Not Mashed Potatoes

Hello Fellow Eaters!

It's crazy how life can get so busy, it just spins you around and a month can pass way too quickly. Between traveling, sickness, heartbreak, and more laughing than any group of friends should be allowed to do, I did manage to keep cooking (not so much during sickness..ugh), but I have missed writing about it. So now I have to back track a bit to my first week home which was right after traveling and sickness.

Heartbreak-
The reason is a long tale that I won't tell here...BUT it caused me to cook so I will tell you about that!

I needed something to be creative with, but I also wanted comfort food. When ever I think of comfort food I think of something warm, buttery, a bit starchy, and flavorful. Well, I didn't want to eat a pot of mashed potatoes so I came up with something slightly more healthy that included potatoes.

I think I am slightly addicted to using this pie crust (atleast until I learn to make my own, which I hear, [from Crystal P.S.- She is GENIUS!!] is not that difficult at all!) and I decided to use it to make mini tarts. I grabbed my new food processor for it's first time use ever (!!!) and threw in some carrots, onions, and cooked sausage, until it was (not pureed) a nice looking mix. I sauteed all of that in olive oil (and a small bit of the sausage fat, left over from cooking, for flavor) along with spinach, garlic and (TA-DA) some potatoes. During the sauteeing I added some salt, pepper, and a bit of paprika. While I left the mixture to cool a bit, I attended to the dough.

After rolling the dough out on a floured surface. I turned a cup over and used a knife to trace around the mouth of the cup. I place each little circle into the greased muffin tin, pressing slightly into each cup. I filled each cup with the veggie and sausage mixture and topped with cheese. I alternated between cheddar and muenster. In the ones I topped with cheddar I also layered a small pat of cream cheese between 2 layers of the filling. What I ended up with were these delicious (more healthy than a huge pot of yummy mashed potatoes) miniature pies!

Until next time (which should be sooner rather than later)!

Rustic Meat Pies and Such!

So, a few days ago it began to get really cold and for some reason that made me want to experiment in the kitchen. That need for adventure may have also stemmed from the fact that I had found some refrigerated pie crust on sale not too long ago and I was itching to see what I could do with it.

Eagerly, I hunted around in my refrigerator to see what I could find to put into a savory pie. I found about 6 red potatoes, some beef, and some frozen spinach. I decided to use it all. I grabbed a few ever-present cloves of garlic and got down to business. I scrubbed the potatoes and then cubed them [as best I could]. I rinsed off the meat and defrosted the spinach [In hot water, no microwave! I think it tastes better that way, but it's probably all in my head!]. In a large skillet, over medium heat, I warmed about 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil and threw the garlic in to season the oil. I added some other seasonings as well. Then I added the cubed potatoes first, then the beef [along with a healthy dose of Worcestershire sauce] and, last, but not least, I added the spinach. When the potatoes had browned and gotten soft, and there was no more pink on the meat it was time to remove it from the heat. I let it rest while I went to deal with the pie crust.

It was my first time using refrigerated pie crust, and it was quite easy. I used my round CorningWare casserole dish and gently pressed the pie crust to the bottom and edges. Then I spooned some of the "filling" in. I left enough room at the top for me to be able to curl the edges down [as you can see in the picture].

I baked it at 375o F until the pie crust was golden brown.

It came out very nicely. For my own taste, I would have put more seasoning in.

I would assume that a few other modifications could be made as well.

Next time I might:

- Use Ramekins and make mini pies

- Use peas and carrots instead of spinach

- Marinate the meat prior to cooking

- Include onions and or mushrooms

- Cut out the meat and make it vegetarian!

To make a long [and delicious] story short. I had made enough filling for more than one meal. I had an extra pie crust so I rolled it out a bit more, into a square- like shape, and cut it into smaller square pieces. Out of these pieces I made some rather rustic looking meat pies. They were perfect for snacking on or even for a hurried lunch as they are hearty and very easy to handle. They are good for traveling too! The rest of the filling was put into the fridge over night [I added a little butter so it would retain its moisture]. I warmed it and served it with fried eggs the next morning.

Note: I would like to thank my friend Mike, who helped me find a photo editing program to help me make collages [like the pictures for this post] and adjust lighting and such. Thanks Mike!