliced, at room temperature

1 c. sauerkraut, drained and blotted dry, at room temperature

4 Tb. unsalted butter

Russian Dressing:

Makes about 2/3 c.

½ c. mayonnaise

¼ c. chili sauce or ketchup

½ tsp. prepared horseradish

½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tb. minced red onion

1 Tb. minced dill pickle

Moisten and heat up meat if you are making the sandwiches later than right after the beef is done. You can do this in the oven or the microwave if you’re sando craving is killing you.

Smear one side of each bread slice with 1 tablespoon of the Russian dressing. Dive the cheese between two of the slices. Neatly top each portion of cheese with half of the hot corned beef, followed by half of the sauerkraut, distributing them just to the edges of the bread. Top with the two remaining slices of dressed bread.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in an 8-10” heavy skillet over medium-low heat. When the foam subsides, add the sandwiches, cheese-side down, and weight them regularly with the back of a spatula. You want to compact the sandwich without crushing it. Cook gently until the first side is a rich golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

Remove the sandwiches to a plate and melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Return the sandwiches to the skillet and cook the second side, without weighting them, until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Flip the sandwich back and forth a few more times to completely melt the cheese without burning the toast, if necessary. This also crisps the first side, which can get soft. Cut the sandwiches in half with a sharp knife. Serve with more Russian dressing on the side, if desired.

And a pickle! You need to have a pickle. These are SO (!) good! Kirst is a meat fan and I think she went to meat sandwich heaven.   

Corned Beef

Aaron is a library volunteer and as such, he comes home with a variety of books. Not too long ago Lobel’s Meat Bible began to live at our house. After drooling over a number of recipes, Aaron decided it was high time he corned his own beef. There was a beef brisket sitting in our freezer from the farmers market that just needed that extra love. He went down to Sheridan’s and talked to the meat guys and got some great curing salt. And then it was off to making the beef. We had a little over a 2 pound brisket, so Aaron halved the recipe below. It managed to be done in perfect time for Kirsten to come over and have some. I like surprising my friends with food.

Corned Beef from Lobel’s Meat Bible:

Serves 8-10

1½ c. kosher salt

½ c. brown sugar

4 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 recipe corned beef pickling spice (recipe follows)

1 oz. pink curing salt

5 lb. fatty beef brisket

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 rib celery

1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

Corned Beef Pickling Spice

Makes about 1/3 c.

¾ tsp. mustard seed

¾ tsp. coriander seed

½ tsp. fresh, coarsely cracked black pepper

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. ground ginger

18 allspice berries

10 whole cloves

5 cardamom pods, cracked

3 bay leaves, crumbled

1 1½” long cinnamon stick, cracked into small pieces

Combine all ingredients and store tightly until use.

Put the kosher salt, sugar, garlic, thyme, pickling spice, and 1 quart water in a 6 to 8 quart pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for 5 minutes. Stir in the curing salt to dissolve, add 3 quarts of cool water, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

Put the brisket in a lidded, high-sided, food-grade plastic or metal container just large enough to contain the meat. Pour in the cooled curing liquid to cover the meat, weighting it with small plates, if necessary, to keep the beef submerged beneath the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 5 days, turn the meat over after 2 to 3 days.

Remove the meat from the liquid and place in a pot large enough to just contain it (reserve the curing liquid for now). Rinse the meat in two or three changes of water and drain. Strain the herbs, spices, and garlic from the curing liquid and discard the liquid. Add the spice to the pot with the meat and cover by 2 inches of water. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and bring to just a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to maintain the barest possible simmer, and cook until very tender but not yet falling apart (a carving fork should slide easily into the meat), 3 to 4 hours.

Carefully transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, slice thinly across the grain. Serve each portion moistened with a few tablespoons of the cooking  liquid (reserve enough cooking liquid to reheat any remaining beef).

But we didn’t just eat this. Oh no. We made reubens. Coming up tomorrow? The rye needed for that special sandwich. Later this week I’ll post the sandwich recipe. They are so good that Aaron recently bought another 3 pound brisket and we had reubens again. And then corned beef hash. And then something else we’re making today that I’ll post soon.

If you’re interested in doing something very homemade, this recipe is well worth it. It tastes so much better than the stuff you buy at the store.

Cheesy Baked Ziti

I am in love with Tillamook. I think this post makes that obvious. Aaron does too and he was excited to give one of their recipes a whirl the other night. We reduced the recipe by half since there are only two of us, omitted the bread crumbs (½ cup), and added garlic (because it’s, well, me) and sausage (because it’s Aaron), but the rest is all Tillamook.

Cheesy Baked Ziti slightly modified from The Tillamook Cheese Cookbook:

Serves 6

1 16 oz. package ziti
6-8 qt. water
1 Tb. butter
1½ c. heavy cream
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, plus extra to spread on top
1 Tb. olive oil
Marinara sauce (pre-prepared or your own)
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 chicken sausages, chopped and cooked
2 c. shredded mozzarella
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil the past in the water to al dente. Drain and reserve.

Heat the butter and heavy cream over medium-high heat in a 1-2 quart saucepan, stirring frequently. When the mixture starts to bubble, stir in the nutmeg and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 3 minutes more, stirring frequently.

Grease a large 13x9x2 baking dish with olive oil. Pour the pasta into the baking dish. Add the marinara, garlic, sausage, cream sauce, and mozzarella to the pasta, and stir well.

Top with more Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbling. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or place under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp the top, if needed.

Cheesy, fast, and delicious. Leave it to Tillamook to come up with a stellar cheesy recipe. I loved this so much I almost forgot to take a picture of it. Are you busy tonight? Make this. Totally worth it.

