Roast Beef Hash

Salty, beefy, and crisp roast beef hash

My mom is a great cook. Not a healthy cook, but a GREAT cook. One of the things she fed my brother and me when we were young was Libby's Corned Beef Hash from a can. She would refrigerate the can, open both ends, push the contents out one end, and slice off disks of hash. Then she would fry them in a pan until they were brown and crispy. Mmm. Such a fabulous food memory. 
Well, as an adult, I've looked at the nutrition information on that can, and holy smokes! I have NO business eating that stuff any more. I pretty much have no business eating what I'm telling you about now either, but I did it. I won't do it every day or anything, but in case you want to make it too, the recipe is below.
Now, this is not an exact recipe. It's what I did today with what I had leftover from dinner the night before, although I did bake up the potatoes to cube and add to the mix, since I didn't want the beef to get lost in the mashed potatoes. 
I got the idea because this is actually made from leftover leftovers. I reheated the roast in a pan, and all of the moisture evaporated, and some of the roast beef got crisp on the bottom of the pan. Of course I had to taste it as I was putting it away, and oh my goodness! It took me back to the 70s when my mom fed us the Libby's corned beef hash! So salty, crispy and beefy. (Cue the drooling.)
So, today after church, this is what I mixed up for our lunch, and wow! It turned out even better than I'd imagined. Even sent a pic to my brother to make him drool. I imagine the next time they have roast at their house, he'll be making some of this the next day.
There you go. Roast beef hash--now one of my favorite ways to enjoy leftover chuck roast.

Roast Beef Hash

Ingredients:

• 2 medium baked potatoes, cooled, peeled, and cubed
• 3/4 cup mashed potatoes
• 3 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked chuck roast, preferably leftover and well seasoned
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• canola oil (or other vegetable oil)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Chop the roast into smaller bits.
• Place the cubed potatoes, roast, mashed potatoes, onion, one tablespoon of butter, one tablespoon canola oil and salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
• Mix thoroughly to incorporate.
• Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. 
• Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon or two of canola oil. Tilt pan to coat it with butter & oil.
• Scoop out about a 1/2-cup portion of hash mixture and form into a ball, and then flatten into a disk about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick.
• Carefully place disk into the pan. 
• Repeat making disks until the pan is full, leaving about 1 inch between disks. 
• Fry until crisp and browned on one side (about 3-5 minutes), and then carefully flip. Some pieces may break off, but just smoosh it back together. This is hash, after all, and it's not going to be terribly neat. If the pan looks dry, add a little more oil before (or as) you fry on the second side.
• Continue to fry until both sides are browned and crisp.
• When the first batch is done, remove hash to a serving plate.
• Scrape the pan and remove leftover bits. 
• Add another tablespoon of butter and more canola oil and continue to fry up the hash until it's all cooked.
• Sprinkle with chopped or dried parsley, if desired.

Serves about 4 (although I ate way more than my share) 

Potatoes Lyonnaise

 

Potatoes Lyonnaise

Potatoes, caramelized onions, garlic, and butter layered and baked to tender savory perfection. Mmm. Even if it doesn't do my actual heart good, it sure comforts my soul today. 
This is just a satisfying potato and onion dish that compliments any meat, in my opinion. It's buttery, tender, intermittently crisp, with the sweet saltiness of perfectly caramelized onions. I'm literally sitting here after dinner eating the leftovers with my fingers, probably getting the keyboard all buttery.
Speaking of butter, the original recipe calls for a whole stick of butter, and I only used 6 tablespoons. I have to say, though, that the next time I make these I'll probably back it down to 5, or even 4 tablespoons. My remnants are nearly swimming in butter. Delicious, but really more than I should be consuming right now.

