Moussaka

There's a Greek restaurant in town that has amazing moussaka; hubby and I both love it.  As the restaurant is none-too-cheap, I decided it would probably be best if we learned to make this dish ourselves.  For those who don't know, moussaka is somewhat of a casserole: it starts with a layer of potato slices, then layers of eggplant and a spiced meat mixture, topped with a thick layer of bechamel sauce.  Heavenly!

I just picked a recipe online and am super lucky to have chosen a great one.  This dish is time consuming, but so very worth it.  My advice would be to make it on the weekend and freeze half.  It is very filling!  Hubby and I probably had four meals each from one recipe.  

Moussaka
(original recipe found here)

• 3-4 eggplants, about 4 lbs. total
• 1 lb. potatoes
• 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (or lamb)
• 2 large onions, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 cup tomato puree (or crushed tomatoes)
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups plain breadcrumbs
• 8 egg whites, lightly beaten (reserve yolks for bechamel)
• 1 cup grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese

• Bechamel Sauce:
• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup flour
• 4 cups milk, warmed
• 8 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

Using a sharp peeler, partially peel the eggplants, leaving strips of peel about 1 inch wide around the eggplant. Slice the eggplant in to 1/2 inch slices. Place the eggplant slices in a colander and salt them liberally. Cover them with an inverted plate that is weighted down by a heavy can or jar. Place the colander in the sink so that excess moisture can be drawn out. They will need to sit for at least 15-20 minutes, preferably an hour. The salt also helps to remove some of the bitterness of the eggplant.

 

Peel the potatoes and boil them whole until they are just done. They should not get too soft, just cooked enough so that they no longer crunch. Drain, cool and slice them in 1/4 inch slices. Set aside. 

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

 

Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease. Add a splash of water to the egg whites and beat them lightly with a fork. Add breadcrumbs to a flat plate. 

 

Rinse the eggplant slices and dry with paper towels. Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg whites and then dredge them in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Place breaded eggplant slices on baking sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 1/2 an hour, turning them over once during cooking. 

 

When eggplant is finished cooking, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

 

In a large sauté pan, brown the ground beef (or lamb) until the pink color disappears. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

 

Add wine to pan and allow it to simmer and reduce a bit before adding cinnamon, allspice, parsley, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and sugar. Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes so that excess liquid can evaporate. It should be a drier, chunkier, tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

 

For the Bechamel Sauce:  Melt butter over low heat. Using a whisk, add flour to melted butter whisking continuously to make a smooth paste. Allow the flour to cook for a minute but do not allow it to brown.  Add warmed milk to mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously.  Simmer over low heat until it thickens a bit but does not boil.   Remove from heat, and stir in beaten egg yolks and pinch of nutmeg. Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens. 

 

Assemble the Moussaka:
Lightly grease a large deep baking pan (lasagna pan). Sprinkle the bottom of pan with breadcrumbs. Leaving a 1/4 inch space around the edges of the pan, place a layer of potatoes on the bottom. Top with a layer of eggplant slices.

Add meat sauce on top of eggplant layer and sprinkle with 1/4 of the grated cheese. Top with another layer of eggplant slices and sprinkle once again with 1/4 of the grated cheese.

Pour the béchamel sauce over the eggplant and be sure to allow sauce to fill the sides and corners of the pan. Smooth the béchamel on top with a spatula and sprinkle with remaining grated cheese.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until béchamel sauce is a nice golden brown color. Allow to cool for 15 – 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

You can make this dish ahead up until the béchamel sauce and refrigerate. Make the béchamel sauce right before you intend to bake it.

Luci's Homemade Sloppy Joes

Sorry I didn't post yesterday; I have been very confused about day of the week for the past two weeks.  I spent all of Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday, then all of Wednesday thinking it was Tuesday.  Thankfully, I know today is Thursday and tomorrow is glorious, wonderful, workweek-ending Friday.

