Meat and Potatoes?

[Jessica]

My husband's parents are visiting next weekend. We love adventurous food and they prefer meat and potatoes. They are willing to try new things but I don't want to go way overboard--also, they don't eat mushrooms. Any ideas come to mind?

[Julia1Pin]

This is my FAVORITE lamb dish. It's both hearty and "meat and potatoes-ish"
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/006201.html

[Wendy w]

Hi Jessica! I think I have a suitable recipe-one that is adventurous for you and DH, yet meeting the inlaws meat and potato tastes.

I have posted this a couple of times and those who have tried it liked it. I'm sure that you could eliminate the horseradish.

Merlot Pot Roast with Horseradish Smashed Potatoes

Prep/cook time 8/12 to 9 1/2 hrs on low, 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hrs on high
notes: prepare the smashed potatoes as soon as the beef is tender; the meat can continue to cook until they are ready. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

1 tied fat trimmed boned beef chck roast (3-31/2 lb) fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
3 carrots (about 1/4 lb. each ) rinsed and peeled
1 onion (1/2 lb), peeled and chopped
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup Merlot or other dry wine
1/3 cup canned tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Horseradish smashed potatoes
(recipe follows)
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 to 2 cups watercress sprigs, rinsed and crisped (optional)
salt

Rince beef, pat dry, and sprinkle generously all over with fresh ground pepper. Melt butter in a 10-12 inch nonstickfrying pan over high heat. When hot, add beef and brown wekk on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cut carrots into sticks about 3/8 inch thick and 2 inches long. In a 4 1/2 quart or larger electric slow cooker, combine carrots, onion, celery,garlic, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Set beef on vegetables: add drippings. In a small bowl, mix wine and tomato paste; pour over meat and vegetables.

Cover and cook until beef is very tender when pierced, 8 to 9 hours on low, 5 to 6 hours on high. If possible, turn meat over halfway through cooking.

With 2 slotted spoons, transfer meat to a platter; keep warm. Skim and discard any fat from cooking liquid. Turn cooker to high. In a small bowl, blend cornstarch with a 1 1/2 tablespoons water; pour into cooker and stir often until sauce is bubbling, 10-15 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, lift vegetables from cooker and arrange beside meat. Spoon horsradish smashed potatoes onto platter; sprinkle with parsley. Garnish Platter with watercress. Spoon sauce over meat. Slice meat and serve with vegetables, potatoes, and sauce, adding salt to taste.

Per serving without potatoes: 314 calories, 40%(126 cal.) from fal" 34 g protein; 14 g fat (5.6 g sat.) 11 g carb. (2.3 g fiber); 256 mg sodium; 115 mg chol.

Horseradish smashed potatoes

Scrub and peel 13 to 3 1/2 lbs. russett potatoes; cut into 1 1/2 inch chunkd. Put into a 4-5 quart pan with 2 1/2 quarts water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes mash easily when pressed, 20=25 minutes.

When potatoes are done, heat 1 to 1 1/2 cups half and half or fat skimmed chicken broth with 2 T. butter or margerine in a microwave safe container in a microwave oven at fullpower just until steaming 1 to 3 minutes. Or warm in a 1 to 1 1/2 quart pan over medium heat.

While cream heats, drain potatoes and mash in pan with a mixer or potato masher until almost smooth. Add cream, a portion at a time, and mix until potatoes have the consistency desired. Stir in salt, pepper, and 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish to taste. Mound beside Merlot pot roast or scrape into a bowl. makes6 to 7 cups 6 to 8 servings.
per serving: 189 calories, 31% (59cal) from fat; 3.9g protein, 6.6 g. fat (3.9 sat)) 29 g carbo (2.6 g fiber) 55 mg sodium, 19 mg chol. From Sunset Magazine 2000 Annual

[Alisa]

I go through the same thing when my parents come to visit. I usually make a pot roast with (you guessed it) potatoes and maybe some broccoli. I marinate the roast and make the potatoes a little differently - they always remark on the amount of spices I use (Ha!). Spaghetti pie goes over well as long as I don't add any garlic, and I often make chicken soup. Hope this helps!

[goldilocks]

Jessica, if you have a crockpot you can try this favorite of ours:

Crockpot Tangy Rump Roast
1 rump roast, trimmed -- 3 - 5 lbs
1 package onion soup mix
1 can cranberry sauce -- jellied
2 tablespoons butter -- softened
2 tablespoons flour
Rinse rump roast and pat dry. Sprinkle the onion soup mix in the bottom of the crockpot. Place the rump roast in next. Spoon the cranberry sauce around and over the roast. Cover and cook on low 10 - 12 hours.
Remove roast from crockpot and allow to rest while you thicken the gravy. Turn the crockpot up to High. Blend the softened butter and flour into a paste and whisk it into the gravy. Cover and cook on high for about 10 minutes, until thick.
Slice the roast into 1/4" thick slices and serve with the gravy. The slices may be frozen in the gravy in plastic freezer bags.

