Monday, September 6, 2010

Stretch that Roast!

This is being posted for my sweet hubby. He felt that everyone should know how to stretch a pot roast into a week of meals. First, I cooked said roast (which was a chuck roast and the largest one he could find at the store). It was dredged in seasoned flour (salt and pepper), then browned. Once all sides were brown, I added a can of V8 and the last cup or so of red wine that I had in the house. Had that not been enough liquid, beef stock was next. It was hot enough that boiling was instant. Turn heat down, cover, and simmer until happy. I do this in my cast iron dutch oven with a self-basting lid. Serve with smashed taters and veggies of your choice. The cooking liquid can be thickened with cornstarch or roux and served as gravy. This was night number 1.

Nights 2 and 3 were shepherd's pie. I use Paula Deen's recipe. Short version is leftover smashed taters packed into a square baking dish about halfway up. Top that with a layer of veggies (peas, corn, or mixed veggies), a layer of shredded roast, and a biscuit topping made with 1 1/2 c. milk and 2 c. Bisquick. Bake at 350 until the top is nicely browned and cooked through.

Nights 4-7 were hash. This originated with my late Grandma, Corine Conrad Brownlee. It starts with a roux (like most everything Cajun that is any good). Then add in chopped celery, onion, and bell pepper. Once those are cooked, add in diced potatoes and carrots, some pulverized garlic, and chopped cooked pot roast. You'll also want to add in some sort of liquid, whether it's beef stock, water, or leftover gravy. Season everything as you go with salt and pepper. Serve over hot white rice. I had the dutch oven pretty much full. While not your typical spicy Cajun dish, it does follow the Cajun philosophy of making something out of what you have on hand and is generally cheap.

Enjoy! (And don't feel bad about being cheap!)

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