Dean's Perfect Gravy

What are perfect lumpy mashed 'taters without perfect gravy?

2 Cups water, bullion, or stock
3 Tablespoons corn starch
1/3 Cup cold water
1/2 Teaspoon Mrs. Dash Regular
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Don't anguish over gravy, it's not a mysterious science. This recipe is super easy and almost never fails. Even if it does, there's very little cost to tossing a botched batch and starting over. Not like pan/drippings gravy where you only get one shot to get it right.

First, you should determine what you're making, is it ham gravy? turkey gravy? chicken gravy? beef gravy? What? Find, at your nearest store, either bullion powder (sometimes called soup base), bullion cubes or, even canned stock (best). Get that set up first and then we'll start the perfect gravy part. Now, assuming you've done that, bring the water or, bullion/stock to a slight/light boil. Of course, you can add your bullion powder or cubes at this point. Add your Mrs. Dash at this point. I choose Mrs. Dash because of it's low sodium content. Watch your salts at this point. Typically, the prepared bullion cubes/powders have a great deal of salt in them already.

In a small mason jar, combine the corn starch and cold water. Shake well. Vigorously well.

Add the water/starch mixture to the gently boiling stock mix in very small amounts while stirring vigorously with either a whisk (best) or a wooden spoon. Keep the liquid moving until the gravy begins to take shape and thicken nicely. Go slowly or, you'll get lumps. Remember that lumpy 'taters are great but, lumpy gravy isn't.

Tips:

- Try Better Than Bullion instead of bullion cubes/powder/soup base
- For poultry gravies, try replacing a small amount of that water (see above) with milk or, cream
- Experiment with different seasonings and spices
- This recipe can be easily adapted to other gravies and sauces. Get creative!
- Remember, go easy on the salt! It's pure myth that you can remove excess salt with a potato. About the only thing you can do is possibly add brown sugar to counteract the salt, it's a crap shoot

Dean's Perfect Lumpy Mashed 'Taters

4 1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled,
4 teaspoons kosher salt or, more to taste
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or, more to taste

Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes and place in a heavy pot, cover the potatoes with hot water. Stir in half of the kosher salt, set over medium heat, and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat slightly, partially cover, and cook, stirring at will, until the potatoes are very tender: about 15 minutes.

While that's going, in a small saucepan, bring the milk just to a simmer. Stir in the butter, the rest of the kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Cover the saucepan and remove it from the heat. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash the potatoes (leave some lumps!). Beat the potatoes with an old fashioned masher or, a large wooden spoon or, even an electric mixer (watch your silverstone pots) until they are light and fluffy.

Per serving
183 Calories
2g Fat (10% calories from fat)
6g Protein
37g Carbohydrate
7mg Cholesterol
1100mg Sodium

David's Lumpy Pate Au Chinois

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn (drained)
4 to 5 cups LUMPY mashed potato's
Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper to taste

Sautee hamburger with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste line a medium casserole dish. Mix creamed corn with corn and put on top of hamburger.

Top with Lumpy mashed potato's and bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

ROASTED POTATOES WITH CARAMELIZED GARLIC

Yield: 1 batch

6 To 8 red boiling potatoes
-- unpeeled, in 1" chunks
4 tb Olive oil
16 To 18 garlic cloves
-- peeled and sliced
1 tb Sugar
1/4 c Balsamic vinegar
2 tb White wine
1/3 c Chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground pepper
1 tb Chopped fresh parsley

Put 2 tb. olive oil in the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking
dish; heat in oven for 5 minutes. Add potatoes,
tossing to coat them. Roast potatoes, turning
occasionally, at 425 F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until
tender.

While potatoes are baking, prepare garlic. In a small
skillet, heat 2 tb. olive oil; add garlic. Cover pan
and cook over very low heat for 5 to 8 minutes until
garlic is tender. Sprinkle with sugar and stir until
garlic is golden. Add vinegar, wine and basil.
Simmer 2 minutes. Spoon over roasted potatoes.
Sprinkle with pepper and parsley; serve.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

From 1993 "Shepherd's Garden Seeds Catalog," pg. 31.

