French-Dip Sandwiches & Smashed Potatoes

I made these the other night, and they were good! Here’s a quick & dirty method more than a recipe…

~🍽️~

For the French dip above, I just sautéed a diced sweet onion and canned mushrooms in medium heat in butter, set the goods aside, cranked the heat, seared a roast from Aldi in the same pan, added it, the onions/mushrooms, some shredded carrots, & a can of condensed French Onion Soup to the crock pot on high for 4 hours.

I pulled the roast out to “rest” for a bit before slicing, then put it back into a bowl with some of the liquid for the crock pot

For the buns, I just bought Mancini sausage rolls, melted butter in the microwave, put them in at 375° for 2 minutes, then pulled them out.

Then I piled on the sliced/shredded beef & mushrooms/onions/carrots and some sliced white American cheese, then back in the 375° oven for 5 minutes.

I made an “Au Jus” McCormick packet, and added some of the liquid from the crock pot for dipping. Toasting the buns really helped it stand up to the dip so it didn’t fall apart.

The potatoes were just little Yukon gold potatoes boiled in salty water for 30 min., smashed on to an oil-brushed cooking sheet, then baked at 425° for ½ hour.

I spiced the onions, meat, butter, & potatoes throughout all the stops, I think I added chicken bullion to the potato water, too. I used a lot of garlic & onion powder, black pepper, and Season Salt or Mrs. Dash’s table blend.

Well that’s it. Do you make anything similar? Have some tips & tricks? I have made similar stuff before with Swiss or Havarti or Provolone, used all kinds of different beef or even Steak-Ums, whatever buns/bread look good, used the French’s fried onions, etc. Ya gotta change it up and/or use what you have on hand!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eric Carroll (@aixelsyd13)

Stuffed Cabbage Recipe

So, recently I was hungry for stuffed cabbage. I had never made it before, so after Googling a few recipes and soliciting advice from a Facebook food group and Nextdoor, I came up with my own. You can put this URL into Just The Recipe or do the Cooked Wiki “hack” to skip all my bullshit up here.

I’m not a huge fan of rice in meatballs like you typically see with stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage, so I was googling recipes without it and kept finding stuffed tagged as “keto,” or with other grains substituted in. I think it’s a texture thing for me, so I opted to go my own route. Also, get out of here with your sweet/hot sausage, I’ll add my own spices. Keep your veal/beef/pork mixes. Maybe ground turkey would be cool. Keep the lamb away.

It seems that many are tied to their family’s traditional way of making it, and that’s pretty cool. I always thought of it as an Eastern European type dish, but lots of cultures have their own spin & own words for it according to Wikipedia. The thought of omitting rice, or using condensed tomato soup instead of a tomato sauce or V8 sent some people into a tizzy. I even learned that lots of people include sauerkraut, and some people like it served with sour cream. Some people make it like a casserole. We always had the tomato soup version growing up, so that’s what I like/expected. Who knew? I’ll probably make it different next time… but both kids & the wife liked it, so I won’t experiment too much.

I used glass baking dishes covered with foil, but got advice that a roasting pan, an electric roaster, the crock pot, a Dutch oven, a soup pot on the stove, or a pressure cooker all work well, too.

Although, I would like to wrap a piece of bacon around the rolls and throw them on the smoker…

At any rate, check out the recipe, and give me your recipes. tips, tricks, advice, and heavily guarded family recipe secrets in the comments.

Also – What do you call them?

Here’s what I did. 🤷

Get It:

• 1 head of cabbage.
• 4-ish lbs. of ground beef. (I used 3 lbs of 8/20 & 1 lb. of 90/10)
• 2 eggs
• ½ Yellow Bell Pepper
• ½ Spanish Onion
• 1 cup shredded carrots (I bought a bag and I’ll use it for other stuff too.)
• 1 beef bullion cube
• 1 stick of butter
• 3 23.2 oz. cans condensed Tomato Soup
• Bread crumbs (Do I look like I measure stuff? Probably a cup and a half?)
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese (in the ‘lil fancy container by the expensive cheese)
• Minced Garlic (just have the jar ready I’m lazy and don’t crush/mince my own)
• Spices. I used salt, black pepper, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Season All, & Table Blend. (I just throw it on at every step indiscriminately with complete abandon and total anarchy.)