The upcoming story speaks volumes of my upbringing, I believe.... Tuesday night, I asked hubby what he wanted for dinner.  He wanted sloppy joes.  I replied that we had no Manwich (with a little glee in my heart) and thus thought the discussion on sloppy joes was over.  But it was not, because, my friends, you can make sloppy joes from scratch! I never even considered the possibility until hubby mentioned his friend, Luci, had recently made homemade sloppy joes.  Growing up, we NEVER had sloppy joes at home (or meatloaf and a few other classic Americana foods) because my mom is weird about meat.   Life story aside; I made sloppy joes (even though hubby said he would, because after putting the meat on, he remembered homework [was I like that as a student? probably worse]).

 Now Luci, I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  Our printer was dreadfully out of ink, so I just got the ingredients printed off and sort of went with my gut.  Please forgive.

Sloppy Joes


(original recipe from Luci's Tasty Adventures)

• 1 lb Ground beef, broken up into small pieces 
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped (omitted as we hate celery)
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped (I coarsely chopped)
• ½ green bell pepper, finely chopped (I coarsely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup ketchup (optional) (we opted out)

What I did:

Brown the meat in a medium skillet or pot until thoroughly cooked.  Stir frequently to thoroughly break up/crumble the meat.  Add in onion, bell pepper, and garlic.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender. 

Stir in tomato sauce, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, salt and pepper.  (I added a splash of Chachere's to give it a kick).  Let simmer for 15 minutes.

We had no buns, so we ate it with crackers.  We both thought it was pretty darn tasty, even me, the nonsloppy joe eater.

A Different Take on Chili

When it's cold, who doesn't want a nice bowl of chili to warm them up?  It's such a hearty dish.  All of the chili I've ever had has been quite the same, beef and beans in a rich tomato sauce, seasoned simply with chili powder and salt.  But I've heard whispers of a different chili, an exotic one.. one with chocolate.  I decided yesterday that it was time to try this chocolate chili and satisfy my curiosity.   I looked around at a couple of recipes and used this one as a guide.  I also made a beer bread, which I'll post next.

 Overall, I enjoyed this chili; it was both familiar and new.   The tomato is toned down  and the spices bring a richness, a darkness almost, to the dish.  Hubby asked that I tone down the spices, but dad and I liked it as it was. 

Chili 

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, coarsely diced
• 1  tbsp cocoa powder (I used Hershey's special dark)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp red pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 can beans (I used kidney beans but pinto or black would work as well)

In a large pot, brown the ground beef, stirring frequently to break it up into small pieces.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat until the onions start to soften.  Add the cocoa powder, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, red pepper, and salt and stir well.  Let cook for a few minutes before adding beef broth and sauce.   Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.  Halfway through, add the beans and vinegar.  


Serve with plenty of cheese, though I did not because I did not have any. 

Beef Tips and Gravy

One of my favorite foods growing up was beef tips and gravy. (I'm sure you've noticed a lot of my favorites are southern comfort foods.) It's a dish my  mom always made really well, and I'm a sucker for white gravy. It's just so good! .. With the weather becoming chilly, it's the perfect time for all of those comfort foods to grace the table.  Thus, we have beef tips and gravy.

This dish is pretty simple to make, though the gravy may seem daunting.

Beef Tips and Gravy

• 2 lbs stew meat
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Chachere's (or season-all or whatever's your poison)
• 3 or so tbsp of cooking oil
• water
  
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; you want enough oil to generously cover the bottom of your pan, but you don't want it so deep that you're frying your meat. 

While the oil heats up, combine the flour and Chachere's on a large plate. Dredge each piece of meat through the flour, making sure each is well coated. 

Once the oil is sizzling hot (you can tell it's right by dropping a few droplets of water in the pan; if they dance and sizzle, you're set), add the meat, making sure it's in a single layer. You may need to do two batches, which is okay.  Let the meat brown for 2 minutes on each side, achieving a nice deep brown coloring.