Special shepards pie:
Ingrediants:
1-2lbs of gound beef
baby bella mushrooms
onions
liptons onion soup mix
hot pepper (de-seeded)
6-8 large potatoes(washed, skin on)
thick cut bacon(applethorn is best)
salt and pepper
garlic
Half and Half
freshly grated Parm cheese. (if you really like cheese, grate up some sharp cabot cheddar)
1 stick of butter
2 cans creamed corn
2 cans sweet yellow corn
step 1: wash and peel potatoes, fill a pot with water, salt, pepper and two gloves fresh pressed garlic. Chop potatoes and place in pot. Put on a back burner and let cook for about 20 mins or until tender.

step 2: Cook bacon in a skillet. Put bacon aside once it is almost crispy.

Step 3: chop onion, mushrooms, hot pepper, 1 glove garlic,
4th: place a bit of olive oil in a pan, sautee vegatables for about 30 seconds or until cooked put still crispy. put in a bowl and put aside.
Step 4: place hamburger in the same skillet, pour in onion soup mix and mix together with hamburger, brown hamburger when almost completely brown add vegatables. Mix together. Place Hamburger at the bottom of a cassarol dish.
Step 5: open all 4 cans of corn. alternate the two different kinds when you pour them over the hamburger.

Step 6: Check potatoes, if done, drain.
Step 7: when potatoes are finished. Add Chopped bacon, half and half, stick of butter, salt and pepper, chopped leeks( more form the white end and little of the green end) grate the Parm and cheddar over the potatoes. Mix but not to well you must keep them lumpy.
Step 8: Place lumpy potatoes over corn.

Step 9: Place in over at 375 for 30 minutes.

ust want to thank everyone for the comments, recipes, poems, etc. Please keep them coming. With your help this website can be a living, breathing, musical community.

My cooking skills are suspect at best. Breaking my wrist did nothing to improve them. It did provide me the time to spend looking at recipes. Here's one I thought looked good.

Lumpy Tater Dream

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered. 1/4 cup butter.
1 bunch green onions, sliced.
1tbs prepared horseradish
1tsp garlic powder. 2tbs grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk. Freshly ground black pepper to taste. Salt to taste.

Directions:

1-Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender (approx. 25 minutes),drain. 2- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onions, and cook until tender (3-5 minutes). Mix green onions, horseradish, garlic powder, parmesan, milk, salt and pepper with potatoes. Mash to taste. serves 6
from Allrecipes.com

Gourmet Sweet Potato Classic
Submitted by: Heather
Once you taste this, you won't ever go back to the marshmallow-topped
variety! I have peeled and cooked in the microwave, and also boiled the
sweet potatoes. They taste the same no matter how you cook them. So,
use the technique that works best for you!
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
5 sweet potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans



Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13
inch baking dish.
2. Bake sweet potatoes 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until they
begin to soften. Cool slightly, peel, and mash.
3. In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes, salt, 1/4 cup
butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, and heavy cream. Transfer to
the prepared baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup butter, flour, brown sugar, and
chopped pecans. Mix with a pastry blender or your fingers to the
consistency of course meal. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.
5. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until topping is crisp and
lightly browned.

Velveeta Potato Soup
Makes 8 servings.

3 lbs. red potatoes
1/4 C. margarine, melted
1/4 C. flour
8 C. half-and-half (can use fat free)
1 (16-ounce) block Velveeta cheese, melted
pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
1/2 lb. bacon, fried crisply
1 C. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 C. fresh chives, chopped
1/2 C. fresh parsley, chopped

Dice unpeeled red potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in a large Dutch oven,
cover with water and bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes or until 3/4
cooked.

In a separate large Dutch oven, combine melted margarine and flour, mixing
until smooth. Place over low heat and gradually add half-and-half, stirring
constantly. Continue to stir until smooth and liquid begins to thicken.

Add melted Velveeta. Stir well. Drain potatoes and add to cream mixture. Stir
in pepper, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce.

Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place soup into individual serving bowls and top with crumbled bacon,
shredded cheese, chives and parsley.