Chicken Paprikash

This recipe comes to us from Aaron's dad. Again, this is a recipe Aaron first did awhile ago and I forgot to blog about it. It's been done multiple times since then and is really, really tasty.

Chicken Paprikash modified from Betty Crocker:

Serves 4

2-2½ lb. chicken breast
1 large onion, chopped
1 pepper (your choice of color), chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 Tb. paprika
15 oz. can tomato puree
1 c. sour cream

Saute the chicken, onion, and pepper, add the puree and paprika and simmer until chicken is tender. Add in sour cream and serve over egg noodles.

Simple, delicious, and it looks like you took a lot more time than you did.

Margarita Chicken

This might be a little sad, folks. I remember eating this and I remember it being very, very good, but I'm not exactly sure how it was put together. I think this will mostly be pictures, but I can give you a general idea of what happened and how you use it. I really should write things down when I make them. Or when Aaron does.

Margarita Chicken:

4 chicken breasts
Tequila
Juice of one lemon
Juice of one lime
Big pinch of sugar
2 Tb. salt
1/4 c. olive oil

 Marinate chicken breasts with the above ingredients for at least half an hour in the refrigerator. Grill breasts in a medium size pan with olive oil. Once cooked through, set aside and cool until you can touch them comfortably. Shred and make tacos, nachos, burritos, or whatever you like.

Ground Lamb Stroganoff

I've mentioned before that I'm not a big meat eater (10 years as a fake vegetarian will do that), but Aaron has gotten me to eat lamb from the farmer's market. He made this a couple of weeks ago and it really is so good and so easy. This would be perfect for a mid-week meal or any time you're really hungry and the idea of cooking sounds awful. Plus, it doesn't make the house too hot, which I like.

Stroganoff is usually made the strips of meet, generally beef (as in the original), but I think it worked really well (not that I'd really know the difference).

Ground Lamb Stroganoff from Diana Rattray (About.com Guide):

1 lb. ground lamb
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tb. butter
1 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. all-purpose flour
1 c. chicken broth
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
3 Tb. sour cream, room temperature
8 oz. rotini noodles

Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan and blend in flour to make a roux. Gradually stir in chicken broth, stirring and cooking until thickened and smooth. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; quickly brown lamb and onion on all sides. Depending on your lamb, you will want to drip a lot of the fat off. Add meat and onions to roux and sauce mixture. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil noodles, drain, and set aside.

Stir in sour cream and heat through but do not boil. Serve over noodles.

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Because Kai and Jules gave us a full flat of raspberries and because they had traveled from the Skagit Valley, we needed to use them up quick. This was not a problem for me because I love raspberries. Aaron got to searching around and found the recipe. I didn't realize until today that it was an Emeril recipe, but I have to give him credit for this one. It's really, really good. I still really dislike him though. A lot. Moving on...

There's a great sweet and smoky flavor that comes out of this and it's perfect for this time of year. I only did prep on this one. The whole thing was entirely Aaron's idea and I am so glad he found it. Even if it is Emeril.

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce from Favorite Recipes from Emeril's Restaurants:

Makes 1½ cups

1 Tb. olive oil
½ c. small diced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped (we definitely put in more)
2 pints fresh raspberries, rinsed
½ c. raspberry vinegar (we subbed white wine vinegar)
¾ c. granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt



In a medium pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly caramelized, 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chipotle chilies and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the raspberries and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the sugar and salt, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool before using. Aaron was really excited because he’s had issues with reducing sauces before. This one worked like a dream.

If you want to, strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Aaron and I decided that having the solids in gave it more character.

He then used it two different ways, reserving the rest for other meals. First he mixed it into some ground buffalo meat for buffalo burgers. Then he mixed it into a bit of mayo for the burgers. I love how the seeds show up in both.

And look at that burger! It was fantastic! The sauce added a subtle sweet-spicy flavor that just rocked with the buffalo. It helped that we had an awesome tomato from Kai and rocking lettuce from the farmer’s market, not to mention those buns. They’re from a local bakery and these pubs buns just make burgers sing.

This was a rocking sauce. We used it the next day for buffalo tacos. I want to make this again for a BBQ glaze. I think it would also be awesome with blackberries. So there you go Emeril. You got me to eat something of yours. I'll learn how to deal just because this is so good.

Shepherd's Pie

Normally I frown upon the use of Rachael Ray recipes because, well, it’s her, but Aaron made this delicious thing and I loved it so much, I was able to deal with it. Plus, he heavily modified the original, so that’s even better. And, credit where credit is due, the mashed potatoes on top rock. We’ve had this three times now and I can’t believe Aaron found a way to get me to eat lamb. He picked it up from a vendor at the farmer’s market and it is so incredible. I have decided that the sheep must have been very well treated, but ugly, so it’s okay for me to eat it. Plus, it tastes really, really good. There’s a bit of prep involved in making this, but comes together rather quickly. It’s also amazing as lunch the next day.

Shepherd’s Pie heavily modified from 30 Minute Meals:

Serves 4

1 lb. potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
Spoonful sour cream
1 large egg yolk
½ c. milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for pan
1 lb. ground lamb
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
½ onion, chopped
TJ’s gravy
Green beans (fresh or canned)
Paprika
Cheddar cheese, grated

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and milk and add mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix in gravy until warm. Mix in cooked green beans and remove from heat.








Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with cheddar cheese and paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned.

Serve and enjoy.

It’s such a warm and homey recipe. Seriously. It’s especially good since it’s been pouring in Portland and even though it’s June, the idea of summer seems so far away. There’s a bit in the fridge still and I might have to go sneak some bites of it right now.