Once all of the meat is browned, add enough water to come most of the way up the meat, but not covering it. Cover with a lid and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

As you stir the meat, the flour and water will mix to become the basis of the gravy.  After the hour of cooking is up, slowly add the 1/2 cup of milk, stirring constantly, until you get the desired thickness (which is a personal preference).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Stroganoff Meatballs

When I asked hubby wanted he wanted for dinner today, he requested meatballs "with delicious sauce." At first, I had no idea what he was talking about, then I remembered something I've made a few times in the past. Really, they were my first foray into the meatball world. They're pretty simple, and they're served with a decent stroganoff sauce (though, it's the only one I've had so it might not be too authentic).


I'm not entirely sure where I first found this recipe; I believe it came from one of my mother's cookbooks. Perhaps A Taste of Home? I don't really know, but I'll try to find out.

Stroganoff Meatballs
Meatballs

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup dry, plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp dried minced onion (or you can use fresh, just mince it well)
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 lb ground beef (I always use the leanest beef)

Sauce

• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp chili sauce (I use a tsp or two of chili powder)
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 450F.

In a large bowl, beat the egg. Add the crumbs, milk, onions, parsley, garlic salt, and pepper, and mix well. Add the beef and mix until well combined. Using approximately 1 tbsp of the meat mixture, roll it into 1 inch balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce by combining all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until well combined and thoroughly heated. If you like, you may thin out the thick sauce with a few tablespoons of milk.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain on paper towels.

Homemade Burgers

One of the foods I miss the most from home is a hamburger. A hamburger you ask skeptically. Why yes, my dear readers, a burger. Here in the midwest, burgers are not nearly as good. Sure, they might have cheesy goodness or delicious mushroom and onions sauteed on top. But the patty itself is always bland, always lacking the beautiful harmony Cajun burgers had. Lately, I've been craving those good ol' burgers found in restaurants and bakeries back home (Southside Bakery in Lafayette, LA. GO THERE) Today, while discussing what to have for dinner with hubby, I mentioned burgers and he jumped on that idea. From there, our dinner ideas expanded into the most delicious, most unhealthy stereotypical American feast. And let me tell you, it was damn good. We rarely fry things (last night being the first time when hubby fried some chicken breasts) so I figured it wouldn't be so bad to do it today.

Since hubby had such a good experience frying chicken last night on a whim (his first time frying anything) he thought he'd try onion rings. You'll hear more about those delicious bites of heaven in a bit. Look forward to it!

And, having burgers and this amazing Spring weather outside, it was a perfect time to have potato salad too. Mmmmhmmmm.

I think I gained 10 pounds today.


Burgers

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg, or 2 egg yolks (long story, involves angel food cake and only have 10 eggs. ok. short story then)
• 1/8 cup breadcrumbs
  
• Chachere's or season-all or lawrys
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper
• oil

Yields 4 patties.

Alright. Get ready to get your hands dirty.

In a large bowl, mix up the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasonings (use your hands). I can't really give you measurements; it depends on what you want out of your burger. I probably had a tbsp of Chachere's and 1 tsp black pepper with a 1/2 to 1 tsp each of the garlic and onion powders. I wanted my burgers really well seasoned with the nice little kick Chachere's gives.

Here's a cooking tip: use your nose!! So often by just sniffing what you're mixing up you can tell what's missing. It is a vital step when cooking with meats since you can't just taste it right then and there.

Once your meat is mixed to a fragrant perfection, divide it up to make patties. We had small buns, so hubby (who took over the burgers at this point) divided the meat into 4, making 4 smaller patties. Shape the patties into discs about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick. Make the center a little thinner than the edges as the burgers will plump up quite a bit.

In a large, heavy, nonstick skillet, heat up 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Place the burgers around the pan and cook them a few (maybe 5) minutes, then flip them over. Press down gently on each patty. After another 5ish minutes, flip over again for 2 minutes, then flip again. The sides should both be nicely, richly browned. We decided they were done after we cut one open and it was cooked through.

