Tag: main dish

By Fran Hill

I am tired. Exhausted. Wiped out.

It isn’t always this way. Some days, I start out strong and hit my to-do list hard. I check things off and accomplish much before eventually hitting a wall. Other days, I simply wake up tired.

Unfortunately, we always have to eat. It doesn’t matter if I am tired or not. Dinner always needs to be served. Thank goodness for sheet pan dinners. Tossing some vegetables and a protein into the oven and pulling out a full meal is a lifesaver.

Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Kale is a comfort food meal that hits all the right notes. The heartiness of potatoes and onions meets flavorful sausage and dances with a bright dressing on the kale.

I always feel better when I can put a great meal on the table, and it is an absolute bonus when it is as easy as this.

Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Kale is a simple one-sheet dinner that satisfies at the end of a long day.

Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Kale

1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise OR small new potatoes, halved

1 medium yellow onion, wedged into eight pieces

2-4 cloves of garlic, sliced

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 ring bologna or sausage

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves torn into large pieces

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss potatoes, onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Meanwhile, on a cutting board, make slices into the ring bologna or sausage at 1/4-inch intervals leaving the bottom intact. DO NOT cut clear through the sausage. Add the sausage to the roasting pan, nestling it among the potatoes. Roast an additional 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, mustard, honey, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Toss kale in dressing, using your hands to massage dressing evenly into leaves.

Scatter dressed leaves in an even layer over sausage and potatoes. (Can reserve any dressing in the bottom of the bowl for drizzling when meal is plated.) Roast, tossing kale halfway through, until tender and charred in places, 3–5 minutes. (Serves 4.)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

By Fran Hill

I am not going to lie; it seems pretty frivolous to be prating on about recipes during a pandemic. However, food is what I do, so here I am.

In our home, we have been practicing social distancing for some time as a safety measure. I have limited my trips to the grocery store and am thankful for the privilege of a full pantry and freezer. While I haven’t done much baking, there has been a strong focus on comfort foods in our meals. Being home allows so much more time for roasting chickens and slow braising big hunks of meat. It also leads to sorting through old recipes and reviving things that may have been forgotten.

Easy Pleasin’ Meatloaf is one of those almost forgotten recipes. I pull it out from time to time to feed the shearing crew, but it isn’t on my regular menu rotation. Right now, its minimal (and easily accessible) ingredients make it a very appropriate recipe for these uncertain times. Instead of breadcrumbs, crackers or oatmeal, this meatloaf relies on stuffing mix. If you don’t have a box of stuffing mix sitting in the back of your pantry from last Thanksgiving, it is a simple item to add to your grocery list for curbside pick-up or delivery. I use my home-canned ketchup in the recipe and have altered the original process to include sautÈing the onions for what I feel is a better texture and flavor. One could swap out the ketchup for barbeque sauce and include green peppers if you lean in that flavor direction.

Meatloaf won’t solve the world’s problems, but I hope it allows you a bit of comfort in the midst of this storm. Please take care of yourself, your family and your community by following CDC guidelines to stay home as much as possible. I have a huge appreciation for those that are serving through this time with healthcare, grocery, food service and other essential services. Please do what you can to support them; wash your hands, stay home and try some simple comfort food.

Comfort foods like meatloaf can help soothe the soul during trying times.

Easy Pleasin’ Meatloaf

(adapted from Kraft)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1⁄2 onion, finely diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup water

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 (6 1/4 ounce) package stuffing mix (Stove Top turkey or chicken versions)

2 eggs

1⁄2 cup ketchup, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and sautÈ onion until tender and translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, except 1/4 cup ketchup. Stir in the cooled onions and garlic.

Shape meat mixture into an oval loaf and place on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. (The new-ish non-stick foil eliminates the need for cooking spray).