Do it:

1. Preheat Your oven to 400°.
2. Get a stock pot, fill it enough to cover your cabbage. Drop in the bullion cube, and salt, minced garlic, and whatever seasoning your heart desires, and crank it to high with the lid on.
3. Chop your onion in half. Toss half in the boiling water, but take the lid off first & then put it back on.
4. Mince the rest of the onion.
5. Cut up the yellow pepper. Feed half to your kids, the dog, or your significant other. Or just eat it. That’s the perk of being the cook. Mince the other half.
6. Pull out a handful of the minced carrots, a big knife, and what them up until they are tiny pieces of shredded carrots. Our dog loves carrots, so I sprinkled some on her food bowl.
7. I greased 3 glass baking dishes with the stick of butter. I used a 9″x13″, an 8″x9″, & a 9″x9″ because that’s what I had. I swear we broke like 3 glass dishes last summer.
8. Melt what can surely be described as an obscene amount of butter in a skillet and sauté the onion, then the pepper & carrots on medium heat. I was sure to hit them with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, & pepper. I like to cook onions slow & low.
9. Drop the head of cabbage in your now boiling water while you’re doing all that. Yes, remove but do not replace the lid.
10. Put the sautéed veggies aside and let them cool a bit while you get the meat mixture ready.
11. Set up a colander or strainer over a large bowl, & get your tongs ready.
12. Beat your eggs, & add spices.
13. Mix the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, some cheese, sautéed veggies, some minced garlic, and lots of spices. I do it by hand. I wash my hands very well before & after, so you probably should too. But hey, you do you.
14. By this time, hopefully your cabbage has been boiling 10-ish minutes. Use tongs to gently peel one leaf at a time and place it lovingly in your colander. Don’t go too quick with it and splash/burn yourself, because I would definitely never ever do that.
15. Open the cans of tomato soup and cover the bottom of your baking dishes.
16. Get the leaf, cut out the bottom tough part of the leaf rib if so inclined, slap in your meat mixture, and wrap it like a burrito – folding in the ends part way through. I didn’t measure, I eyeballed the meat to leaf ratio.
17. Fill the baking dish(es), pour on & season the rest of the condensed tomato soup, sprinkle on some more parmesan cheese, cover in foil, and bake for an hour.

Tips/Lessons Learned/Parting Thoughts:

• I was going to bake it at 375° and I probably should have, taking the foil off for the last 15 min. They were well over the recommended 160° internal temp for ground beef. Maybe some browning/caramelizing would not be a bad thing?
• I saw a lot of tips for freezing the cabbage instead of boiling it, but I also read just as many responses saying that it can drastically affect the texture and not in a good way.
• I may put in back next time. Maybe inside? Maybe wrapped outside?
• Hear me out… Reuben cabbage rolls. Corned beef? Sauerkraut? Thousand Island or Russian dressing? Rye breadcrumbs? (We make non-traditional stuffed peppers sometimes, too.)
• If you like rice, by all means include it. Or barley, or any other grain. I considered those tiny lil’ pasta balls… but maybe I just like to say Acini de Pepe way too much. Some people recommended cauliflower rice, also.
• Check out all my other recipes and let me know what you think!
• I got some thoughts from more tips & feedback when I posted photos on the FB food group & Nextdoor, too.
• Are you still reading? Check out the recipe, and give me your recipes. tips, tricks, advice, and heavily guarded family recipe secrets in the comments.

I have been in the mood for stuffed cabbage, and I finally had the time to make it. I've never made it before, but I think it turned out good! Both kids said they'd eat it again. My 9yo food critic son said it was a 10/10.#stuffedcabbage #cabbagerolls pic.twitter.com/o4AXtqXXsI

— ᗡʏꙅ⅃ɘXiA ƆiЯƎ 🎸 (@AiXeLsyD13) April 12, 2024

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eric Carroll (@aixelsyd13)

The Meatball Club

So, yesterday I made spaghetti with homemade meatballs. Today, I wanted a meatball sub. I was thinking I still had some good buns from New Year’s day. They were not good. I had already melted the butter. The store-brand white bread was calling to me. A sandwich? No, a club.., Something worthy of shenanigans.

Behold: The Meatball Club

Look at that toasty goodness.

Open up & say “Mmm!”

If you don’t cut it diagonally, you’re doing it wrong.

It seemed to be a hit on various social media platforms, so I thought I’d share the love. If you make one, please, post the photo, tag me (@AiXelsyD13 on just about everything), and let me know how it was!

The Meatballs:

I have shared my meatball ingredient secrets a quadruple of times:

• Meatballs and Lasagna.
• Non-Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
• #MeatballSub #Recipe
• Hamburgers vs. Meatballs vs. Meatloaf?

