I’m a Meat, Potato & GRAVY Girl

// 7.27.06 // Filed under: Uncategorized

Last night we prepared Rachael Ray’s Meatloaf Patties and Smashed Potatoes with Smoky Gravy. This is actually the second time we’ve made this meal. It was awesome the first time, but our leftovers went bad during the Power Outage so we decided to make it again. This meal rocks. I’m so totally a meat & potatoes girl. And that Rachael Ray makes a mean gravy. Mmmmmm….

Here’s the recipe. It makes 4 smallish servings. Please ignore the portion size on my potatoes above. I made extra cuz I LOVE mashed potatoes.

Chop 8 to 10 small white- or red-skinned potatoes (I used red bliss) and cook them in boiling water until tender. Meanwhile, combine 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 pound ground beef, a splash of milk, 1 egg, 1 small, finely-chopped boiling onion, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste, and a handful of chopped fresh parsely (the recipe also calls for 1 tsp ground cumin and 1/2 tsp allspice, but we weren’t hot on those spices and left them out the second time around).

Form the meat mixture into four patties and cook in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with a little extra virgin olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes, then flip and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking about 10 – 15 minutes more, then remove from pan.

Drain the potatoes and add in 1/2 cup sour cream, about 1/4 cup milk, 2 tablespoons of butter, 4 scallions thinly sliced, salt and pepper to taste. Mash it all together to your desired consistency. (You can skip the scallions and use any spice your family likes. My kids liked garlic.)

Make the gravy (don’t skimp here – you NEED the gravy!) in the same pan you cooked the meatloaf in. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk/cook for about 2 minutes. Then slowly add a 14-oz can of broth (beef or chicken broth both work) and stir to combine. Bring it to a boil and let it thicken and reduce for a couple minutes. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of smoky BBQ sauce and 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Add pepper to taste.

Time to prepare: 50 minutes the first time, 45 minutes the second time. I’m realizing that most of Rachael’s 30-minute meals are only 30 minutes if you have uninterrupted, focused cooking time and the ability to chop/peel veggies really fast. But Moms who have hungry, crabby younglings whining underfoot will need to allot a bit more time.

Family Review: Everyone loved it. The kids didn’t care for the skins in the smashed potatoes, but that was pretty easy to work around. But people. So NOT low fat.

Enjoy!

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