Potatoes Lyonnaise
    Adapted from DownHomeComfortFood.com

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds yellow-fleshed potatoes, sliced thin (about 1/8 inch)
• 4 smallish onions, halved and julienned
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
• 6 tablespoons butter, plus a little more for brushing
• more salt for boiling

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place sliced potatoes into a large pot with salted water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally to separate potato slices so they can cook evenly. Drain water completely and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet set over medium heat. Add the onions, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Stir and allow to cook until starting to brown. Stir again and reduce heat to medium low. Stir and cook onions on low to medium until they start to caramelize, but don't turn to mush (about 12-15 minutes). Add minced garlic, stir, and cook for another minute. Remove onions & garlic to a heat-proof bowl.
• Return the pan to the burner and melt 6 tablespoons butter in the pan. Make a potato layer on the bottom of the pan with 1/3 of the potatoes. Evenly distribute half the onions on top of the layer of potatoes. Add another layer of 1/3 of the potatoes. Add another layer of onions. Top with the final 1/3 of the potatoes. Brush tops of potatoes with a little melted butter.
• Place pan in oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are browned.
• Remove from oven and serve.

Potatoes: boiled and drained

Onions just starting to caramelize

The first couple of layers

Just a little butter on top before going into the oven

Comfort food--all hot and bubbly

Plank Potatoes

Crisp and tender baked potato planks.

All you really need to know about these is that they are delicious--crispy and salty on the outside, tender and fluffy on the inside. Plus, they're super easy.
I think I started making these as a bun substitute for my gluten-limited son's sloppy joes. He'd pile on the sloppy joe meat and eat it like an open-faced sandwich. The whole family enjoys them so much though, that they've made it onto our regular side rotation for all kinds of dinners. 
I bake mine on a sheet of parchment on my ever-present baking stone, but they would be fine on a baking sheet too. They're better than oven fries because they bake more evenly, I think. My oven fries tend to dry out and burn in some places, but are raw in others. 
At any rate, these are a nice side, AND you can adjust the level of oil (fat) according to your health needs.
Enjoy!

Plank Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 medium russet potatoes, washed and dried
• 2 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4 inch planks and press cut sides onto a clean paper towel to absorb excess water. Place cut and dried potato planks in a large bowl.
Add oil, salt, and pepper to the bowl. (Generally, use 1 tablespoon of oil per medium size potato. Add a little more oil if you want to make sure they get crisp.) Toss with hands or a silicone spatula to coat both sides of each potato plank.
Line a rimless baking sheet, or the bottom of a baking sheet (if using a baking stone) with parchment paper. (If you don't have a baking stone, just line a baking sheet with parchment.)
Place potato planks in a single layer onto the parchment. If using the baking stone, slide the parchment with the potatoes onto the baking stone. If no baking stone, place pan in oven. Bake potatoes at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, turning one time after the tops begin to brown. 
Remove from oven when they are baked to desired doneness.
Serve immediately.
Makes 2 to 5 servings

This one got cut a little thin and is just this side of burned. Still super tasty though.

I enjoyed this one by slathering it with chili and cheese. So good.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

These potatoes are actually the inspiration for one of my more popular posts on this blog: Twice Baked Potatoes...Sort Of. My mom has been making these potatoes for years, and she probably got it from someone at church or something. They are FABULOUS--salty, rich, cheesy, creamy, bacony. The perfect side dish for beef or pork. At first my mom made them with fresh potatoes, but eventually changed over to using instant mashed potatoes. I'll put that version at the end. The recipe she sent me also calls for twice the cream cheese, sour cream, and milk. I'm not sure if that's just because the instant mashed potatoes produce a greater volume, but my version filled up a 9 x 13 inch pan perfectly.

Besides tasting out of this world, these potatoes are awesome because you can make them the day/night before and refrigerate. The next day you just pop it into a 350 degree oven to heat through and then add the cheese and bacon. Super easy and great for taking to dinner elsewhere.
So if you're looking for a delicious and convenient potato side dish, look no further. This is it. If you're looking for something light on calories, though, you may need to move on.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

 Ingredients:

• 4 pounds red potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup jarred bacon bits (or a half-pound of bacon, fried and chopped into pieces, or chopped into pieces and fried)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, dry, pierce, and bake potatoes for about 1 hour, or until potatoes yield when squeezed with an oven-mitted hand.
• When potatoes are done, carefully remove them from the oven and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you're going to be using a hand mixer).
• Break up potatoes with a potato masher or other tool that will break them up into rough chunks.
• Heat the milk a little bit in the microwave and then pour into the bowl with the potatoes. Add the butter and salt. With the paddle attachment on the mixer, turn the mixer on low speed and mix until milk is basically incorporated. 
• Add the cream cheese and sour cream. Mix on low at first and then turn up to high and beat until creamy. Scrape the bottom and the Add green onions and mix to incorporate.
• Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the potatoes into the pan. Cover pan with aluminum foil. At this point you can do one of two things: 1. put the potatoes in the refrigerator until the next day, and then bake them in a 350 degree oven for 60-75 minutes; or 2. place back in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are piping hot.
• When potatoes are heated through, remove the foil and sprinkle top with the shredded cheese and then top with the bacon bits. Return to oven for 5 minutes.
• Serve.
• Refrigerate leftovers, if you have any.
• Makes about 12-16 servings

