Sausage and potatoes

Is your fella a meat and potatoes kind of guy? Do you say meat n' potatuhs?

Then you might be a redneck. Or it's your Midwestern accent in which case, we accept you as you are.

For a quick week night dinner, I recommend this one pot meal that's on the table in 30 minutes. My mom used to make this for my two sisters and I when we were growing up. I'm not sure why she thought a hearty meal such as this was a match for three skinny girls who ate like birds. Maybe she was trying to fatten us up. Heh. I'm on to you, Mom!

Did I mention you only need three ingredients?

You'll need...
Polish sausage
5 small potatoes (or 2-3 big ones. You can use red, Russet, golden, whatever you have on hand)
One onion (white or yellow, or both)
S&P

I really like the flavor of kielbasa sausage, but you can use another variety. But really, Polish is where it's at. (They make a mean cabbage roll)

Grab a handful of potatoes.

Peel 'em up. I wasn't too particular about the skin so if you feel the need,  peel until they're completely naked.

Slice 'em up. The thinner the slices, the quicker these will fry up.

Thinly slice an onion. 

Add some oil to a large pan and crank the heat to medium high. The pan needs to be hot, hot, hot!

Add to the pan.

Sprinkle in some salt and pepper. I go easy on the salt since the kielbasa is already really salty. 

Unwrap from the package.

And slice into coins.

Add to the pan.

At this point, cover with the lid. The moisture from the onions and potatoes will create a steam room to help the cooking process.

Like dis!

This is about 5 minutes in. The onions should look translucent and the potatoes should start to brown.   Flip mixture with a spoon or tongs to cook evenly. Cover with the lid again and let this cook for another 8 minutes.

Do not be disturbed by the carmelized crunchiness of the potatoes. Those are the flavor bits! 

Serve in a bowl and you'll still have time to watch at least three episodes of Parks and Rec.

Not that I've done that or anything.

Down Home Pot Roast

I recently went on a trip to Ft. Worth to visit some great friends and to see one of my mentors live, Mr. Dave Ramsey. The man knows how to stir up an audience of 7,000 plus individuals looking for advice on life, marriage, kids and money. On my trek from Kansas down south, I most likely witnessed our entire nation's supply of beef between Oklahoma City and Dallas. I mean, are you freaking kidding me? You've got Herefords and Angus and Limousin and heifers and steers and cows! (Now you know what all I remembered from my animal science class). All these happy cattle, roaming fields, all heads down feeling their way across the plains with their mouths. And I took a silent moment, to thank God for the circle of life. Hey, I'm no vegetarian, but have you really taken a moment to think about where your food comes from?

After staring at miles and miles of cattle and spending some time in the Lone Star state, I decided there was only one recipe that I really needed to blog about. 

Down home pot roast.

Do you ever get that *sniff* "ahhhh" feeling when you walk through the front door after a long day of sitting on your ass and staring at the computer when you take that first whiff of stewing meat and veggies?

Yeah. You know that moment.

That moment -- there's nothing sweeter. Or savory-er?

Nothing quite says welcome to the Midwest like beef and fresh vegetables thrown together in Madame Crockpot. And at the same time, the Midwest would not be complete without the love and grace of its people to craft the perfect pot roast.

Down Home Pot Roast

You'll need...
3 potatoes
4 carrots
1 package of white mushrooms
2 lb. chuck roast
1 packet of Lipton onion soup mix
2 tbs. of butter
1/3 cup of flour
2 tsp. of meat tenderizer
Salt and pepper

Madame Crockpot never fails me. She is a hand-me-down from my Nana. I like to think she is watching over me whenever I pull out the crockpot. It only has two real settings: happy and warm or spit-fire hot. Just like Nana.

Take your chuck roast and generously sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.

Add your favorite meat seasoning. I just used meat tendorizer, but garlic salt, onion powder or even a BBQ blend will work.

Sprinkle some flour...

And work it into the meat with your hands. Yeah, you and chuck roast sort of bond through this process.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium to high heat in a large skillet, but be careful to not burn the butter as I am demonstrating. Although it did make for a really good crust on the roast.

Strike that. Brown that butter, baby.

Brown the meat on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Aww yeah. See that butter crust? Think of the possibilities. It's just like when you get a little butter crust on a cheese quesadilla. Your hips and taste buds won't lie. 

Grab a pair of tongs and carefully lift the roast into your crockpot. No, I didn't throw this away. Although the plastic liner I use for easy cleanup could be easily mistaken for a waste basket. Just get past the plastic...

Dump one packet of Lipton's French onion soup mix on top of the meat.

Pour about 1 1/2 cups of water, just enough so that the water is covering half of the meat.

Like dis. Cover on low for 4 hours. Or, if you have a touchy Madame Crockpot, crank it to high. It'll be falling apart before you know it!

Go take a nap or listen to some old school Maxwell or watch Robin Hood. 

All of these things are good.

In the mean time, peel and cut the carrots and potatoes into 2 inch pieces or 1 inch or half inch. Hell, it's your pot roast so you can do whatcha wanna do! Throw in some celery for all I care!

This is about 4 hours into cooking time and I decided that the veggies were ready to join the party. You can also boil the carrots and potatoes in a pot of water and dump it in the crockpot during the last half hour of cooking time. Or you can start the veggies at the same time as the meat, I just didn't want the potatoes and carrots to be too mushy.

Match made in beef heaven if you ask me. Cover and keep on low for another 4 hours.

Then go do something else.

And then go looking inside the fridge for a snack because the fumes from cooking meat are starting to get to you. Then find some mushrooms that were hiding behind the milk jug.

I decided these just had to go in with the roast. So I cut them in quarters and threw them in the mix in the last 2 hours of cooking time. It just felt like the right thing to do.

After 8 hours, I couldn't take it any more. I grabbed the tongs and the meat was just falllllling apart. Tell me that's not a pretty sight to see! I served this up with a side salad and some warm sourdough bread.

Get down home and make this pot roast. Make your inner Texan howl out loud and all that shit. Your Midwestern mates would be proud.