Gratin Dauphinois

Bonne fête! After missing last year, it's great to be back for another Bastille Day post. Gratin Dauphinois is a rather simple dish compared to what we often think of with French cuisine, but it's no less delicious for it. The best part is perhaps how easy it is to make. This particular recipe is adapted from one I found in Jacques Pépin's Essential Pépin, scaled down slightly to the amount of potatoes I had on hand. The dish gets its name from the Dauphiné region of southeastern France, where it originates. This is a part of France I know very little about. Some quick research tells me it was the site of the Day of the Tiles, a series of riots in Grenoble (the capital of Dauphiné), considered by some to be the start of the French Revolution. 

Grain Dauphinois reminds me quite a bit of scalloped potatoes, which I posted thirteen years ago and have not made again since. The main difference is the strong garlic flavor here - grating the garlic on a microplane really brings it out. As far as the potatoes themselves go, I did not peel them, but that's certainly an option. Pépin points out that it is important not to otherwise scrub or rinse the cut potatoes because the starch from the potatoes themselves is what thickens the liquid. There is no flour or any other thickener in the dish. There is some debate over the use of cheese. My cursory research points out that traditionally, it is not included, but that many recipes do use it, such as Escoffier himself. Gruyère is probably best, though I used a Sweet Swiss from Fair Oaks Farms that I picked up on our last drive through Indiana. This was also a good excuse to use the nice copper gratin pan seen the the photo, but any small casserole dish will do the job.

Upgrade: White Macaroni Hotdish

Hotdish is one of the iconic dishes of the Upper Midwest, particularly associated with Minnesota. Church cookbooks are full of them, and many families have their own house recipes. My family has two, both macaroni-based styles, which we refer to as "red" and "white." This also gives you a convenient wine pairing. The red kind uses tomato soup, and comes from my maternal grandmother. The white kind, which was one of my earliest posts, comes from my paternal grandparents. Although we lost all three of them in the last few years, their legacy lives on through traditions like these. Today, I'm revisiting the white hotdish to how I make it now, a better version than could muster at the tender age of 23. To this day, it is still one of my top comfort foods, and I'll be making it for years to come.

There is a lot of variation in what can go in a hotdish. In Molly on the Range, Molly Yeh gives a four-part breakdown of creamed soup, vegetables, meat, and starch. Yet, with the exception of starch (I think), all of these are negotiable. Her own tater tot hotdish eschews the soup for a homemade mix of milk and stock, while my family's red hotdish uses tomato soup. I've even winged it with just canned tomatoes. My original recipe for this hotdish had no vegetables (just mushrooms), though I now include onions. You could easily replace the meat with more mushrooms to make a vegetarian version. Starches vary greatly, and can include pasta, rice, wild rice, potatoes, or even crushed crackers. The starch component is what holds the dish together and turns a soupy mess into a hotdish. Thinking about this basic formula, shepherd's pie might be the proto-hotdish. The Jewish noodle kugel, Italian lasagna, and Greek pastitsio are certainly cousins, at the very least.

The biggest difference between this version and my original is the scale. This recipe is designed to use a full one-pound box of macaroni, which I wouldn't have done back when I lived alone. With two of us, I like making it bigger so we can have leftovers for a few days of quick lunches. Although I've scaled up the overall size, I've left the amount of meat at one pound of mixed beef and pork, which corrects the overly meaty balance. Adding onions and more mushrooms gives the whole thing a little more variation. For the topping, I use a mixture of grated Swiss and Parmesan and some breadcrumbs for a little crunch. The Swiss is just a basic supermarket block, as the subtlety of gruyère is kind of lost on this dish. That said, I still prefer real Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano for this, which will give you a little nuttiness. Cooking at a high temperature for 45 minutes leads to a soft interior and crisp crust.

Let's talk about the soup. I had actually meant to get this post out several weeks ago, but messed up the recipe by not using enough soup. This hotdish should be creamy and gooey, and the macaroni should be well-coated before baking. I found a giant 26 oz. can, which is about what you need to adequately coat the full pound of pasta here. A regular-sized can then forms the base for the topping, making for a total of 36.5 oz. of soup. I'm not sure the full can was needed at the end, but it doesn't hurt and I wasn't going to save a half can of soup. If you only have three regular cans instead, the total amount will be 31.5 oz. This leaves about a half can for the topping, which should work fine.