Spread remaining ketchup over the top of the loaf. Bake for 1 hour. (Serves 6-8)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

By Fran Hill

I have some pretty strong feelings about macaroni and cheese. First, it MUST be creamy and cheesy. Nothing is worse than a bowl of dry, gluey pasta. Second, under no circumstances should my mac and cheese be covered in breadcrumbs. Ever. To reiterate my first point, I want creamy and cheesy, and adding grit to that is not a”balance of textures.” Breadcrumbs on mac and cheese gives me a mouth full of sand and ruins my elbow noodle experience.

Recently, I dug deep into the multitude of the recipes I have tried in the past to find a great mac and cheese. My experience tells me that there are many, many cheeses that make a lusciously smooth cheese sauce, but the key is to choose those with higher milk fat content. Dry cheeses may have tremendous flavor, but they also are more prone to a grainy sauce.

With that said, you are probably going to want to cancel me and my strong feelings when I tell you that the recipe that I decided to share today leaves the cheese choice up to you. I have made it with one type of cheese, and I have made it with the various leftover hunks of cheeses from the deli drawer of my fridge. Both have produced excellent results, and, in my opinion, this adaptability is what makes a great recipe.

Cooking is about experimentation and learning what works for you. Just because I don’t care for breadcrumbs on my mac and cheese doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy this so-called crunchy topping. I like a smooth sauce that comes together on the stove top, and if I bake my macaroni, I toss a little more shredded cheese on top before it goes under the broiler. Another controversial point may be that for me, mac and cheese is the perfect vehicle to add extra vegetables to the meal. Chopping up some fresh baby spinach, sautÈing kale, steaming broccoli (or simply adding it to the boiling pasta water for that last bit of cooking time), even adding cauliflower are great ways for me to increase the healthful nutrients of this dish.

I served Creamy Garlic Shrimp Mac and Cheese as a requested side dish with some grilled steaks (and steamed green beans as a responsibility vegetable) on Hubs’ birthday. The added protein of the shrimp makes this a great stand-alone dish, as well. It would be an excellent Lenten meal with a tossed salad. If you try it, I encourage you to follow your own feelings about food and make it with whatever your favorite cheese(s) may be.

From breadcrumbs to dry cheese, everyone puts their own spin on this classic dish.

Creamy Garlic Shrimp Mac and Cheese

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 pound elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup flour

1 cup heavy cream

1-1/2 to 2 cups whole milk

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pound coarsely chopped cooked shrimp

4 cups (1 pound) mixed shredded cheeses (For the recipe pictured, I used leftover bits of white cheddar, gruyere, gouda, Monterey jack and mozzarella. Fontina and Swiss would be good options, as well.)

2-3 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni just until tender. (The noodles should not be too soft, or the final dish will be mushy. Likewise, the pasta only bakes a short time, and therefore, the noodles should not be too firm when added to the sauce.) Rinse with cold water. Set aside.

While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion; cook until softened. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant. Stir in flour, cooking just about a minute to remove the raw flour taste. Whisk in cream and 1-1/2 cups milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened. Season with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg.

Set aside approximately 1/2 cup of the shredded cheeses. Remove pan from heat and begin whisking in the remaining cheese, one handful at a time. Stir and allow one batch of cheese to melt into the sauce before adding more. Taste the cheese sauce for salt and season as needed. (I usually don’t need additional salt, but some cheeses are milder.) Return to a low heat and stir in chopped spinach. Allow to cook slightly and wilt the greens. Fold shrimp into the cheese sauce and allow to heat through, stirring to ensure the sauce doesn’t scorch. At this point, if the sauce seems too thick, stir in the additional 1/2 cup of milk, if needed. Combine macaroni with the cheese sauce and transfer to a shallow baking dish or large skillet. Top with the reserved shredded cheese. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes, until bubbly. Broil the last 5 minutes (watching closely to toast the cheese on top, but not burn). Let cool 5 minutes before serving. (Serves MANY as a side dish, and 6-8 as a main dish)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

By Fran Hill

There are so many traditions surrounding New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Fancy meals out, snacks on the sofa, oyster stew, Chinese food, pizza, movies, board games, heated pitch tournaments, watching the ball drop, house parties, joining friends at the local watering hole, kisses at midnight, toasts of champagne, Hoppin’ John, resolutions, hikes, jammie day and Alka Seltzer. Everyone has their own way of celebrating the passing of Father Time and the birth of a new year.