I served this with a potato gratin from the 5 Star cookbook, but it would be equally as good with some mashed/baked potatoes and some vegetables. Enjoy!

[browneye]

How about this one? I inherited this from my GRANDMOTHER, and have updated it just a little.. believe it or not, my whole family loves this recipe, including me! ( I am a corn lover)

Pork Chops and Scalloped Corn
Serves 4 (You can easily double this; use a 9x13 pan)

You will need 4-6 pork chops, depending on you eaters!
Preheat oven to 375º
Lightly dredge the pork chops in flour that has been seasoned with a garlic salt and pepper. Brown them quickly on both sides in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray and about 1/2 tablespoon oil. Lay them in a baking dish, and cover with the following mixture:

1 can cream style corn (14-16 oz.)
1/2 cup cracker crumbs (such as Saltine)
1 egg (egg beaters or egg white work fine)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
Mix well. Pour over browned pork chops, bake uncovered 40-45 minutes.

My family loves this corn, so sometimes I double the corn portions even for 4 people. It always seems to get gobbled up.

[SandyM]

Another big, big thumbs up for the Merlot Pot Roast recipe posted by Wendy. It is sooooo good!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Wendy w]

Thanks Sandy!!

[sneezles]

CL's Pork Chops Braised in Country Gravy is wonderful and is great with Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Or how about something Chinese?
Spicy Broccoli Beef Stri-Fry or Terriyaki Beef with Rice Noodles

[This message has been edited by sneezles (edited 06-07-2001).]

[Jessica]

I appreciate all the tips. Thank you.

[Mamasue]

French Onion Beef Bowl
Beef Tenderloins with French Onion Sauce
Chicken Francais
Oven Fried Chicken Thighs with Buttermilk Mustard sauce
Gail's Pyscho Chicken

[This message has been edited by Mamasue (edited 06-07-2001).]

[SusanL]

Second vote for Wendy's Merlot Pot Roast, we loved it!! Also, Psycho Chicken, is one of our all time favorites!! I previously posted that I made it for my nonadventurous parents, they were very nervous, so I wouldn't tell in-laws the name, the aromas will woo them over!! (Did I really type woo?)

[This message has been edited by SusanL (edited 06-07-2001).]

[Wendy w]

Thanks for the compliment SusanL! BF and I recently took a trip to AZ to visit his family and we wanted to make a dinner that was impressive yet not too intimidatingly "gourmet." We made Psycho Chicken, salad, roasted potatoes with rosemary and roasted broccoli. Everyone loved it! I also knew that the name and hacking technique would crack his Mom up!

BF had had it twice before but he was wasn't there during the roasting process. The aroma "reels" them in every time.

[This message has been edited by Wendy w (edited 06-07-2001).]

[mcraig13]

Where can I find the recipe for Psycho Chicken?

[sneezles]

Here you go!

Gail
Member posted 10-26-2000 01:45 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seems to me I posted this once ages ago, but I'll be darned if I recall where. Anyway, this is one of those approximated recipes, because I simply threw this together one night. It is very simple and very tasty.
PSYCHO CHICKEN

Whole chicken (a small one-- what are they, like 3 1/2 pounds?)
Approx 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Approx 1 tablespoon garlic, pressed
Approx 1 tablespoon cider or malt vinegar
Dry white wine (sauvignon blanc works well)
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Clean chicken and remove giblets. Hack chicken all over with the tip of a sharp chef's knife to make gashes. (Invariably I find the music to the shower scene in Psycho running through my mind, thus the name, Psycho Chicken-- and lest you think I am thoroughly deranged, this manner of slash and season is actually very common in Cuban cooking.)

In a small bowl, mix together thyme, garlic, salt, pepper and vinegar, and slather liberally on chicken, taking care that mixture gets into slits in the meat. Place chicken on rack in roasting pan (if you don't have a rack, no biggie-- throw the thing directly into the pan) and roast about 2 hours until golden and fragrant, basting every twenty or thirty minutes with a splash of wine and any juices in the pan. Your house will smell wonderful.

Now this is the crucial part, which will make or break the entire dish: If this is cooked properly, your chicken should be running with wonderful juices as you carve. Dredge each slice of carved meat in those juices before placing on platter-- the juices are loaded with garlic and herb flavor.