Shepherd's Pie

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008
Show: Good Eats Episode: Oh My, Meat Pie

Kenneth and I made this last night and it is hands down....much better than Rachel Ray's 30 Minutes Shepherd's Pie.

For the potatoes:
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 ounces unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk

For the meat filling:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

Add the corn and peas to the lamb mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Italian Meatloaf with Fresh Basil and Provolone

Meatloaf gets a bad rap, but it's really quite a delicious dish. This recipe fancies up the traditional meatloaf with some Italian flavor. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green and you'll be good to go!

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1/2 + 1/3 cup ketchup
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
2 large egg whites
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground round
Cooking spray

Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain tomatoes; finely chop.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine 1/2 cup ketchup, breadcrumbs, and the next 6 ingredients (breadcrumbs through beef) in a large bowl. Add tomatoes to meat mixture. Shape meat mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray or put meat mixture into a loaf pan. Spread 1/3 cup ketchup over meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 6 (2 slices per person)

Spaghetti and Meatballs

A simple and quick recipe that is sure to please! There is nothing fancy here. Just a good classic meatball and sauce. I use a lot of garlic in this recipe, so if you're not a big fan of garlic, feel free to use fewer cloves in both the meatballs and sauce.

1 pound spaghetti
Salt, for past water

Meatballs:
1 pound ground sirloin
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper

Sauce:
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup beef stock or broth
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
~10 large fresh basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced
~ 1-2 tsp salt (optional)

Heat a medium pot over moderate heat and add the olive oil, crushed pepper, garlic and onion. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Add the beef stock, crushed tomatoes, salt, and basil. Simmer for at least 10 minutes (I prefer to simmer for close to an hour).

While the sauce simmers, preheat the oven to 425 and place a large pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti.

Mix the beef, Worcestershire, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands. The mixture should be moist, but if it seems too moist, add more bread crumbs. Form 1 1/2 inch sized meatballs and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake the balls for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until they are no longer pink. Serve with pasta and sauce!

Serves 4 (makes about 12 meatballs)

Cheese Enchiladas with Chile Con Carne

This recipe is one of my favorites. When I moved to Boston, I moved out of Tex-Mex land and into Seafood and Italian land. This recipe fills the void, and, while it takes time to make (especially if you make your own tortillas), it is certainly worth it. The enchiladas are actually better the next day, after the ingredients have had time to marry. How sweet! I recommend tasting the chili along the way to see if you want to change the flavor (salt and chili powder are typically the two ingredients I need to alter). Lastly, according to Wikipedia, chile con carne is the official dish of Texas.

Chili con carne ingredients
1 pound ground beef
~3 tablespoons chili powder
~1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
~1 tablespoon granulated garlic
~1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
4 tablespoons coarsely chopped sweet white onion
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped red bell pepper
1 (14 oz.) can whole stewed tomatoes
2 cups water

Brown the meat until it is done, then drain the fat. Add all of the seasonings, the onion and pepper, and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and water, and simmer uncovered for approximately 1 hour (more water may be added as needed).

Enchilada Ingredients
1 batch of chile con carne
Vegetable oil (enough to fill a small, tortilla-sized skillet half way with oil)
12 corn tortillas
3-4 cups Cheddar-Jack cheese
1 cup finely chopped onions (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat (you know it's hot enough when you sprinkle a bit of water in the oil and it pops - watch out though!). With tongs, carefully swipe each tortilla through the oil, no more than 2-3 seconds. Drag the tortilla over the side of the skillet, removing the excess oil, and stack the tortillas on a paper towel-covered plate. Then, one by one, dip the tortillas into the chili con carne and stack them again on the plate.

Fill the tortillas with cheese, and if you want, onions. Then, tightly roll up each tortilla. Arrange the enchiladas in a 13x9 glass baking dish and spread the chili over the tortillas. "Sprinkle" with more cheese on top (I prefer to release the cheese floodgates). Bake the enchiladas for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is completely melted. Serve! I typically serve this meal with Spanish Rice.