Personally, I don’t have any set-in-stone traditions. We have hosted parties and gone out with friends; eaten fancy meals and grazed on snacks; counted down and slept through midnight. Our celebration, or lack thereof, is subject to whatever strikes our fancy, and of course, in South Dakota, the weather.

We chose to see 2019 out with an array of snacks on the coffee table, a couple of movies, and going to bed early. It has been a rough year, and the last winter storm of 2019 was a doozy that wore us out. We didn’t even open the bottle of champagne … until I got ready to make Champagne Chicken on New Year’s Day.

I guess Champagne Chicken could be considered semi-traditional for us. Gleaned from some long forgotten online source, I first made this dish back in the early 2000s when I had champagne (or some kind of sparkling wine) leftover from toasting the New Year. For a while, it became my go-to recipe for a special occasion dish. The tang that the wine imparts to the cream makes the sauce stand out from the usual herbed, sauced chicken. It is delicious over angel hair pasta, but I initially always served it with rice and asparagus on the side.

Champagne Chicken on New Year’s Day was a deliciously hopeful start to my 2020.

Leftover bubbly is a sparking addition to Champagne Chicken.

Champagne Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1⁄3 cup flour

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1⁄4 cup butter

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cups champagne

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped VERY finely

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Using a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to an even 1/4-inch thickness.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, 1-2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. In batches of 2, dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess and place in the hot butter/oil mixture. Cook, flipping once, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a plate and continue with remaining chicken.

Add the champagne to the butter mixture and scrape any browned bits from the skillet. Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and continue to cook for about 6-8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Again, remove the chicken from the pan and whisk the cream and rosemary into the champagne. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer lightly until sauce thickens. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with sauce.

To serve, nestle the chicken over a bed of pasta or rice and ladle sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley. (Serves 4)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

By Fran Hill

It is January in South Dakota. Days are cold, snowy and dark. I know that winter will last at least another three months, but I am not betting against the possibility of an April blizzard. Like most of you, I not only want, but need, comfort foods. Enter Cauliflower Au Gratin.

Admittedly, cauliflower doesn’t usually come to mind when I think about comfort food. Vegetables are not high on that list. During the winter, vegetables are more often treated like a responsibility than a feature of the meal in my house. Sure, I roast just about anything that I find in the produce section and chop cutting boards full of kale and spinach to add to soups, stews and sauces, but overall, there is no excitement for this section of my daily diet.

I do, however, get excited about rich, creamy and luscious cheese sauce. The nourishing cabbage-like flavor of cauliflower begs to be drenched in a blend of cheeses. Baking it all with bacon and green onion creates a scrumptious casserole that is absolutely pure comfort food. With Cauliflower Au Gratin on my plate, the next few months of winter are going to be delicious.

Creamy, cheesy cauliflower au gratin is a wintertime comfort food.

Cauliflower Au Gratin

1 head cauliflower

1/2 cup shredded colby jack (or other mild) cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup milk (approximately)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, chopped

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

salt & pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Separate the cauliflower into florets. In a casserole dish with a lid, microwave 5 minutes until steamed and tender-crisp.

Combine the cheeses (freshly shredded will melt more smoothly due to avoiding the anti-clumping agents in pre-shredded cheeses), cream cheese and minced garlic using a mixer. Add the milk a little at a time to achieve a sauce-like texture. Don’t add too much milk, as the cauliflower will release additional liquid as it cooks.

Fold half of the crumbled bacon and half of the green onions into the cheese mixture. Toss the cauliflower to thoroughly coat with the cheese mixture.

Pour into a greased 8×8 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, top with remaining bacon and bake an additional 10 minutes. Top with remaining green onions before serving. (Serves 4-6).

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.