Indy's Pittsburgh Cassoulet

I got this recipe from my friend, Harrison "Indy" Turner, who came to visit nearly three years ago. Right before leaving, he handed me a tiny piece of paper with the recipe on it. I stuffed the paper into my coat pocket, where it sat until last March, when I suddenly remembered its existence and rediscovered it. In true Indy style, the recipe is deliciously vague, with such gems as "<1 pound of hot dogs" and "large can o' baked beans." As such, I've done some interpretation, as well as elevating the technique (slightly) beyond "mix ingredients in dish; bake 40-45 min at 350° F."

I do not know whether the recipe is an old family secret or Indy's own concoction; both seem rather plausible. In any case, the use of chopped hot dogs certainly appeals to my Midwestern sensibilities. We regularly added them to boxed mac and cheese or ramen for a quick meal when I was a kid. The basic formula of a bean and sausage casserole is also quite close to my heart as a big fan of cassoulet. It is this resemblance that led me to dub this dish "Pittsburgh Cassoulet." The original recipe did not specify what type of mustard. Since hot dogs are featured, I went with yellow mustard. Going along with the theme, both the ketchup and mustard were Heinz.

The original recipe

Ingredients

• 6 hot dogs, sliced into discs
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 lb canned baked beans (2 standard sized cans)
• 10 oz canned pineapple chunks, drained (1/2 standard can)
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs ketchup
• 2 tsp yellow mustard (or more to taste)
• Olive oil
• Black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a dutch oven or heavy saute pan, cook the hot dogs and onion with a splash of olive oil until hot dogs are lightly browned and onions are softened. 

Add the beans, pineapple, brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard. Mix well and transfer to the oven. 

Bake for 45 minutes. Add black pepper to taste.

Easy Chicken Cassoulet

It's that time of year again, folks, and of course, I mean it's Bastille Day. Is there any better way to celebrate than by storming our hunger? Non. This dish is essentially a simplified and easy-to-make version of cassoulet, with inexpensive and relatively easily found ingredients. Along with some variants, it has become one of the most common and favorite meals in our house, where it is simply known as "beans." 

The basic formula lends itself to variation, substitutions, and experimentation for many bean-based dishes; the recipe here is really just a suggestion. Swapping the mustard for some garam masala and coconut milk puts an Asian spin on the dish, for example. Different meats (duck, of course, among others) or different types of beans can work well, too. If changing the bean type, you should be careful to stick with beans that hold their shape well after a long cooking time. Any type of kidney bean, as well as chickpeas fit the bill nicely.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced
• 1/2 tbs butter
• Olive oil
• 2 cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 tbs Dijon mustard
• 1/2 large lemon
• 1 sprig fresh parsley, removed from stem
• 1 bay leaf
• Herbes de Provence
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Flour or Wondra for thickening

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat a bit of olive oil on medium-high heat. Rub both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken on both sides, then remove from the pot and set aside. Add butter and more olive oil as needed. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and sausage. Cook the mixture until the vegetables become soft. Salt and pepper to your preference.

Next, add the chicken back in, along with the beans and chicken stock. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the pot, then stir in mustard, parsley, Herbes de Provence (a few good shakes), and bay leaf. Finally, add the thickening agent. If using Wondra, a few generous shakes is sufficient; if using flour, mix with water first. Stir thoroughly. I have also had some success with, in addition to the lemon juice, putting a piece of lemon rind in the pot before baking. I used the rind from a quarter of the lemon here. 

Ready to reduce

Put the pot in the oven and bake for about 1 hour. It is recommended to stir a few times and taste during baking. If the dish is not thickened to your liking after 1 hour of baking, you can remove the chicken and then reduce the liquid on the stovetop on high heat. I generally do this for at least 5 minutes. At the end, you should always be sure to taste and add salt or pepper if needed.