Sorry these directions aren't the best. Hubby has a poor sense of timing when it comes to the kitchen, and I was whipping up an angel food cake.

Ropa Vieja

Back home, there was this great Cuban place near my house. One of my Spanish teachers in high school was from Cuba, so he encouraged us to all visit the restaurant. Once I went, I was hooked, and by far my favorite dish was ropa vieja. A dish of seasoned shredded beef, it is tasty by itself or over rice or with potatoes or on tortillas or .... in anything ever. So when I came across this recipe, I was ecstatic. But since it takes a good time investment, I put the recipe off for quite awhile. I won't be doing THAT again. As this dish freezes well, I plan to start making it in batches and freezing it so we can have ropa vieja goodness whenever I want.

Fun fact, ropa vieja means old clothes in Spanish.


Ropa Vieja

• 3-4 lbs flank steak, with the visible fat removed
• dozen peppercorns
• 6-8 oz favorite salsa - I used a salsa verde, VERY tasty
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mild chili powder
• 2 cups water

Place the steak in slow cooker and sprinkle in the peppercorns. Add water until the meat is almost covered. Cook on low for 9 hours. Let the meat cool. (At this point, I just let the meat cool then put it in the fridge so I could complete the dish a day or two later. You could also freeze the meat.)

Once you're ready to finish the dish, cut the meat into 3 inch strips. Make sure to cut AGAINST the grain, because next you're going to shred the meat and you want 3 inch shreds.

Place the meat in a LARGE, nonstick flying pan. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. If your pan isn't large enough - like mine - this will be plenty tricky as you try not to spill your precious ingredients.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the meat is all turned to rags.

Now, be careful while you're simmering the dish. You might be tempted to pull little bits of meat out of the pan, which might burn your fingers. Not like I know from experience or anything, though....

Cabbage Rolls

Here's the cabbage roll recipe from yesterday,


Cabbage Rolls:

• 1 head cabbage
• 1 lb lean gound beef
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• tomato sauce (I used Ragu)
  

The most difficult thing about this recipe was getting the the cabbage leaves without tearing them to pieces. After much frustration on my part - and the biggest leaves torn to ruins - hubby suggested blanching the whole head of cabbage before removing the leafs, instead of blanching the leaves afterwards (as all the recipes I'd seen had indicated).

Once you've got your leaves blanched and separated, cut the very thick part of the stem out. You can do so by cutting a little slit a few inches up each side of the stem, forming a very skinny triangle. Otherwise, if you don't remove the stem, the cabbage won't roll.


Preheat the oven to 350F.

While your cabbage cools, brown the ground beef. Once it's fully ground, season to taste. I used Chachere's. You can use season salt, salt and pepper, or whatever floats your boat. Add the veggies and cook until they have softened. My bell pepper bits were a bit too firm. You aren't going to bake the rolls long in the oven, so keep that in mind when deciding the doneness of your veggies. Once it's cooked to your satisfaction, stir in the rice until well combined.

Lay a cabbage leaf down. Spoon some of the mixture into the center, and fold the edges up around it. You'll make a triangle of sorts. Repeat.

You can place these on a baking dish or a baking sheet. Spread tomato sauce over the top of the rolls. Bake about 10 minutes.

Pot Roast

I'm a craving-empath. When someone craves something, it usually sounds pretty good to me. Case in point: Monday, Amanda mentioned craving pot roast and suddenly I took longed for it. Yummy pot-roasty goodness. Since I wasn't working Wednesday, I decided to make one in the slow cooker (the only way I know how!). And as you know, I picked up some new potatoes and carrots at the farmers market. It's the perfect meal!