I generally don’t measure, and make them different every time. This time I fried them on medium-high in a large pan on the stove & a tiny bit of EVOO.

The Sauce: 

OK, gonna level with you. I am not Italian. This is going to make some people mad. I use jarred sauce. This was the cheap Aldi stuff. Usually we get that or the Prego Three Cheese. I add brown sugar & Parmesan/Romano shake cheese. Sometimes, I even add shopped garlic, onion powder, or “Italian Seasoning.” This time it was just brown sugar and cheese. I don’t measure. I toss a little in with abandon. I like the sweetness & it cuts the acid.

The Club:

Get your stuff…

• ¼ stick butter
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Parsley or (Italian Seasoning)
• 6 or so leftover meatballs.
• Shredded cheese (I had Gruyere & Swiss, but I would probably go for Mozzarella or Provolone, but the stuff I had was fantastic.)
• “Shake Cheese” I had the cheap Giant Eagle brand Parmesan/Romano blend.
• Three pieces of white bread.

Do it…

1. Pre-heat the oven to 390° on the air fryer setting.
2. Melt the butter w/ garlic powder, onion powder, & parsley to taste in a microwave save bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until it’s a liquid.
3. Put the bread on a baking dish, brush on the melted butter after a good stir. (I just did the top sides.)
4. Air fry for 2 minutes, & it gets almost crispy on top, the bottom was nice and toasted.
5. While you’re doing that nuke the meatballs & sauce on a microwave safe plate for 2 min. (or longer if needed.)
6. Pull the toast out. (I cut the meatballs in half with a spoon then scooped them and the sauce on to two of the slices of bread.)
7. Top the meatballs with the shredded cheese.
8. Put the “shake cheese” on the 3rd slice of bread.
9. Put it back in on air fry for for 4 or 5 minutes.
10. Pull it out, assemble it like a tower of gluttony, then slice it diagonally with a giant serrated bread knife for dramatic effect.
11. Take a photo to share & make people hungry.

That’s it. It took a little bit of time & prep, but it was worth it.

Notes:

• If you cook & have your own meatball or sauce recipe, of course do that.
• Use whatever kind of cheese you want, shredded, or sliced, or whatever.
• I would guess you can use the oven on 375°-ish on a regular setting for a bit longer times, or a counter top air fryer.
• You could also probably do all of it in the air fryer from cooking the meatballs to melting the butter if you have the appropriate vessels.
• If you slice it in rectangles and not triangles, you are a psychopath.

Discussion:

• If you’re out of sausage or sub buns, or hot dog buns, what are you using? Pita? Tortilla? Soft Pretzel? Dinner Rolls? Bisquick? Crescent roll dough?
• Please, tell me in the comments how wrong it is to use jarred sauce or add brown sugar.
• Share with me your meatball secrets.
• Do you like the powdery shake cheese or the fancy stuff?
• Do you make a forbidden sandwich? What is it?
• Is this a Meatball Club, or a Meatball Melt?

This is why I had leftover meatballs:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eric Carroll (@aixelsyd13)

New Year’s Day Pork & Sauerkraut II

I came to blog my recipe then through a search, discovered I posted one last year! That was in the roasting pan though, and it was a pork loin rib half. This year, I put a pork shoulder roast in the crock pot… and made some dumplings 2 ways to go with it!

Crock Pot Pork n’ Sauerkraut with dumplings for New Year’s Day!

Ingredients:

• 6 lb. pork shoulder roast 
• 2 bags of sauerkraut (Beware, “Bavarian style” is a secret code meaning it has caraway seeds & tastes like royal ass. Unless you like caraway seeds or royal ass. I avoid it for diverticulitis reasons anyway.)
• 1 bottle of beer. I used Straub Amber again this year, but I also like to use Yuengling Traditional Lager. (You could also use Penn Pilsner, Stoney’s, Shiner Bock, or Smithwick’s Red Ale… Don’t be ruining it with Budweiser, Coors or Iron City.)
• Apple Juice (Maybe ½ cup?)
• 2 Apples (I like Golden Crisp or Honey Crisp)
• 1 Spanish Onion (Or a sweet or yellow onion or whatever you like.)
• ½ teaspoon-ish Minced Garlic
• Salt (or Season All / Seasoned Salt)
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Paprika
• Mustard Powder
• Brown Sugar (Maybe ¼ cup?)
• Pillsbury Grands Biscuit Dough

Instructions:

