Pie for Dinner?

I first made this shepherd's pie for a Superbowl party nine years ago, and I've made it almost every Superbowl since.  I don't know why I haven't made it more often in between.  It's easy, feeds a lot of people (or keeps well for leftovers), and you don't really have to make extra sides with it, because it has meat, potatoes, and vegetables all together.  I no longer use the mashed potato recipe provided, even though it was good on that first try; I just prefer garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes to give a bit more flavor.  Also, I baked it at 350°F for about 40 minutes, because we weren't going to eat until then.  But the broiler works just as well.  So these are general thoughts about the recipe rather than descriptions of what I did wrong.

1)  I would double the gravy recipe.  I didn't this time, because honestly I'd forgotten how little it makes, but the recipe calls for enough ground beef that the extra is probably needed. 

2)  If you want to speed up the preparation process, you can use microwavable frozen potatoes that are already cut up and peeled for the mashed potatoes.  Even though the recipe says that 2 pounds of potatoes should be fork-tender in about 12 minutes, I've always found that it takes a lot longer than that.

3)  You can add any vegetable you like to it if it sounds good to you.  If it's a firmer vegetable, add it with the carrots and onion; if it's a more "mushy" vegetable, add it with the peas.

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First--well, after chopping the onion and carrots--I browned the ground beef, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and drained the fat from the pan.  I didn't use oil because I used ground chuck (it was on sale), so I thought with a nonstick pan and a fattier meat, oil would only make everything greasy.  Then I added the carrot and onion and cooked for about five minutes more.

I melted the butter, stirred in the flour to make a light roux, then added the Worcestershire and slowly whisked in the beef stock until a thick gravy formed.

Just after I melted the butter, I stirred the peas in with the meat and other vegetables. When the gravy was done, I stirred it in as well, then spread the mixture into a 9"x13" casserole dish.

While the meat and gravy was cooking, I microwaved the potatoes (10 minutes).  For the mashed potatoes, I minced three cloves of garlic and heated it with a cup of half and half in a small saucepan until simmering. Then I stirred that into the potatoes until smooth, added 5 ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, and salted and peppered to taste.  

Finally, I spread the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and vegetables and topped the whole thing with shredded cheddar cheese

I baked it for 35-40 minutes, and it fed two of us for about four days... and that's probably why I usually save it for parties!

DEEMS THIS RECIPE:

... much easier than dessert pies! 

No Loafing Around.

Growing up, I wasn't fond of meatloaf.  I was puzzled as to why one would form meat into a loaf in the first place, although that alone wouldn't have stopped me from eating it.  Perhaps I didn't like it because everywhere I went people put ketchup in it, and even now when I'll eat other tomato-based sauces, I just don't like that taste.  So when I started cooking myself and found out that ketchup wasn't a required ingredient, I was eager to experiment.  I made meatloaf with barbecue sauce, soy sauce, A-1, regular tomato sauce.  ... And I still didn't like it.

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

... Um,  remind me, why are these eggs green again?

Then I found a recipe in Taste of the South magazine that didn't use any sauce at all, other than a little bit of Worcestershire.  Well, it did originally call for chipotle chilies in adobe sauce, but because I had chipotle chili powder already, I decided to substitute. The recipe also called for ground sirloin and ground pork.  After the first time, I decided that the plain ground pork tasted rather bland, so I substituted Italian sausage.  But it was the chili powder substitution that caused a problem.

I couldn't remember the spiciness level of chipotle chili powder and only remembered that the last time I'd used it in a recipe I used 1/2 tsp, and it hadn't been very spicy at all.  I had forgotten that what I'd used it in was a dipping mixture for candied bacon, in which the powder was easily dispersed among the other ingredients.  So when I extrapolated from that and added "a bit more than last time," in the meatloaf, the finished product was on the fiery end of the spectrum.*

I suppose when using a scale that goes over 1,000,000

 3,000-10,000 SHU isn't a large range...

What I did wrong the first time:
1) Added too much chipotle chili powder.
2) Used regular ground pork.
3) Didn't drain the meat before adding the cheese.

So here are the recipe and instructions for the good version...

CHIPOTLE-CARAMELIZED ONION MEATLOAF
2 tsp vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. chopped onion (~1 medium onion)
1 lb ground sirloin
1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
2 slices white (or other soft) bread
1/4 c. milk
1 lg. egg
1 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme (or 1-2 tsp dried)
1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder**
Opt. ~1/4 c. BBQ sauce
Shredded cheese for topping

First, tear the bread into pieces and place them in a bowl with the 1/4 c. milk.  This will soften the bread and make it easier to mix everything together.

Then you can move on to caramelizing the onions.  Add the oil to a frying pan or sauté pan, and cook the onions over medium-high heat until they become translucent and the edges start to brown, then add 1/2 tsp salt.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring until the onions are soft and a deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.

During this process, especially if you're using a pan that isn't non-stick, it sometimes helps to add a tablespoon of water every now and then to keep the onions from drying out and sticking too much. You will still need to scrape brown bits from the bottom, stir, and watch them so they don't burn.  Then take them off the heat to cool.

I found the pictures for the beginning and the half-way point

but lost the end photo.  If you Google "caramelized onions,"

you'll find pictures of the deep caramel color at the finish.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Stir the rest of the salt, pork, sirloin, Worcestershire, pepper, and thyme in with the milk and bread.  Beat the egg lightly and add to the mixture.  Then stir in the onions.

I've started adding some BBQ sauce to it at the end because I decided the flavor works well with the chipotle powder, but it's an optional step.  I eyeball the amount but would guess it's about 1/4 cup.

I know meatloaf isn't the prettiest meal in the world, but it does at least look better once the mixture is pressed into a loaf pan.

Bake for one hour or until a meat thermometer reads 160°F, then take the loaf out of the oven and drain the meat.  I forgot this step the first time, and it really does help. It's fairly easy to drain from a corner of the loaf pan once the meat shrinks a bit, though for obvious reasons I couldn't get a picture of this process.  

Then top the loaf with shredded cheese and put it back in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Take the meatloaf out of the oven, and it's ready to serve.

I do know that it all looks much tastier when it's ready to eat (and it does taste good, which is far more important). 

DEEMS THIS RECIPE:
Much easier than pie.
(Just watch the onions.)







*I can eat and enjoy a medium spice level, but I'm no "spicy food lover," and others in my family don't like much spice at all.  1/8 tsp was a good level of spice for everyone.  What I'm saying is, use your discretion when adding spice to recipes.  If your entire family loves spicy food, you can always use a bit more than 1/8 tsp.  Though I'd suggest trying the recipe as is once for reference.
**See (*)