Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: March 2011 - Traditional Shepherds Pie

Now see? THIS is what I wanted to make...I had my Irish on...and although I couldn't be TOTALLY authentic (where do you find rabbit in Miami...or cubed lamb for that matter?)...I did my very very best. I adapted this recipe off one from Danny Boome...making more than the recipe called for because i was going to feed the leftovers to my family for dinner AND I have a VERY deep casserole dish that is PERFECT for this...but below is the recipe in it's original form, just as Danny Boome shared it. Feel free to add and take away as you see fit...I did.

Traditional Shepherds Pie

1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 TBS tomato paste
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground lamb
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup beef stock
1-1/2 cups garden peas (I used the frozen variety)
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add butter and oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until tender...about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Once veggies have softened and start to brown a little, add the tomato paste and mix evenly. add the beef and lamb and cook until no longer pink...about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the beef stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. Mix in peas. Transfer to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Place potatoes on top of ground meat mixture and spread evenly. Once the top has been covered, rake through with a fork so there are peaks that will brown nicely. Place dish into the preheated oven and cook about 20 minutes. Spoon out Shepherd's Pie and serve.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered
4 TBS butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated mature white Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large saucepan with cold water and a TBS salt. Add potatoes to the water and bring to a boil. Let potatoes cook until soft...about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are at a desired density, drain the potatoes and place them in a saucepan for mashing. Add butter and cream and begin to mash potatoes into a semi-smooth consistency. Once at a desired texture, add the cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Make this for St. Patricks Day or any blustery winter day you're yearning for the Emerald Isle...you'll be glad you did...

courtesy Danny Boome

Chicken and Biscuits

This a total pantry recipe...everything it calls for should be staples in your pantry, fridge, and freezer. It's an easy fix for those nights that you don't know WHAT to make.

Double if you're me...

Chicken and Biscuits

1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup sour cream, divided
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I actually used the canned chicken from CostCo's Kirkland brand)
1 16-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 small potatoes, cooked and diced to small pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup all-purpose baking mix
3 TBS milk

1. Heat oven to 375.

2. Mix soup and sour cream in an 8-inch square baking dish. Stir in chicken, vegetables, and cheese.

2. Mix baking mix, remaining sour cream, and milk just until mixture forms a stiff dough.

3. Spoon into 6 mounds over the chicken mixture. Bake 35 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.

adapted from Kraftfoods

Ham and Potato Casserole

I have a complaint.

I love this casserole. It has less than 10 ingredients, and everybody eats it...and ham and potatoes and cheese were INVENTED to go together.

But...

To me, a casserole should take, like, 2 pots to make. Maybe a 2 pots and a bowl. And that is INCLUDING the casserole dish it's baked and served in.

This one takes too many pots.

See...there is the pot to cook the onion and celery. And the pot to make the white sauce. And the pot to boil the potatoes. And then there is the knife to dice everything and the grater for the cheese. And then there is the casserole dish.

I hate dishes.

But...

This casserole is good. It's basic. Although it takes lots of pots, it's not hard (if it was, I wouldn't post it). And it's comfort food.

Here in the jungle, we need A LOT of comfort.

It's scary, sometimes. There are strange noises, and weird crawly things, and people speak foreign languages.

So we need to be comforted.

Frequently.

And nothing does it better than...

Ham and Potato Casserole

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

4 TBS butter

4 TBS flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1-1/2 cups of cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

3 pounds potatoes (use Yukon Gold and skip the peeling), diced

1. Put celery and onion in a pot and just cover with water. Boil until soft. Put potatoes in another pot and boil until just tender. Drain and set aside.

2. While onions and celery and potatoes are cooking, in another pot, make a White Sauce with butter, flour, salt, and milk.

(Wait...you don't know how to make a white sauce? Oh, okay...melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until smooth. DO NOT BURN. Add salt. Add milk ALL AT ONCE, and stir slowly until thickened to desired consistency...for this recipe, aim for a medium thickness. Whatever you do...do not let boil.)

When white sauce is to desired consistency, add cheese, a little at a time, and stir until melted. Add more until sauce is cheesy.

3. Pour white sauce into pot with onions and celery...stir until smooth and creamy. Add more cheese if desired. Sauce should still be thick.

4. Combine potatoes and ham in casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over everything, and mix together thoroughly. Add additional cheddar cheese as a topping if desired.

5. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10-15 minutes for sauce to thicken. CAUTION!! HOT!!

Courtesy Deborah Noel of Plainfield, Illinois

Cheesy Ham & Broccoli Bake

Ever had those nights when you had to feed five kids before 5:30pm because you had stuff to do?

And you're trying to cook, and prepare your activity that is taking up your night (in my case, Girl Scouts), and help with homework, and answer the phone, and fold the laundry all at the same time?

And four of those kids are saying (in between asking what fractions are, and fighting over whose turn it is to use the computer, and begging if they can puh-lease stop doing spelling definitions and play Wii): "I'm hungry...what's for dinner?", all while one kid is peeking over the stove at what you're making and saying in a worried, whiny kind of voice: "Uhh..I don't think I like that..."

Have you ever had one of those nights?

Have you ever had one of those nights when two of those kids are sick with the stomach flu?

That is tonight.

I spent all last night and all day today cleaning sheets, and Febreez-ing pillows, and Lysol-ing every surface in the house, on top of all the things I normally do during the day.

I'm tired.

I'm cranky.

And I have to go to Girl Scouts and play with 8 hyper-active 3rd grade girls.

Welcome to my life.

And since you're here...why don't you stay for dinner?

Cheesy Ham & Broccoli Bake

1-2/3 cups hot water

1 pkg. Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing Mix

3 cups chopped ham

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup Cheez Whiz

- Heat oven to 375 F. Add water to stuffing mix; stir until just moistened. Set aside.

- Combine ham and broccoli in 2 qt. casserole. Mix soup and Cheez Whiz; pour over ham mixture. Top with stuffing

-Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.

(Note: I bake it closer to 45 minutes...but I watch so the top gets crunchy but not burned)

courtesy Kraft foods