1. Drain & rinse the sauerkraut, unless you’re into clearing the pluming from the top down.
2. Slice the apples & onions then place them on the bottom of the slow cooker/crock pot, add that beer & apple juice. Add some spices.
3. Put the roast in, fat side up. Add some spices.
4. Cover it with the rinsed sauerkraut. Add some spices.
5. Add that brown sugar sprinkled all over the top, Add some more spices.
6. I put it on low for 8 hours & it was over-cooked & falling apart, but in a good way.
7. Cook it to 145° F according to the FDA, 160° according to my thermometer with the numbers beside the pig icon, or 203° if you want it to fall apart.
8. Cut up 4 of the Pillsbury biscuits into 4 pieces each, pop ’em into the crock pot on the last half hour. I sealed the inside of the lid with foil at that point because I read you should do that online. (Don’t burn yourself!)
9. Let it rest a bit when you pull it out. That’s just good life advice in general.

I cooked the other 4 biscuits, also cut into 4’s, in my stock pot: 

1. I tossed some beer, water, apple juice, & ham bullion into my stock pot, then brought it to a boil.
2. I dropped in the dumpling pieces, and brought it down to a simmer. That’s about a 2 on my stovetop dial.
3. I boiled for 10 minutes with the lid off, then for 10 minutes with the lid on.

Tips:

• Damnit, I forgot to do this part: Sear the pork roast on all sides. I used a large fork to control it along with some tongs. I used a hot pan with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil & a pat of butter. You just want to sear the outsides, not cook the meat. I did add a bit of seasonings first.
• I put onion powder on the apple slices and garlic powder on the onion slices… because why not? Does anyone else do stuff this?
• You could try to roast it.
• I liked the dumplings from the crock pot more than the ones from the stock pot. they were more fluffy/biscuity and less… wet. They both tasted pretty good & were certainly edible though.

Pork & Sauerkraut

Pork, Sauerkraut, Apples, Onions, & Dumplings

Dumplings cooking in the stock pot.

Dumplings cooking in the crock pot.

Stock pot dumplings on the left, crock pot dumplings on the right.

What are your New Year’s traditions and recipes? Did you see my New Year’s appetizers? I’ll take any & all tips on dumplings! I haven’t had luck with the Bisquick variety and I never tried scratch.

Cocktail Rye Bread Appetizers

So, did you read my rant and see my maze when Pepperidge Farm stopped making their cocktail-sized rye bread? Giant Eagle must have heard me, because they had S. Rosen’s Rye & Pumpernickel in stock this year. Sadly, their rye isn’t seedless, but I made due with the pumpernickel.

At any rate, this is what we use them to make:

Lemon Pepper

Reuben

Here’s a very fast & loose recipe/method:

Get it:

• Cocktail Rye bread and/or Cocktail Pumpernickel bread.
• Bag of shredded cheese – we got Swiss & Gruyere. Havarti, Swiss, Mozzarella, or Provolone would be fine.
• Mayonnaise and/or Miracle Whip.
• Lemon Pepper
• Thousand Island dressing
• Sauerkraut
• Corned Beef lunch meat

Do it:

• To start both, we mix 2 cups of shredded Swiss & Gruyere cheese with a few Tablespoons of mayo. I’ll use Miracle Whip too.
• I put the cheese mixture right on the rye, & sprinkled on some lemon pepper.
• I put some corned beef lunch meat on the Pumpernickel.
• I put both on to a baking sheet that has a baking rack, and put it into a pre-heated oven at 375° on the air fryer setting for 5 minutes.
• Took ’em out and the lemon-pepper rye ones were done.
• I added Thousand Island dressing, sauerkraut, & the cheese mixture to the Reuben ones and put ’em back in for 3 minutes at the same temp & on the same setting.

They’re always crowd-pleasers, and you really can top them any way you like. You can just bake ’em too, or use a counter-top air fryer. My wife brought them to me as a tradition from her family, I made Reuben ones, because… Reubens, am I right?

And remember, I’m always right.

Pumpernickel is cool because it essentially is named for the devil’s farts… and if that’s not cool, I don’t know what is. This is also code in my household for “I am always right.” I told my wife the name origin behind it, she said there was no way, Googled it… and, like I said… I am always right.

Me – from the old Rye bread post.

Thanksgiving Sliders!

Lots of restaurants have their take on a Thanksgiving meal in a sandwich or wrap. Mad Mex has the Gobblerito. GetGo has the Pilgrim. Roly Poly used to have the #9 Thanksgiving Wrap. Primanti Bros. has the Primanturkey. I need to road trip up to Capriotti’s & try the Hot Bobbie. I have seen Thanksgiving tacos & Thanksgiving egg rolls online too… Even Thanksgiving pierogies!

