I love comfort food. So much that I wish it was a cold season almost all the time because my favorite feeling is being cold, putting on a warm sweater, leggings, and big socks and settling down with a warm mug of soup or digging into a hot meal - I know, I'm so basic, don't hate.
In any case, it rained in Austin today and I felt a cool breeze so I immediately put a sweatshirt on (and started sweating a little) and walked to the grocery store to pick up food to make a comfort food feast for dinner.
Chanel had suggested Shepherd's Pie or Loaded Baked Potatoes - I'm terrible at choosing, so I made both. The concept is really simple, it's a little time consuming for a weekday dinner I suppose; it probably took an hour start to finish before we were sitting down eating.
I kept it simple and "baked" my potatoes in the microwave - you probably need to do it 5-7 minutes per potato. So if you are doing three potatoes at a time (more than that won't fit in my microwave) you poke each potato all around with a fork, put them in the microwave, cover them with a damp paper towel, and microwave on high for 15-20 minutes.
While I cooked the two batches of potatoes I was able to cook the bacon and make the sausage and veggie filling. This was a much better use of time than wrapping them in foil and waiting an hour while they did their thing in the oven. The "Shepherd's Pie" filling was a simple variation on the standard ground beef, peas and carrots. My kid's seem kind of burnt out on peas this week, so I decided to mix it up and chop some broccoli really small, saute it with onion and garlic, then add ground sausage instead of beef (I love all the extra flavor), season it with a bit of sage and basil, thicken it with a little gravy and it was ready to go. I think the standard beef, peas and carrots would be divine though and you could make the gravy the same way. Use your imagination!
I made the mashed potatoes with cream, butter, salt, pepper, broth, and some shredded cheese. Once that was mixed up, its all assembly! Line your scooped out potatoes with a little bit of mashed potatoes, then fill with meat and veggies, sprinkle a little cheese, top with heaps of mashed potatoes, cheese, bacon, and green onions. Bake till the cheese is melty and enjoy!
Baked potato shepherd's pie
Serves 6
ingredients:
- 6 medium-large russet potatoes
- 2 sticks of butter, divided
- 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 small white onion, diced
- 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped small
- 1 lb. ground sausage
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 tsp. ground sage
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 2 tbs. flour
- 1 -2 cups beef broth, divided
- 1/2 cup or more heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
- 1 lb. bacon, cooked, drained and diced
- 1 bunch (6-8) green onions, green parts sliced
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Begin cooking your potatoes in the microwave. Rinse your potatoes and poke them all over with a fork. Fit as many in your microwave as you can comfortably (don't stack them - I only fit three) and cover with a damp cloth or paper towel. Microwave on high for 5-7 minutes per potato - my two batches of three potatoes each took 20 minutes. As the first batch is done, remove them and set them on a cookie sheet to cool.
While your potatoes are baking and cooling, make the filling. In a large pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt three tbs. of butter. Add the garlic and onion and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add another 2 tbs. of butter and then add the broccoli. Season with salt, pepper and the sage and basil. Saute gently for a few minutes until warmed.
Push the veggies to the side and add the ground beef to the pot. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, break up the sausage as it cooks, working it into the veggie mix. Once the meat is all broken and cooked, stir to combine evenly with the veggies.
Sprinkle the flour over the sausage mixture and stir until coated and combined. Slowly add 1/2 cup of beef broth, stirring to create a thick gravy holding the sausage mix together. If you want it with more gravy, stir in more broth until its the consistency you like. Remove from heat and set aside.
Prepare the potatoes. With the potatoes cool enough to touch, slice the very top layer off the potatoes and scoop out the middle, leaving 1/4 inch of potato lining to skin to hold it together. Fill a large mixing bowl with the scooped out potatoes and set the six remaining skins on a cookie sheet.
Add 6 tbs. of butter to the potatoes in the bowl with some salt and pepper. Using a hand mixer, beat the potatoes on low. Slowly add the heavy cream a little at a time. I like the potatoes to be more the consistency of a fluffy paste, not runny, so add just a little at a time to make sure there isn't too much liquid. Once that is well combined, add 1/4 cup (or more) beef broth and mix. Finally, whip in a good handful of shredded cheese. Set aside.
Finally assemble the potatoes. Using a spoon, line the inside of the potato skins with a thin layer of mashed potatoes. Next, fill the rest of the potato up with the sausage and broccoli mixture (evenly distribute the mix among all six potatoes). Top with a sprinkle of cheese. Top the potato with heaping spoonfuls of mashed potatoes, then shredded cheese, bacon, and green onion.
Arrange the assembled potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and gooey. Serve immediately.
