Pizza Style Spuds

Ingredients

3.5 oz sliced pepperoni

1 lb hot Italian sausage

6 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 cups milk

½ pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 ½ pounds potatoes, frozen shredded

Method

Cook the sausage (without the casings) in a pan. Remove as much grease as you can and set aside.

While the oven is preheating to 375, melt the butter in a pan. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Whisk in the flour and salt and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly.

Reduce heat to low, and stir in cheese until melted.

Put your shredded potatoes in a baking dish and pour the cheesy liquid over the top. Add the cooked sausage and stir it all together.

Bake, covered for 35 minutes. Uncover, top with pepperoni, and bake 25 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and pepperoni is crisp.

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Perfect Baked Potato

Ingredients

• Medium to large Russet potatoes
• Olive oil
• Coarse kosher salt
• Canned Parmesan cheese

Method

Wash and dry the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 350.

Coat the potatoes with a very thin sheen of olive oil, then rub them generously with salt and Parmesan.

Bake for an hour (or longer for larger potatoes) directly on the oven rack until the outside just starts to crisp up. It's a good idea to place a drip pan on the rack below the spuds.

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Greek Brats

Ingredients

6 lb Boston Butt

1 lb bacon

9 oz beer

8 oz sun-dried tomatoes

8 oz feta cheese crumbles

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon mace

1/2 teaspoon allspice

25' of natural sausage casings

Method

Mix all the dried spices and set aside.

Cut the shoulder into strips that will fit in the meat grinder. Feed the bacon through the grinder first, followed by the shoulder.

Combine everything but the casings, and mix thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Stuff the sausage into the casings.

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Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients

3-4 lb pot roast

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 packet onion soup mix

8-12 new red potatoes, cut it half

1 small red onion, chopped into large pieces

2 carrots, sliced 1" thick

2 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

Flour

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Method

Trim the fat from the roast. Season with salt and pepper, then dust with flower. Rub the seasonings in.

Sear the meat in hot frying pan. About a minute per side is all it should take. While the meat is searing, combine the remaining ingredients (except the garlic and bay leaf) in a slow cooker and whisk until mixed. Add the meat garlic and bay leaf and cook on low for 5 hours.

At the 5 hour mark, add your onions and potatoes. Cook for another 2.5 hours, then add the carrots and cook for another 30 minutes.

Remove the roast from the slow cooker (being very careful, as it will fall apart). Set it on a plate and cover with foil for 10 minutes. While it's cooling, fish out the bay leaf and garlic.

Serve with the gravy created by the soup and meat juices.

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Pinot Chorizo(t)

Meat Selection

I like to use the boston butt end of the pork shoulder without adding additional fat. I buy a bone-in shoulder because I worry about the butchers trimming fat off of the boneless model. The bone weighs about 1/2 lb, so purchase a 6 1/2 lb shoulder to come up with 6 lbs of meat.

Ingredients

6 lbs pork shoulder (boston butt)

1 cup chili powder

1 cup smoked paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 teaspoons salt

1 cup pinot noir wine

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Method

Carve the meat off the bone, getting as much as you can without cutting into the bone. Cut it into strips and feed it through your meat grinder.

Add everything else and mix it up well with your hands. Cover it and let it sit in the refrigerator for 25 hours.

That’s it. You’re done. Unless you want it in casings, which is a different story. I cook it into crumbles, so I don’t bother with the casing process.

I usually break it up into 1 lb portions, run it through the FoodSaver and freeze it. It tastes fantastic in a breakfast burrito.

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Black Eye Pea Dip

Ingredients

1 lb chorizo

2 cans black eyed peas

1 small white onion (diced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 1/2 chipotles (minced)

10 oz Pace mild picante sauce

10 oz cream of mushroom soup

10 oz cream of chicken soup

10 oz mild enchilada sauce

2 tablespoons Emeril's Southwest Essence

1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese

Method

Brown the chorizo, then slide it over to one side of the pot. Add the onions and cook until they start to become translucent. Add garlic and chipotles and cook another minute.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the cheese and cook until it's melted, stirring constantly, so the cheese doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.

Serve with corn chips.

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Hot Sausage Dip

Ingredients

2 lbs spicy breakfast sausage

1 medium white onion (diced)

16 oz cream cheese

16 oz sour cream

2 small cans diced green chilies (rinsed)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Method

Brown the sausage then remove it. Cook the onions in the sausage grease until they start to become translucent. Add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for one hour.

Serve with corn chips and Ritz crackers.

For a nice twist, garnish with fresh diced tomatoes.

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