This is my take. Not sure what inspired it other than pure unadulterated gluttony pair with an absolute love for the Thanksgiving meal.

I wanted cheese, but a soft white sort of mild cheese… nothing crazy sharp. This time I went with gouda slices and it was perfect. I solicited suggestions a few places online and found some fantastic ones.

🍂 AiXeLsyD13’s Thanksgiving Sliders! 🍂

I took some stuffing out of my typical recipe, formed some stuffing balls, & cooked them in a glass dish at 375° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes and they were perfect. I let them cool, & slapped ’em into a Ziploc bag & put them in the ‘fridge.

At lunch time on black Friday, I got out some turkey and gravy, heated it in a pan on the stove, cut the stuffing balls to be like a sandwich bun, added the cheese & cranberry sauce on mine, assembled the sandwiches & cooked them sort of like a melt on our panini press countertop grill.

I just kept it on until the cheese started to look nice & melty. The outside got a little crisp, but not burned.

I will do this again. In fact, I’ll make stuffing and cook a turkey breast just to do this.

I picked it up with my hands and ate it like a burger, but imagine it like a hot turkey diner knife & fork style sandwich covered in gravy?

Stuffing Balls

Sandwiches made to order.

🍂🦃🍂

I made them to order. My wife wasn’t feeling the cheese idea, and my son wasn’t sure about the gravy. Neither wanted the cranberry sauce. I did one with, & one without. The one with was much more delicious. My daughter had a slider with gouda, turkey, & mayo on a dinner roll.

What else would go good on this? Mashed potatoes? Yams or sweet potatoes? Green bean casserole? Squash? If this were a food truck, I would visit once a week. I enjoyed this just as much as Thanksgiving dinner.

What do you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers? Is there a sandwich or other concoction like this from somewhere that I missed?

Gouda fit perfect, have any suggestions for other cheeses? White American, White cheddar, havarti, Swiss, brie, & even mozzarella may all be contenders. A smoked cheese may be good too.

Thanksgiving Dinner! – The Recipes.

I love to put together a holiday meal, especially thanksgiving. I have it down pretty good to corral the chaos.

Turkey in the electric roaster!

Thanksgiving Dinner Plate!

First prepping the turkey & stuffing…

I do the bird in the electric roaster, stuffed, for 15-ish minutes per lb. @ 325° Farenheit. I roasted in the preheated pan on full for about 45 minutes at the start before turning it down. I inject the turkey in a few sports with a mixture of melted beer, butter, & spices. I usually rub some softened butter on top and toss on lots of seasoning there too. I usually pour a bottle of beer and a box of turkey broth in the bottom, & include some carrots, celery, & an onion.

Don’t worry about samonella with a stuffed bird. Take it to 165°. Always use a food thermometer. Some of the dark meat of the turkey will be overcooked but it will still be juicy & delicious. I haven’t killed anyone with my turkey yet.

The extra stuffing can be made into stuffing balls, but I put it in the crock pot. You just have to stir it, & maybe add extra turkey or chicken broth if needed or it will stick to the sides a lil’ burnt.

Do the math, & time it so you’re pulling the turkey out about a half an hour before you want to serve it.

Then I make the sides. Check out my recipes!

• Stuffing (check out the old school recipes too!)
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Rainbow Carrots
• Roasted Butternut Squash
• Mashed Potatoes

I cut up the butternut squash first, & put it in the fridge for when I needed it.

I peeled & quartered the potatoes, let them sit in cold water (& turkey broth).

Cut up & prep the brussels sprouts & carrots, you want to pop them in about 45 min before you plan to eat.

Prep the squash & put it in right after the brussels sprouts.

Turn on the potatoes, by the time they cook & you do your thing… it the other stuff should be ready to go.

Others brought even more sides… cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, & rolls!

If I make green bean casserole, I pretty much use the Campbell’s recipe or French’s Fried Onions recipe… sometimes with an added can of mushrooms, fresh green beans, & maybe even some bacon pieces or ham.

If I cook with beer it’s either Yuengling Traditional Lager or Straub Amber.

For the gravy, I just use pan drippings broth from the turkey, and eyeball together a slurry of corn starch, add it, & some more spices if needed.

Someday I am going to brine a turkey with a buttermilk brine & cook it on the smoker, but… not for Thanksgiving. Well, not the first time anyway.

I like to keep the oven open for sides, & any brought sides or pies that may need warmed up.

