Steak & Potatoes

What’s not to like about steak and potatoes?

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. flank steak, tenderized and sliced against the grain

1 1/2 lb. baby yellow potatoes, quartered

3 T. butter

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. each of chopped fresh thyme, rosemary and oregano

Red pepper flakes

Marinade for meat:

1/3 c. soy sauce

1 T. olive oil

1 T. hot chili sauce

Pepper

Directions:

Precook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 8 minutes. Remove from water and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the stead with the marinade. Set aside for awhile.

In a large skillet, mix 1 T. olive oil and 1 T. of butter. When the butter is melted, add the potatoes. Cook for about 4 minutes, stir and cook and additional 5 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and fork tender. Transfer to a plate.

In the same skillet, melt the remaining 2 T. butter. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs. Lay the steak strips in one layer in the skillet, keeping the drained marinade for later. Cook on each side for 1 minute, until nicely browned.

Stir in the reserved marinade and cook for one minute. Add back the potatoes and heat thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately.

Hashbrowns and Smoked Salmon

These were really tasty! The only thing is that they weren’t very pretty – it was hard to keep the hashbrowns all together when flipping them.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. frozen shredded potatoes

5 sliced green onions

2 or 3 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 T. flour

4 oz. smoked salmon

Directions:

Combine 3 green onions, potatoes and eggs in a large bowl. Add the flour and some salt.

Heat some olive oil in a pan. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, portion out about 4 potato patties into the pan. Press them down with a spatula and cook them until the are browned on the bottom. CAREFULLY flip them over and cook the bottom. Cover them if they are still uncooked until soft. Plate them to a dish and keep them warm.

Continue making hashbrown patties until you are done with the potatoes.

Place a slice of smoked salmon on top of each hashbrown patty. Top with the remaining green onions.

Roasted Baby Potatoes

I love potatoes, especially when they are nice and crispy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. baby potatoes, cleaned and cut in half

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. Italian seasonings

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 t. chopped parsley

2 T. butter, cut into tiny cubes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400.

Heat an ovenproof skillet on the stove with some olive oil. Add the potatoes, cut side down, and cook until they start to crisp up. Turn them over and cook until bottom turns brown.

Move the potatoes to one side. Cook the garlic until it starts to turn brown. Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and mix well.

Turn off the heat and add the parsley and parmesan cheese.

Transfer the skillet to the warm oven.

Roast for about 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the butter cubes over the potatoes. Mix well and serve.

Shepherd’s Pie

This is a “comfort” kind of meal – good on a cold winter’s day!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. potatoes – peeled and cubed

1 lb. ground beef

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

Mushrooms, chopped (optional)

1 c. broth

2 T. flour

2 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 c. frozen peas

Paprika

1/4 c. milk

Butter

Salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste

Directions:

Boil the potatoes until soft. Keep them warm until the meat is done.

Preheat the broiler.

Brown the meat in some olive oil, breaking up the chunks. Add the chopped onions & carrots. Add the mushrooms. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the onion has released its flavor. Season with salt, pepper & garlic powder.

While the meat is cooking, in a separate saucepan, melt 2 T. butter. Whisk into the softened butter the flour, stirring until smooth. Add the broth and Worcestershire sauce and continue mixing until the broth is thickened.

Add this broth mixture to the meat mixture and stir. Add in the peas and cook until the peas are done.

Spoon the meat mixture into a casserole dish.

At this point, begin to make the mashed potatoes using some milk, butter and salt. Mash the potatoes until smooth.

Spoon the potatoes evenly over the meat. Sprinkle some paprika on top. Broil until beginning to get golden.

Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes are always a big favorite of mine and this was an easy and quick way to cook them.

Ingredients:

3 red potatoes, washed and scrubbed

Olive oil

2 t garlic powder

2 t Italian seasonings

1 t paprika

1/4 parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the potatoes into thin slices. Place then in a Ziploc bag and add some olive oil to coat them.

Combine the seasonings, minus the cheese, in another bowl. Mix well. Add the seasonings to the bag and combine well.

Place the potatoes in a single layer in a greased baking pan. Bake them for about 20 minutes until soft.

When soft, remove them and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.

Place them back in the oven until they have a nice golden color.

Roasted Potatoes & Shallots

This was a really quick way to cook potatoes – they took as long to cook as it did to cook dinner.

Ingredients:

2 red potatoes, cut into chunks

Olive oil

2 large shallots, peeled and quartered

Fresh thyme

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475 (I used the convection setting).

Place a greased baking tray into the oven to warm up.

Place all the ingredients (except the thyme) into a bowl and mix with your hands until the potatoes are all covered in oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook for about 15 minutes or until golden and soft, turning once. Sprinkle with thyme before serving.