Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Patties with Pan Gravy and Sour Cream Tomato Smashed Potatoes

First of all, let me wish all the Mom's a belated Happy Mother's Day. I hope you all had a wonderful day dedicated just to you. Mine was very nice. Kevin made breakfast. We had mimosas and we watched a couple of movies with the kids. Very quiet, relaxing day. 


But now I need to catch up with you on the latest recipe. It was recipe #332. When I went through the book looking to plan the next weeks meals I was still feeling a bit sick. Normally a process that leaves me feeling starved and ready to cook 5 meals at once was actually a chore. I kept reading recipe after recipe and nothing was sounding good. I finally ran across the last recipe and this one and felt they sounded fairly good. I am glad now that I picked them. I guess when you feel sick and aren't enthused about a recipe it has no where to go but up right? Seriously, these were both great recipes and everyone else agrees as well so it is not just me.


The pan gravy in this recipe is extra yummy. I would probably cook the onions a bit before adding them to the meatloaf mix, or just grate them to get the flavor but no "chunks". I like onion, but biting into a piece of raw onion is not tasty to me. I also used grape tomatoes, like I always do when it calls for raw tomatoes to be added to anything, and I cut them in half and sauted them in a small pan for a bit so they could get a bit of carmelization going.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Patties with Pan Gravy and Sour Cream Tomato Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 pounds small red skinned potatoes, quartered

1 1/3 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk, plus a splash

1 egg

2 teaspoons McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning, or coarse salt and black pepper combined

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 rounded teaspoon tomato paste

1 medium onion, finely chopped (reserve one fourth)

8 slices bacon

2 tablespoons EVOO

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 rounded tablespoons sour cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I used a carton of grape tomatoes cut in half)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 rounded teaspoon spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup fresh flat leave parsley leaves, chopped

Cover the potatoes in water in a medium sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, or until fork tender.

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and create a well in the center. Fill the well with the bread crumbs and dampen them with a splash of milk. Add the egg, grill seasoning, allspice, tomato paste, and three quarters of the onions to the bowl. Combine the mixture and for into 4 large oval patties (about 3/4 inch thick). Arrange 2 slices of bacon in an X on a cutting board, repeat with the other 6 slices of bacon so that you have a total of 4 X's. Place a meatloaf patty on the center of each X. Fold the bacon around each patty. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with the EVOO. Transfer the bacon wrapped patties, bacon seam side down, to the hot skillet. Fry the meatloaf patties for 7 minutes on each side under a loose aluminum foil tent. The tent will reflect heat and allow steam to escape the pan.

Check on the potatoes. When they are tender, turn the heat off, drain the potatoes and return the to the hot pot and warm stove top to dry them out. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, sour cream, and the 1/2 cup of milk and smash to desired consistency. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, then fold in the chopped tomatoes. Cover the potatoes to keep warm until ready to serve.

Remove the meatloaf patties to a platter and return the pan to heat. reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the remaining onions to the skillet. Cook the onions for 2 minutes and sprinkle the pan with the flour. Cook the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in 1 cup of chicken stock. Bring the broth to a bubble. If the gravy is too thick, thin with additional stock. Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley and taste to see if the sauce needs salt and pepper.

Drizzle the bacon wrapped meatloaf patties with the gravy. Pile smashed potatoes alongside and make a well in the center for extra sour cream or gravy.

Serves 4

Meatloaf



Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

Veal Scallopine with Dijon Sauce, Asparagus, and Avocados

Well, as you can see by my lack of posting, I was in fact coming down with a bug. And what a bug it was! I am finally coming out of my Nyquil haze and there is actually sunshine in my little corner of Washington! Imagine that!! I am hoping Spring has sprung here but ssshhhhh don't say it too loud, I don't want to scare it away.


OK, this is recipe #189. I actually made this on the 14th. It was my daughters birthday and as usual I asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner. That is the routine with my kids, and has been for years. She surprised me by telling me that whatever I wanted to cook was fine with her. She even told me to try the veal recipe if I wanted. I was shocked! She was really kinda nervous about trying veal. Like I said she is my Miss Picky. But I pointed out to her that she likes lamb so she agreed to try veal.


