–Intro to Boxty
Crock-Pot Boxty – expand on this in the instructions
Ham bits
juices off ham
diced Portabello
1/4 cup roasted garlic cloves (loosely packed)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1TBSP dried onion bits
cabbage head, diced
Allow the pot to cook on low until all the cabbage is soft and slightly mushy. Serve over plain mashed potatoes and top with a sprinkle of grated cheddar.
I apologise for not have any photos of the resulting supper, but I was too busy eating it!
–Ann Cathey
This episode of Food Porn is brought to you by my kitchen. The food photos were, as they have been in this series, culled from stock photography. I’ve added a little info about each one, though I’m told they speak for themselves, especially the ones that scream, “BACON!”
Bunless bacon cheeseburgers! Broiled beef patties, hickory smoked bacon, shredded colbyjack cheese, and kosher dill slices.
Okay this one is not from my kitchen, but from a campout we enjoyed a month or so ago. Chicken Enchilada Lasagne with fresh diced tomatoes, a corn and black bean mix, with a side of French bread and butter.
Yellow curried chicken over white rice with mini pita on the side.
Scrambled ham with spices and ham sandwiched on a fresh butter croissant.
A heart attack on a butter croissant with coarse mustard, three layers of maple bacon, kosher dills, and colbyjack cheddar cheese.
Let’s get another look at that bunless bacon cheeseburger, shall we?
–Ann Cathey
In my kitchen, the “manager’s markdown” items at our local groceries are a boon. Today’s dinner menu is based around several of them that had been purchased and frozen for use on days such as this – when I can’t immediately think of anything to cook.
As I perused the freezers (a top and a chest), my mind began to formulate a plan. Here was a bag of pork chops, there a pack of fresh chives; here a red wine/onion broth from a previous crock pot adventure, there a package of sliced Pancetta. In the dry cabinet there were three large white potatoes. I pulled out a casserole style crock pot and some olive oil spray, and began to compose.
I sprayed the inside of the crock as it does not easily accommodate the liner bags I prefer to use. This one is a 3.5 quart, long and sleek and low. Perfect for chops and other such cuts of meat.
The potatoes were washed and sliced in rounds. This is how they are sliced for German potatoes (potatoes, onions, and butter, baked into a lovely hot side dish). they were layered into the bottom of the crock with a little seasoned salt and a light spray of olive oil in between the layers. This was topped with a sprinkle of diced chives, and a thin layer of the Pancetta.
Essentially bacon and potatoes – what could be a better base?
Roasted garlic schmeer
The next layer was the pork chops, the meat of the meal, as it were. They were arranged in a neat, single layer. A bulb of roasted garlic was squeezed out and spread on top of the meat. Already aromatic and slightly sweet to the taste, it would become moreso with this second roasting, flavoring the meat and the potatoes beneath in one fell swoop.
Frozen broth
The broth was set into the microwave on low to thaw from the frozen brick it had become. Full of onions and based in a red wine, the broth was reserved from a previous pork chop crock. Waste not, want not, as they say. In this case it came in quite handy for another dish of pork chops when I had a noticeable lack of red wine available in the kitchen.
Broth over the pork, you can see the previously cooked onions
The broth was gently poured over the contents of the pot, covering every available surface. It was followed by a light sprinkle of seasoned salt, then the pot was sealed for the next several hours.
While the pork was roasting, the bread and cheese side was conceived, discussed, and executed.
Pulling out all the leftover cheeses in the fridge, we cubed them and tossed them in a bowl. This included all the odds and ends from a party and some bits that had just not yet been consumed. There was a bit of Monterrey Jack, a couple of different cheddars, a tomato and basil mozzarella, some Romano and parmesan, and I don’t recall what all else.
Using a can of crescent roll dough, it was laid out flat and instead of being cut into the recommended triangles, the seams were pinched shut and it was sliced into 6 squares.
The squares lined a pan of large cupcake cups. The cheese was liberally spooned into each shell. The tops and sides were pulled over the cheese and patted into place. The tray baked at the recommended temperature for 12-15 minutes.
The resulting savory pasty was nom-o-rific!
When the pork was ready, we emplated with the potatoes and pastry for a fantastic meal.
— Ann Cathey
Baked potatoes have so many wonderful applications on the gourmet table. They may take forever to cook in a conventional oven, which also heats up the house, but we often do it anyway for this world renown comfort food. They can also be done in the microwave, but rarely come out just perfectly right.
There is a method that is fool proof and delivers a perfect potato every time. Or at least every time that we have done it. Roast those bad boys in a crock-pot!
Pick your potatoes carefully. Large Russets work well for this method. Scrub them well, prick them with a fork to release internal steam buildup, and spray lightly or rub with a bit of olive oil. You may use butter if you prefer, but olive oil is a little healthier and gives the potato a lovely soft skin. Wrap each potato individually in foil. Pack our potatoes carefully into a crock-pot and seal it up.
Cook for eight hours on low. You can set this up the night before and start it in the morning for lovely hot potatoes when you get home from work.
Serve these with cheese, butter, sour cream or other toppings. They make a great base for BBW chop, chili with cheese, stroganoff (without the pasta), and many other meat or veggie based gravy/soup-like dishes.
This process may also be used with smaller potatoes for side servings with meals.
–Ann Cathey
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