Twice Baked Potato Casserole under the cheese

MAKE AHEAD MASHED POTATOES (Mom's Version)

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups water
• 1/4 lb butter (I sometimes omit this fat)
• 4 teaspoon salt
• 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (16 oz) container of sour cream
• 1/2 cup green onions sliced thin
• 1 (15.3 oz) Hungry Jack Mashed Potatoes (flakes: any brand will do)

Topping:

• 3 cups of grated yellow cheese
• 1 lb cooked bacon (cut into 1/4" pieces and refrigerate until next day)

Instructions:

1. Heat water, butter, salt, to boiling in a 6 quart Dutch oven. Remove from heat. Add cream

cheese, milk, and sour cream, stirring until cream cheese melts.

2. Stir in potato flakes and green onions, mixing until all ingredients are well combined. Spread mashed potato mixture into 13 x 9-inch glass pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Make ahead: refrigerate until next day. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour covered or until bubbling around the edges. (It takes longer to bake when refrigerated) Allow another 20-30 minutes. I sometimes microwave potatoes to bring up the heat before putting in the oven

4. Cheese and bacon topping: when fully cooked, sprinkle cheese and bacon over potatoes and cover to melt. If potatoes are ready too early, reheat in microwave.

This recipe has 47 gazillion calories and is absolutely a crowd pleaser

Crispy Cheesy Oniony Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Crispy Cheesy Oniony Twice Baked Potato Casserole

What do you do when you want to make a twice baked potato casserole, but you don't have bacon in the house? Sure, you could drive to the store to spend $5 on a pound of bacon, or you could fry up the potato skins and use them as a crispy topping instead. My train of thought actually went something like this: "Need side dish for church--potatoes--homemade potato chips--no, pain in the butt--fried baked potatoes--too greasy and they'll get cold--cheesy potatoes--no cream of chicken soup--twice baked potato casserole--no bacon or green onion or cream cheese--caramelize some onions with garlic--cheese chunks, not grated cheese--fry the skins and put on top--YES."
Well, suffice it to say, everyone at our church dinner raved about the potatoes--everyone who got some anyway. They went pretty fast. The flavors and textures in here are perfect: creamy, salty, oniony potatoes with lots of melty cheddar cheese throughout, and the crispy salty fried skins on top just add another layer of fabulous to the experience. YUM. I will definitely be doing this again.

Crispy Cheesy Oniony Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients: 

• 6 medium russet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup milk
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for crispy skins
• 1 1/2 cups medium cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks
• canola oil for frying

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash, trim, and pierce potatoes. Place in oven and bake for about 1 hour at 400 degrees, or until they  yield when squeezed gently with a mitted hand.
While potatoes bake, place a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add butter and 1 tablespoon canola oil. Saute the chopped onions until they start to brown on the edges. Add the chopped garlic and pepper, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
When potatoes are done, carefully remove with oven mitts or tongs. Turn oven down to 325 degrees. Carefully cut each potato in half lengthwise. Holding a half potato in a mitted hand, scoop out the potato and place potato flesh in a mixing bowl. Scoop out almost all of the white flesh, leaving about 1/8 inch of the white flesh in the shell of the skin. Repeat with remaining potato halves. Set skins aside. 
To the potato in the mixing bowl, add 4 tablespoons butter, milk, sour cream, and half teaspoon salt. With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on low until ingredients are incorporated, and then mix on high for about a minute until mixture is creamy. Add onion mixture and beat to incorporate. Stir in chunks of cheese. 
Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread potato mixture into the dish, cover with aluminum foil, and place in the oven at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. 
While potatoes bake again, heat up about 1 inch of canola oil in a frying pan. Line a plate with a couple of layers of paper towels. Stack 3 or 4 potato skins on a cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch strips, preferably in the direction that will give you shorter strips. Repeat with remaining skins. When oil reaches 375 degrees Fahrenheit, add a portion of the potato skin strips, taking care not to place too many in at once--you can fry in batches. Gently stir and fry potato skins until browned and crisp. Remove crisp skins to paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat with remaining skins until all are fried.
After 30 minutes, remove potatoes from the oven, take the foil off, and evenly sprinkle crispy potato skins all over the top. If potato skins don't seem crisp enough, you can turn the oven to broil and broil for 2 minutes to crisp them up on top.
Serve hot, but be careful.
Makes about 12 servings

