With the opening of the Piggly Wiggly at Seaside Farms, we have rediscovered beef. Our years in the midwest spoiled us because excellent beef was always readily available. If you enjoy premium quality meat, we highly recommend the new "Pig". We have consumed more beef since the opening of the store than we have in the past several years combined. For you beef lovers, this means we will finally include some beef recipes to augment the many chicken and pork recipes you have seen in previous columns.
A recipe that goes well with beef was discovered many years ago and has now resurfaced. It brought with it a vivid memory of an attempt at using the (then) new food processor to mash potatoes. In the years that have followed, we've noted that mashed potato recipes frequently feature a warning about using food processors. Our experience quickly taught us that you can make something very similar to wallpaper paste with just a few quick turns of the processor blade. Being confronted with the totally unusable insides of six baking potatoes to be used as part of a dinner for guests is not something you forget quickly. As a result of this disaster, we suggest using a mixer, ricer or potato masher for the stuffed potatoes.
Ingredients:
Cut flank steak, against the grain, into pieces approximately 2 inches by 1/2 inch. On waxed paper, combine bread crumbs, grated cheese, parsley and pepper; mix well. In a small bowl, combine beaten eggs with milk. Dip meat in egg mixture, then bread crumbs to thoroughly coat. In a large skillet, bring olive oil to medium high heat and add coated steak. Brown slowly on all sides. When the meat is browned, add Marsala or Sherry and simmer, covered for 10-15 minutes. 4 servings.
Ingredients:
Sprinkle the steaks with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. In a heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add steaks to skillet and cook to desired doneness. Remove steaks to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the chopped shallots to the pan. Cook, stirring, until softened (about 2 minutes). Increase the heat, add the vinegar and cook until reduced to a glaze, about 1 minute. Spoon the glaze over steaks and serve immediately. 2 servings (can easily be doubled or tripled).
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 425°. Wash and dry potatoes and place in oven. Bake on a rack in the middle of the oven until done (approximately one hour). Remove potatoes from oven and reduce heat to 400°.
In a heavy skillet, fry bacon over moderate heat until golden brown. Drain the bacon on paper towels and set aside. Remove all but 2 TBS bacon grease from the pan. Add chopped onion and saute over low heat until translucent. Remove from heat. Cut a 1/4 inch slice off the top of each potato. With a spoon, scoop the pulp from the potatoes, leaving a shell approximately 1/4 inch thick. Place the pulp in a large bowl with the butter and 1/4 cup milk. Mash to a puree. Once the potato mixture is smooth, stir in cheddar cheese and sour cream, adding more milk, if necessary, to reach desired consistency (thick enough to mound into the shells). Stir in bacon pieces and sauteed onion and adjust seasoning. Spoon the potato mixture into the shells and place in a buttered glass dish just large enough to hold the potatoes. Bake until the tops are golden brown. Serve immediately. 6 servings.
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