The first thing that surprised me when I started prepping to cook the recipe was, when I removed the the veal scallopine I bought from it's packaging it was in thin strips. I have never cooked veal scallopine before, but I was expecting something more along the line of thin steak shaped pieces of meat, or rounds. That was just odd to me, but I kept on prepping. I was really surprised at how easy this was to make. The name makes it sound so, well, complicated I guess. Fancy name = lots of work, right? Nope, not true. Once I started cooking my biggest fear was overcooking the meat and making it tough but I cooked it just as is says in the recipe and it was perfect. 


I followed the recipe to the letter, like a good girl, and everything came out just as it was supposed to. I wasn't sure how to place it on the plate so I did the best I could with Rachael's instruction. Hopefully I was right. You can let me know how the picture looks.


As for the reviews, Jessi disliked it immediately. I think that could have been mostly in her head. She got herself psyched up that it she wouldn't like it, I am not sure. Kevin and I were both on the fence with it. I liked the veal, but wasn't jumping up and down about it. Kevin said he didn't like it. He did love the sauce with the avocados and asparagus though. I kind of thought this was a weird combo when I was making it, but really when you eat it all together it really was good. I am thinking about playing around with this sauce and the avocados and some other meats. 


If you like veal you will love this recipe. Rachael says "this dish is one buttery, delicious, edible ode to spring" and it really was very buttery. Like I said, I liked it but just that, liked it, wasn't head over heals in love with it. 

Veal Scallopine with Dijon Sauce, Asparagus, and Avocados

Ingredients

 Coarse salt
1 lemon
1 pound very thin asparagus tips
2 ripe Haas avocados
EVOO for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons
1 1/4 pounds veal scallopine
Coarse black pepper
1 tablespoon all purpose flour, plus more for dredging
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup cream or half and half
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives


In a large saucepan, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Salt the water. Add a couple of curls of rind from the lemon and the asparagus tips. Cook the tips for 3 minutes, then drain and reserve.


Cut into and around the pits of the avocados. Scoop the flesh from the avocados, and slice. Dress the slices with a little lemon juice, a drizzle of EVOO, and a pinch of salt, reserve.


Preheat your largest skillet over medium heat. Season the veal with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge the scallopine in a little flour. Add the two tablespoons of the EVOO and the two tablespoons of the butter to the hot skillet. WHen the butter melts into the oil, add the veal and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until evenly light golden in color. Place the veal on a platter under a loose tent of foil.


Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the tablespoon of flour to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the wine and scrape up the pans drippings. Whisk the stock into the wine and add the thyme, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir in the cream, then remove from the heat.


Arrange the asparagus and sliced avocados over the veal and pour a line of sauce over the top. Garnish the dinner plates or platter with chopped chives and serve.


Serves 4

Veal Scallopine



Asparagus



Avocado

Two for one

Ok guys, you get two for the price of one today. Lucky you!! I actually started this little journey two nights ago but didn't get it posted so I will let you know how the first TWO recipes went.


I had originally thought about just starting from recipe #1 and following the book by the numbers. But I have really never been a "by the numbers" kind of girl. I like to walk on the wild side so I jumped all the way to recipe #2. Oh I am so daring, right? I know! 


Anyway, the book has several "Master Recipes" and then through out it has little ways you can mix it up to  make a whole new dish. That is how it went with recipe #2. The original recipe was for Smoky Turkey Shepard's Pie, which by the way I am making tonight. I am a little backwards at times but hey I get there. Here is the Master Recipe;


Smoky Turkey Shepherd's Pie




Ingredients

• 3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons EVOO - extra-virgin olive oil - 2 turns of the pan
• 1/4 pound smoky bacon or turkey bacon, chopped
• 1 1/3 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, available in small cans on spice aisle of market
• (You may substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons each sweet paprika and cumin combined)
• Coarse black pepper
• 2 tablespoons, 5 or 6 sprigs, fresh thyme leaves
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 10 to 12 blades fresh chives, chopped or snipped

Directions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Heat a deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, to the skillet. Add bacon and brown it up, then add ground turkey to the pan and break it up. Season the turkey with smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and thyme. When turkey browns up, add: onions, carrots, celery. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, then add red pepper and peas cook another 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook flour 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and combine. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream and combine.Simmer mixture over low heat.

