Oh So Versatile Sour Cream Sauce

What I adore about this recipe is that it is first of all easy. And even better, it is adaptable to just tons of other foods, hence the appellation of “versatile”.

It is easy to half, or double or triple. Just pay attention to your ratios (see the tips and tricks section here on roux).

I’ll give you plenty of alternatives to work off the basic sauce at the end of the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 c beef stock (unsalted)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2/3 c sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make a roux of the flour and butter and cook for two minutes.
2. Whisk in the beef stock and heat until it begins to bubble and thicken.
3. Add the salt and pepper.
4. Take off the heat and add the sour cream,whisking until incorporated.
5. Serve it up!

NOTES: There are tons of things you can do with this now. Use as is over meatballs, pork chops, baked chicken. Add chipotle peppers which have been minced, or jalapenos to give it a Southwestern flare for meatloaf for instance.  Use any herb you wish. Add dill or chives and use over baked potatoes, noodles, rice or pasta. Add horseradish and serve with rib roast. It has unlimited uses.

 

Rockin’ Meatloaf

Everybody makes meatloaf, and most of them are good. It’s hard to make a bad one unless you are a school or hospital. Then you make uneatable gray stuff that is awful.

I don’t like meatloaf with oatmeal and don’t care for breadcrumbs either. I used to make it with saltines scrunched up, but I found this technique on the Food Channel on one of Alton Brown’s shows and it works so much better.

Change the ingredients to fit your likes, but don’t mess with the technique and you will have great meatloaf that slices without falling apart and is not swimming in grease.

Makes great sandwiches.

I usually don’t make a gravy, but I found this one that is superb, so bring on the mashed taters and some steamed broccoli or green beans on the side, and make it a feast.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs. meat, one each of pork and ground beef
• 2/3 c onions, diced
• 2/3 c sweet pepper, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms (any kind) diced
• 1 5oz can tomato sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp granulated garlic or a clove or two of fresh, minced
• 1 tsp smoky paprika
• 2/3 c corn, frozen, fresh or canned
• 1/2 packet of unflavored gelatin

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix the meats together gently. Excessive work on the meat makes it tough. Add the corn
2. Saute the onions, peppers and mushrooms in a saute pan until softened.
3. Add to the meat.
4. In a small bowl mix all the rest together then pour into the meat mixture and combine.
5. Take a loaf pan and line with Saran Wrap, leaving plenty of extra over the edges. Pack in the meat mixture and when smoothed, turn in the wrap and cover. Put in the fridge for a couple of hours.
6. Preheat oven to 420-425°
7. Take a shallow baking dish and line with foil. Remove the meatloaf from fridge, open up the wrap and place a finely meshed cooling rack on top. Invert and place in the baking dish. Slide off the loaf pan and remove the wrap.
8. Place in oven for about 1 hour. Sides will caramelize a bit and all sides will get nicely crusted.
9. Let sit for 15 minutes, tented. Slide a metal spatula to loosen and then slide onto a serving plate.

If you wish to use a gravy, this one is wonderful! I got it from Blondie Pussycat at JustaPinch.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 TBSP EVOO
• 1 small onion diced finely
• 1-2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 2 cups finely diced mushrooms of your choice
• 2 cans Golden Mushroom condensed soup
• 2 c beef stock (homemade or boxed or canned)
• salt and pepper to taste.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Saute onions until translucent, add the garlic and mushrooms and saute until dry.
2. Take off the heat
3. In a bowl, combine the soup and stock and whisk. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and salt and pepper.
4. Return to the pan and warm up to a slow boil.
5. Blondie pours it over the meatloaf and returns to the oven for 10-15 minutes, but I just served it on the side.

Serves: 4 easily

NOTES: If you like to change things up from time to time, consider these additions: Tex-Mex spices, such as chipotle and chili sauce. Or do a more French version with dijon mustard and thyme. Or pork sausage for part of the meat. Omit the corn and add spinach, or any other veggies. Lots of folks add shredded cheese, or bacon strips on top. And of course there are fillers that some folks like. Me I like it meaty!

Related articles

• Fancy Schmancy Meatloaf (dessertcomesfirst.wordpress.com)
• Italian Meatloaf – As Heard on WROK (mealplanningmom.wordpress.com)
• Stuffed Meatloaf – Recipe (my-imperfect-kitchen.com)

Do My Biddin’ Pot Roast

You know the drill, put the roast in the roaster, add some stock, cook until ? and then add carrots, onions and potatoes at the right time ? and hope everything is done to the right level at the same time.

Well this is a no fail, always turns out right, recipe. And once your significant other has tried it once, you will get you way in anything with just a promise to make it again. Nothing hard about this at all.

Are you ready to be the queen of your domain?

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lb pot roast, your favorite cut
• salt and pepper
• a stalk of celery and one carrot  and 1 small onion
•  1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 red wine
• 4-5 potatoes
• 6 carrots
• 1 large onion
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 5TBSP butter divided 3 and 2
• 3TBSP flour
• 2 c beef stock (unsalted preferred)
• 1/4 c cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Salt and pepper the roast and brown in a large saute pan. Brown the edges by holding the meat upright with tongs.
2. Remove roast to a large piece of heavy-duty foil. Add the celery, carrot and onion, roughly cut up. Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and wine. Fold up the foil and seal the roast very tightly. Place in a roasting pan and set in preheated 425° oven. Roast for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
3. About 1 hour before roast is done, peel onion and cut into six wedges. Clean the carrots and cut so they are approximately same size as onion pieces. Place in plastic bag with 1 TBSP oil (canola). When it is 45 before dinner, place on parchment paper on a jelly roll pan and pour out the veggies, spreading around so they aren’t touching. Move the roast aside and slide in the veggies to roast. Turn once at the half way point.
4. One half hour before dinner, peel and place cut up potatoes in water and cook until tender. Drain.
5. While potatoes are boiling, take saute pan that you browned the roast in. Add three TBSP of butter and melt, adding 3 TBSP of flour. Whisk together and cook for a minute. Add the beef stock. Bring to  a slow boil until thick. Turn down to very low.
6. Fifteen minutes before dinner at the 1 hour 45 minute time, remove roast and open CAREFULLY. Remove meat to a platter and cover with another piece of foil to rest. Carefully pour off the juices from the foil into the gravy already prepared. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
7. Mash potatoes, add 2 TBSP butter and the cream, blend.
8. Remove the veggies from the oven.
9. Serve it all up and go to heaven!

This should serve 4 easily.

Total Time: approximately 2 hours