Slow Cooker Pot Roast:
beef chuck roast - everytime I'm looking at the meet trying to figure out what to get, I spaz a little and call my mom. I'm incapable of remembering what I'm supposed to buy. If you're lucky, it'll say on the label (or you can ask the butcher) what cut is best.
flour
garlic powder
pepper
1 can french onion soup
1 onion, cut into quarters then peeled apart
potatoes
carrots

Season the roast with the garlic powder and pepper, then coat each side with flour. I do this by sprinkling powder on a plate and just kind of rolling the roast around. Heat a bit of oil in a pan and brown each side of the roast. Place it in a crock pot. Pour the french onion soup into it and add a bit of water, depending on how strong you want the onion taste.

Now, you can cook a roast on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6. I suggest the longer cook, but this time I did the high heat. After about 2 hours, I added my potatoes, placing them around the roast. Then I layered the onions and carrots on top. When you add the veggies depends on your cooking method, veggies, etc. I'm not helpful, I know.

The best roast I ever made required a bit more prep. I made it when hubby finally finished with the Marine Corps and moved into our apartment for good. I diced some bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Using a sharp knife, I cut slits into the roast every couple of inches then inserted the veggie mixture down into the slit. SUPER tasty.

Marlboro Man Sandwich

Odd name, I know. That's because it's Ree's (the Pioneer Woman) husband's favorite sandwich and she calls him the Marlboro Man. It is also very similar to a dish my mom used to make (which I'll post the next time I make it - I forgot last time oops).

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich (which I shall henceforth call the Marlboro):
2 1/2 lbs cube steak .. now, I just ordered 3.. I'm not sure how many pounds. it was just enough for hubby and me
1 large onion, cut into thin strips or half circles
butter
Chachere's (me) or Lawry's (Pioneer Woman)
approx. 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
a few splashes of Tabasco
buns/rolls .. whichever rock your boat

Melt 2 tbsps butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook over a medium-low heat until they are nice and soft.
While the onions are cooking, slice the cube steaks against the grain (if you look closely, you can see that the tenderization of the meat has created a grain for you to cut against). Season with Chachere's/Lawrys.
So after about 5-10 minutes, your onions should be nicely cooked. Remove them from the pan (place in a bowl, on a plate.. just not in your mouth... hey, I'm not the only one who was tempted, was I??)
Melt 2 more tbsps of butter in the same pan. Let it brown a bit (though not blacken) then add the meat, making sure it's in a single layer.
DO NOT stir the meat for the first minute or so; you want the bottom to brown. After that, flip the meat, browning all sides.
Once your meat is totally browned, add the 1/2 cup of worchestershire. Then splash in some Tabasco. (Shockingly, this was my first time really using Tabasco, even though I grew up not an hour away from where it is made!!)
Add 2 more tbsp butter to the sauce and mix well. Add the onions and cover while you prep the buns.
Butter the buns (or the new cooking surface you'll be using: skillet, griddle, etc). Place the buns buttered-face down until the surface is golden and crispy. Flip over momentarily, just until they are warm.
Load delicious meat and onions onto your bun, then spoon some of the juice over it.. Yuuuummm. Enjoy; try not to burn your mouth eating it.



Yeah, that's right; I served it with premade tater-tots. Because we were supposed to do laundry tonight .. and I do not discriminate against most potato products.

Baby, It's Cold Outside; Eat Stew!

After discovering it was -9 degrees this morning (not counting the windchill), I decided today would be a stew day. What else can one eat when it is so deliriously cold outside? Lucky for me, I had picked up some stew meat at the grocery store a couple days ago. Stew is one of my absolute favorite cold weather foods; it's heartier than most soups and I love potatoes. I do. I really, really do. The base is slightly tomatoey but not enough to be the focus; it complements the simplicity of the beef and potatoes and adds a slight zing. Delicious. So without further ado......

