Grape Pickers Skillet

One of my favorite cooking magazines is Cuisine at Home.  Last year for the first time ever, I made an entire meal based on one article.  The current edition is dog-eared and I've not even clipped a recipe from it yet.  We made (and LOVED) the tea smoked ribs.  When I saw this recipe I thought it'd be perfect to add to the menu for Samantha's bridesmaid's brunch.  I've got to say I was thrilled when my guests focused on the ham quiche and rather ignored this.  Better leftovers!

This was in an article on skillet roasting.  Once I discovered roasting a few years ago, it rather became my go-to preparation method.  I'm even considering roasting a steak.  We'll have to see how that one works out for the girl who loves rare meat...

So, what did we think?  This was VERY good.  It was my favorite of the brunch dishes.  Pieces need to be cut really small since it's quite filling.  And, the recipe's not kidding that you need to drain the grease.  If you're using thick cut bacon like I did, you'll even want to pre-cook it to get some of the grease out of the way.  The recipe actually says that thick cut won't work.  I'm here to tell you it works just fine if you pre-cook it.  The original recipe called for shredded chicken.  I used sausage because I didn't want to deal with half of a rotisserie chicken leftover and also didn't want to take the time to poach chicken breasts then shred them.  The sausage was a perfect substitute.

You're probably wondering where the name comes from.  It was evidently a favorite of the grape pickers in the Burgundy region of France. 

Grape Pickers Skillet

Ingredients:

10 oz bacon strips
2 T minced fresh thyme
2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced (or red skin potatoes)
3/4 c shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
1/2 lb pork sausage, browned, drained and crumbled
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 T minced garlic

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450.

Saute the red onion in about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Or, if you're using thick cut bacon and want to be wicked, saute the red onion in some of the bacon fat. 

Line an 8" cast iron skillet with bacon. 

You'll want the pieces to not overlap in the middle then have about a third of each piece hanging over the edge of the skillet.

The best way to thinly slice the potatoes is a mandolin.  Lay half of the potatoes on the bacon and sprinkle them with thyme.  Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded Gruyere on the potatoes. 

Top the cheese with the sausage then another 1/3 of the cheese.

Layer on the sauteed onions and garlic then the rest of the potatoes

Then add the balance of the cheese. 

Wrap the bacon up and over and try not to layer it in the center.


Cook the skillet for 10 minutes on the stovetop on medium heat then cover it with aluminum foil and move it to the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and roast for another 30 minutes.  You want the potatoes to be fork tender and the bacon to be nicely browned.  Let the skillet rest for 10 minutes.  Drain excess fat before serving.

adapted from Cuisine at Home

Hash Brown Casserole

My niece, Samantha, is getting married soon. 

Samantha - the gorgeous bride-to-be

Of course, a wedding comes with all of the attendant festivities.  Showers, bridesmaids luncheons, rehearsal dinners etc.  Sam is absolutely looking to the future since she's got everything necessary to entertain our whole family on her wish list.  Ok, registration.  Wish list just sounds so much more fun.  Registration is so, ummm, businesslike.  Since I can't (according to Mrs. Manners, aka Mom) do a shower, I volunteered to do the bridesmaid's luncheon. 

Mom aka Mrs Manners or Mrs Grammar Person - take your pick, she's still wonderful!

As long as gifts aren't involved, it's kosher.  Saturdays are spent at the office - most of them meeting with clients who've come in from out of town or who just can't get away from work on a workday.  That leaves Sundays for the festivities.  Now, being the football fan that I am AND hoping my Colts would somehow miraculously recover from a litany of injuries to advance in the playoffs, I asked if it was ok to have the party on January 30th.  And, since I love, love, love brunch, I suggested a brunch.  Deal.

Heres' the menu:
Mimosa's (It would not be a MOPS celebration without Mimosa's)
Fruit platter (gotta have something healthy here)

Ham and cheese quiche

Hashbrown casserole
Grape Pickers casserole (great name, eh? More on this later)
Lemon lavender blueberry muffins

Banana bread

Pumpkin yeast rolls with FARM Bloomington apple butter

Assorted sausages from Klaus' Haus

Sam's colors for the wedding are yellow and grey.  I know, that was my reaction too.  Interesting.  Then, my sister-in-law, Pam, explained the bridesmaid's dresses are a tweed that looks grey.  AHHHH, I get it. 

Pam - lucky me to have such an awesome sister-in-law!!

We got some yellow and some grey ribbon and tied it on the champagne glasses.  Connie did the napkins - grey - in a fleur de lis fold with a spray of yellow flowers tucked in each.  He made sure he was out of the house before it was filled with twelve women - all chattering at the same time, or so it seemed :-)

I kind of hesitated before including the hashbrown casserole in the mix.  It's not your typical ladies who lunch dish.  It's VERY rich.  But, OMG is it ever good.  I have no clue where the recipe came from but it's noted, "Excellent! 7-85."  We had a bit of it leftover with our after theatre dinner tonight and Connie gave it a "Big FAT Five!"  He rarely gives those out.  Now, I've seen the hashbrown casserole recipe with the cream of chicken soup.  But, I've never tried it because this is so daggone good that I don't want to mess with perfection.

Hashbrown Casserole

serves 12-20 depending on the portion size

Ingredients:
16 oz frozen, shredded hashbrowns
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1/2 stick of butter (the original recipe calls for a whole stick.  Believe me, you do NOT need it!)
16 oz Velveeta
2 c mayonnaise (the real stuff, NOT salad dressing)
1/2 - 1 lb bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp (how much depends on how decadent you're feeling)

Directions:
Take the hash browns out of the freezer about 30 minutes before you put this dish together.  Saute the onion in the butter until it's nice and softened.  Add the garlic and the Velveeta.  Stir until the Velveeta melts.  Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the mayonnaise.  Break the hash browns apart and stir them in.  Once the whole deal is nice and gloppy, pour it into a 9x13 baking dish.  Top with the bacon pieces.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until browned.