Thanksgiving Sides! Brussels Sprouts & Rainbow Carrots, Butternut Squash, Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, & Stuffing!

What are your Thanksgiving or other holiday meal prep tips, go-to’s, methods, or favorite recipes?

🦃 Don’t forget these free Thanksgiving Mazes! 🦃

Roasted Butternut Squash

I love squash, it’s a toss-up between acorn & butternut as my favorite. This is a nice sweet & simple holiday go-to.

Ingredients:

• 2 whole butternut squash
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Paprika
• Brown sugar
• Salt

Do it!

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
2. Cube the butternut squash, get rid of that skin.
3. Toss the cubes in the EVOO & spices to taste. I go easy on all of em.
4. Put it in the oven in a single layer on a baking sheet or glass baking dish for about 30 minutes.
5. That’s it!

You could also…

• Just buy it already cubed. It really probably is worth it if you’re going to cook it soon.
• I destroyed a vegetable peeler trying to peel it once. Just use a knife to cut off the skin.
• Add as many spices as you want, skip the sugar, use maple syrup, or whatever sounds good to you. You know what you like!

Any advice? Do you do it another way? Do you halve it & roast it like acorn squash? What’s your favorite squash? Share your secrets!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Rainbow Carrots

Another one of my holiday go-to’s, this one takes a bit of labor but it’s worth it.

Brussels Sprouts! With some goodies…

Getchya mise en place:

• One 32 oz. “family size” bag of Brussels Sprouts (or 2 lb. of bulk fresh)
• One 16 oz. bag of baby cut rainbow carrots
• One 2.8 oz bag of bacon pieces
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, whatever spices you want.

Do it:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
2. I quarter the baby carrots – one cut long ways, one cut through the middle.
3. I cut the bottom off of the sprouts, remove the outer leaves if they’re not great looking, halve them, and if they’re large, score the middle. (Look close at the photo.)
4. Mix the sprouts, carrots, & bacon pieces in a bowl, add the spices, eyeball in some EVOO & toss to coat it all evenly.
5. Spread evenly on a baking sheet or in a glass dish.
6. Slap them in that oven for 40-ish minutes.

Tips n’ tricks:

• Of course, use whatever spices fit your fancy.
• If you can’t find rainbow carrots, regular ones or parsnips or both are an absolutely awesome addition also.
• Roasting caramelizes the sometimes bitter brussels sprouts. You may find that you prefer them “more” done or “less” done.
• Scoring the middle helps them roast fully or more evenly.
• You can skip the bowl if you can stir it all up and not make a mess like I do.

So, what do you think? Do you like Brussels Sprouts? Do you prepare them a similar or wholly different way?

Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Putting my thanksgiving recipe here… which is more of a method I guess.

We ran out of bowls, so it’s in a pie plate.

Here I keep it super simple.

Gather it:

• 5 lb. bag of Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 1 Stick Butter
• 1 cup of Buttermilk
• 8 oz. Sour Cream
• 32 ox. box of turkey broth.
• Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, White Pepper, Salt to taste

Do it:

1. Peel the potatoes, don’t be afraid to leave a bit of skin.
2. Quarter them, place them in your stock pot in the turkey broth with some salt and cover the potatoes with cold water.
3. Maybe toss in a pat of butter and some spices.
4. Bring the pot to a boil on high with the lid on, take the lid off and crank it down to medium for 20 minutes.
5. Turn the burner off, strain the potatoes, but the pot with the potatoes back on the warm burner.
6. Add your spices to taste.
7. Start to mash ’em, add the buttermilk, sour cream, & butter.
8. Don’t mash ’em too much. I like them thick enough to build a tower like in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Some lumps are OK.

Tips:

• I don’t actually measure the buttermilk & sour cream. Just do it by feel. Of course you can use regular milk, heavy cream, or a non-dairy milk.
• Use good whole buttermilk, like Charlie’s Old Time Buttermilk by Turner’s.
• Save a pat or two over butter for on top… or, just add MORE butter.
• Of course you can just use water or chicken stock or bullion cubes or beer or whatever you want.
• Add whatever spices you want too! I may have put some poultry seasoning in there. Sometimes I add cheese too.
• I use a meat chopper instead of a traditional potato masher. I find it goes much smoother and is less of a mess.

I’d be interested to see how you do it. Got any tips or secrets for me? What are your favorite methods or add-ins? I also love a good boxed potato flake mixed extra thick and flavored-up, but get out of here with that runny Bob Evans microwavable slop!