Mama Sarah's Mama's Delicious Beef Stew
2 lbs lean stew meat (I used 1 1/2 because 1) it's expensive and 2) there's just the two of us)
flour, salt, and pepper
1 onion, chopped roughly
1 glove garlic, diced
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
2-4 bay leaves (Mom uses 2, I used 4 because I enjoy putting leaves in my food.)
Salt, Pepper, and Chachere's/Season-all to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup ketchup (don't gross out, it works!)
Potatoes
Carrots (if you like mushy, gross cooked carrots)

Mix flour, salt, and pepper. Roll the meat bits, covering them in flour.
Brown the meat, onion, and garlic in a little bit of olive oil.
Once the meat is browned, add water. I add a couple cups, but it depends on how thick or thin you want the "broth" to be.
Add worchestershire sauce, bay leaves, sugar, and ketchup. Season to taste/smell. Mom had a friend who always said "season to smell" because that's going to tell you off the bat how you're doing. He's right, to a certain degree. At this point, I didn't taste it. Once you add the veggies, you'll have to season a bit more anyway.
Let the stew cook on medium heat for about 30-45 minutes so the meat will be tender. Add the chopped potatoes and carrots. Cook until the potatoes are cooked and slightly mushy: the few that crumble apart will thicken the broth.
Now it's time to season to taste. I ended up having to add a lot more salt, some more ketchup, and a dash more worchestershire.
***Make sure you stir frequently so your meat doesn't stick to the bottom... not like that happened to me or anything ..... thankfully, I like crunchy meat bits....)

Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

Mmmm delicious shepherd's pie. I remember eating - and loving - this when I was really little, but then my family never ate it again until the night before I left for college. A month or so ago, I decided I would try my hand at making it. I looked at a bunch of recipes online, then came up with my own.

Ingredients
3 cups mashed potatoes (make sure they are flavorful, as if you would serve them alone. I actually use a bit more milk and butter than normal to make them extra creamy)
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4ish garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 sprigs of rosemary, chopped (optional)
1-2 tsp sage (I used ground because I didn't have fresh)
Salt, Pepper, and Chachere's/Seasoned Salt to taste
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tbsp flour
1 can sweet peas (use fresh if you want, I just don't have any)
1/4 - 3/4 cup grated cheese (I used 1/4 cup sharp cheddar because it was ALL that I had)
You can also add carrots if you want, but make sure they're cooked and soft before you add them..

Prepare the mashed potatoes. I used about 4 big potatoes and had a bit too much after I mashed them and all, but who am I to say no to extra potatoes?

Brown the ground beef. Add the onions and garlic, until the onions are soft. Add the rosemary and sage. Salt, pepper, and add Chachere's to taste. If you want to use carrots, you can add them at this point. As Alice Water advises, taste at every step. No portion of the dish should not be seasoned to taste good on its own. Let the seasoned meat mixture cook for a minute or two. While it simmers, mix the tbsp of flour into the 1/2 cup of broth to create a gravy of sorts. Add this to the meat mixture, and let it simmer for another minute or two. Make sure this is tasty before spooning it into a baking dish.


Make sure the meat is evenly distributed across the dish.


Drain most of the liquid out of the peas before adding them; if you don't, your meat will be too runny.


Sprinkle the cheese on top..Like I said, I only had a 1/4 cup of cheddar, but you could try many different types of cheese. I advise adding more than this - Hubby loves cheese - but then not all people love cheese like we do.


Now, spoon the mashed potatoes on top. You might not be able to easily spread them; don't worry if some cheese or peas get mixed up with the potatoes. Make peaks on the top - they'll brown and be delicious. Bake on 350F for about 25 minutes, or until warm and some peaks have become a nice golden shade.


I could have let it bake a little longer, but we were both hungry and the green beans were finished. As everything is already cooked, there's no worry of things not... well ... being cooked. It's just a matter of warming it all up together and getting a nice top layer to the potatoes.


And this is the final result; it might not be pretty, but it's pretty damn delicious.


A gratuitous photo of the green beans. I boiled them with Chachere's and 3 strips of bacon for about 25 minutes. YUM.