Potatoes: Boiled, Smashed, and Roasted

Crispy pan roasted potatoes

I placed my pan directly on my baking stone
to get the bottoms really brown and crisp.

This is one of those recipes I've seen pics of on Pinterest, but I don't really make very often. Baked potatoes are a lot simpler than this, with a lot less clean-up, but these turn out so buttery, crispy and delicious that sometimes it's worth the extra effort. This recipe calls for yellow potatoes, but I think you could use red-skinned potatoes too--any thin-skinned potato will do. If your potatoes are on the large side, boil them longer, and if they're smaller, of course, boil them for less time.
So if you're looking to mix up your side potato repertoire just a little bit, then give these a try. Anyone who likes potatoes is definitely going to love these.

Potatoes: Boiled, Smashed, and Roasted

Ingredients:

• 7-8 medium small yellow potatoes (about 3 inches in length)
• salt for boiling
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and add about 2 teaspoons salt. Bring potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until a knife is easily inserted in the center of a potato, about 20 minutes. 
Place the butter and oil in a large cast iron skillet. Place the skillet in the oven for about 3-5 minutes to melt the butter. Remove from oven and set aside.
When potatoes are done boiling, use tongs to remove one at a time from the hot water. Dab it dry, place it on a clean dinner plate, and then use the bottom of a flat-bottomed bowl to smash the potato, making sure not to pulverize the potato. You just want to break it into large chunks while remaining mostly intact. If the potato does not smash easily and just slips around, return it to the hot water and continue to boil potatoes for another 5-10 minutes.
After smashing a potato, use a spatula to carefully move it to the cast iron skillet. Repeat with remaining potatoes, one at a time. When all of the potatoes are in the pan, tilt the pan slightly to scoop up some melted butter with a spoon and then drizzle the tops of potatoes with the melted butter. If you feel like you'd really want more butter on your potatoes, add another little dab of butter to each one at this time. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Place the skillet in the oven and roast potatoes for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown and crispy. (If you happen to have a baking stone in your oven, make sure your skillet spends some time sitting directly on that in order to ensure crispy potato bottoms.)
Serve hot.
Makes about 4 servings

My smashing and transferring tools

Potato and Onion Tarts

Potato and Onion Tart 

My dear friend Jen, of Shortcake Biscuits with Warm Berries fame stayed at our house this weekend with her four kids and her husband. Thankfully, my friends are not dieting this year, so I was able to cook up some super decadent treats, including Nanaimo Bars (some of which got deep fried--yikes!), Toasty S'mores Rice Krispie Treats, Bisquick Velvet Crumb Coffee Cake, Dutch Letters, Waffle Sticks, and Pancake Sausage Dogs--just to name a few. I'd made fresh Dutch Letters and had some extra dough, which reminded me that I've been wanting to make these Potato and Onion Tarts for a while, ever since I purchased a copy of Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. That Martha has a ton of incredibly delicious recipes in that book.
At any rate, these turned out even better than I'd anticipated. I wasn't so sure about the balsamic glaze, but it added the perfect finish to these deceptively hearty tarts. There's nothing I don't like about these. They've got the crisp, buttery puff pastry on the bottom, which adds a little chew and density; they yummy soft potato in the middle; the sweet, tender onions; and then the rich, buttery, savory balsamic glaze on top. To me, it's fancy comfort food. So satisfying.
If you don't want to bother making your own puff pastry, Pepperidge Farms makes a great frozen puff pastry dough. After you have the puff pastry settled, these are quick to make, and Martha says that you can prepare them a few hours ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake. Thanks again, Martha, for another fabulous recipe.