Preheat your broiler to high.

When potatoes are tender, add a ladle of cooking water to the egg.Drain potatoes and return to the warm pot to dry them out a little. Add remaining 1/2 cup sour cream, butter, half of the chives, and salt and pepper. Smash and mash the potatoes, mashing in the beaten, tempered egg. If the potatoes are too tight, mix in a splash of milk.

Pour turkey mixture into a medium casserole dish. Top turkey with an even layer of smashed potatoes and place casserole 5 inches from hot broiler. Broil the potatoes until golden at edges and remove the casserole from the oven. Garnish the casserole with the remaining chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

4 servings


The twist for recipe #2 was to omit the potatoes, peas, and egg. Then swap 2 pounds ground lamb or sirloin for the turkey and 2 cups beef stock for the chicken stock and add 1/2 pound wide egg noodles and WALA Goulash is born! 


I opted for the sirloin version, although I think the lamb would be better. That is of course if you like lamb, which my entire family does. Which brings to mind the obvious question of why didn't I do lamb? Heck if I know, but I am definitely going to try it. So for the Goulash you just follow the Master Recipe above, swapping the lamb or beef for the turkey and beef stock for the chicken stock. Serve the Goulash over the cooked egg noodles dressed with the butter and chopped chives.


I have to admit that somehow I got my wires crossed and didn't have the red bell pepper on hand and I think that is a important part of the flavors for this recipe. Kevin and I both really enjoyed it. Kevin even had two helpings! But my daughter said it was just so-so, that "it needed spice" and my father also said he felt it was kind of bland. Which if you knew my father you would have had the same look on your face as I did when he said that. This is a man that thinks Hamburger Helper is awesome. All I could think was "really Dad?". However, I can see where they both were coming from. SO the moral of the story.....cook the meat you know your family loves and DON"T FORGET THE RED BELL PEPPER!


Now, on to last nights meal.....


I went for recipe #4 which is a Master Recipe. It is for;


Mac-n-Cheddar with Broccoli


Ingredients


Coarse salt
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi (cork-screw shaped pasta)
2 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
3 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock 
3 cups grated sharp yellow cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to season the cooking water, then add the pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes more or until the pasta is cooked al dente and the florets are just tender. Drain well and return to pot.

While the pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes to sweat them out and turn their juices sweet. Raise the heat a bit, then whisk in the flour, cayenne and paprika. Whisk together until the roux bubbles up, then cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the milk and stock and raise the heat a bit higher to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Once it bubbles, drop the heat back to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the cheese to the thickened sauce and stir to melt it, a minute or so. Stir in the mustard and season the sauce with salt and pepper. pour over the broccoli and cooked pasta and toss to combine. Adjust the seasonings, transfer to a large platter, and serve.

4 servings

This recipe was a big hit with everyone. Well, Kevin loved it but the first thing he said when he saw what I was making was "Where's the meat?". He is a true carnivore so he wants meat with every meal. Jessi gave me the two thumbs up, and my son that popped by unexpectedly said it was "grubbin'". On a side note, I did make Kevin a couple of hot dogs to keep his meat cravings calmed. 

One of the things I will say is I think the cayenne pepper is a very important part of this recipe so even if you think you don't like it, TRUST ME you will. It is not enough to make it hot, just enough to give it that little "oomph" to make it taste awesome.

Oh another thing, I don't like my pasta really al dente and the cavatappi pasta I used was a pretty sturdy noodle, so I would possibly cook the pasta a minute or two longer than the recipe states before you put the broccoli in. I put it in when it was called for and due to needing to cook the pasta longer the broccoli was a bit mushy, but it still tasted good.

So stay tuned.......tonight is the Smoky Shepherd's Pie.