Potato and Onion Tarts (Potato and Onion Tartes Tatin)
--adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pans 
• 1/4 recipe puff pastry dough (see recipe below) 
• 1 medium yellow onion 
• 4 smallish red or yellow skinned potatoes 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
• pinch of sugar 

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Roll puff pastry dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using the bottom of a mini pie pan or mini spring form pan as a guide, cut out four puff pastry circles. Prick each with a fork several times. Place on a plate or sheet pan and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Generously butter the bottom and sides of four mini pie pans or mini spring form pans. Set aside.
• Slice onion into 1/8-inch slices, making sure to keep circles together.
• Slice potatoes into 1/8-inch slices. 
• Place 2 or 3 onion slices on the bottom of each buttered pan so that it's somewhat evenly covered. 
• Place potato slices on top of the onions in an overlapping circle pattern. Place a single potato in the middle if it's not already covered by potato.
• Salt and pepper the potatoes.
• Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-22 minutes, or until fragrant and the puff pastry is a deep golden brown.
• Carefully invert each pan onto a plate.
• Bring balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for about 4 minutes, or until thickened and syrupy (you may want to reduce the heat once it comes to a simmer).
• Whisk in butter, one small chunk at a time into the balsamic syrup. 
• Drizzle a little balsamic butter syrup over each tart. Salt and pepper further, if desired.

Makes 4 individual tarts

Puff Pastry

Ingredients:

• 4 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 cups (1 pound) cold butter 
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 1 cup ice water

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour and the salt. Cut cold butter into half-inch slices and add to the flour mixture. Toss until butter pieces are coated with flour and separated from each other.
• Stir egg and ice water together and then pour all at once into the flour/butter mixture. Using a spoon quickly mix until you see no obvious wet spots. Butter will still be in large pieces and "dough" will be in shaggy bits and there will still be lots of flour that's not mixed in yet.
• Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of parchment paper (or a lightly floured pastry cloth if you have one). Knead the dough ten times or so by pressing and pushing dough together, using the parchment between your hands and the dough, to form a rough square shape. Using a little extra flour for the rolling pin, roll dough into a 15x10 inch rectangle. Fold 2 short sides to meet in the center. Bring the top edge down to meet the bottom edge to form 4 layers. You will now have a long rectangle about 7 1/2 by 5 inches.
• Repeat rolling and folding process once more. Wrap dough in the parchment paper you're using, and then wrap that in plastic wrap. Chill dough for 20-30 minutes. Repeat rolling and folding process two more times, and then chill the dough another 20 minutes before forming your pastries, whatever they may be.
• Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut dough into 4 equal pieces. 
• Use dough within 24 hours.

Maybe try making some Dutch Letters, Mini Apple Turnovers, Puff Pastry Pizza Pockets, or Two-Bite Chocolate Croissants with the remaining dough. Or you can just make more puff pastry pizza pockets and freeze them.

Potato Leek Soup

Potato Leek Soup

This soup is exceptionally simple, quick, warm, and comforting.  I could eat just this for dinner with some nice, crusty bread, but my husband needs meat with his potatoes, so I'll usually serve it with hamburgers, chicken nuggets, or sandwiches.  The original recipe called for ham, and it does taste good with ham, but really only if it's real Honeybaked ham. If you're not going to put in ham, the bacon bits add a nice saltiness and a little more texture.

If you've never worked with leeks before, you need to know that they come with some dirt at the tops of the white parts.  I clean them by chopping off the dark green part (which I discard) and then I chop off the root end.  I cut each leek once lengthwise and rinse thoroughly in cold water, fanning out the tops to get all the dirt out.  Once they're clean, I pat them dry with paper towels and slice.

Oh, and be sure to use russet potatoes.  I tried golden potatoes once, and it just didn't work for this soup.

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients
:

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 4 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

• 1/4 cup cream or half and half
• Salt to taste

• bacon bits for garnish, if desired (I use the real bacon bits in a jar)

Instructions
:

1 Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, potatoes and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

2 Reduce heat; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Using a immersion blender, blend until smooth.  (You can also work in batches in a regular blender, but the hand blender is so much easier.)

3 Stir in cream or half and half. Season to taste with salt. Garnish with bacon bits, if desired.

Serves 6.

Adapted from a recipe offered by Jones Dairy Farm.