Shepherd's Pie

Ahoy, my dear readers! Thanks to you, No Free Lunch has reached 4000 pageviews. Thank you for the continued support through my longer-than-expected creative nadir.

At West Lafayette's Pay-Less Supermarket, nestled between the ground beef and the ground bison,  observant shoppers can sometimes find ground lamb. Having wanted to make this quintessential British dish, I snapped it up yesterday. Making shepherd's pie, I discovered two things. First, it's quite easy to make. Second, it's relatively difficult to capture in a photograph. Despite this, it's damn tasty. You can substitute ground beef here, but then we would be cowherds, wouldn't we?

Ingredients

Mashed Potatoes

• 5 potatoes
• 4 tbs half and half
• 3 tbs butter
• Salt and pepper

Filling

• 1/2 large sweet onion
• 4-5 small carrots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 pound ground lamb
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chicken or beef stock
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil water in a large pot. Peel and halve potatoes. Cook potatoes until soft, so they can be poked easily with a fork. When done, drain and add half and half, butter, salt, and pepper. Mash well.

While potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Finely dice the onion and carrots. Mince garlic. With a little olive oil, saute vegetables on medium high heat for a few minutes. Add lamb. Break up the meat and add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until browned. Add peas, tomatoes, and stock. Mix thoroughly and let cook for a few minutes.

Pour the filling out into a casserole dish. Cover evenly with mashed potatoes. Use a fork to disrupt the top of the potatoes, so small peaks form. These peaks will brown in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

When serving, scoop all the way down to get everything. I enjoyed my Shepherd's Pie with a big glass of Murphy's stout.

Scalloped Potatoes

My apologies, my dear readers, I haven't been feeling too inspired to do a lot of great cooking recently. You won't be disappointed by this one, though. Scalloped potatoes are another family favorite, and I've eaten them going way back. I consulted a bit with mom, though I was winging it quite a bit here. While my first attempt was not 100% successful, I present here the "lessons learned" version. You can use whatever kind of potatoes you like. I used the ever-versatile Yukon Golds. I also want to make a note about turkey ham. When I was younger, we always had a block of this stuff on hand, and we used to put it on everything - sandwiches, Ramen, mac and cheese, even quesadillas. It's a little lighter in flavor than regular ham, and very inexpensive. Still today, it often catches my eye in the grocery store.

Ingredients

• 4 good-sized potatoes
• 1 cup diced ham or turkey ham
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 2-3 tbs flour
• Diced onion (optional)
• Grated Emmentaler or other hard cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes and cut into thin slices. Dice ham and onion (if using) into small cubes. Add just a little milk to a bowl, and stir the flour in to form a slurry. Mix the milk and half and half together, then add the thickening slurry.

Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with potato slices, overlapping them slightly. Use about one third of the potatoes. Sprinkle about half the ham and onions over the potatoes. Cut the butter into thin slices (it's easier if the butter is cold), and strategically place about half of it. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Pour some of the thickened milk mixture into the dish.

Cover everything with another layer of potato. Add the remaining ham, onions, and butter. Season this layer, and pour in more of the milk mixture. Cover with all remaining potatoes, season, and pour the rest of the milk in. Cover the top with grated Emmentaler (or a cheese of your choice). Bake until potatoes are soft, about 60 minutes.

Baked Penne Mornay

Pasta and cheese. What's not to love? The idea behind this type of dish is a sort of classed-up mac and cheese. I was originally inspired to try a recipe like this when I saw something similar on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. My version isn't quite as extravagant, and I've added Italian sausage. The recipe for the cheese sauce is derived from one found in The Joy of Cooking, but with more cheese.

Ingredients

Pasta

• 2 1/2 cups dry penne pasta
• 3 links Italian sausage
• 2 tbs half and half
• Extra Parmiggiano-Reggiano

Sauce

• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup grated Emmentaler
• 1/4 cup grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Get some salted water boiling and cook the pasta for about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse, and set aside. Heat pan on medium-high. De-case the sausage. Break it up and add to the pan. Cook until well browned and set aside.

Clean out the pan. We'll now make the sauce. Melt butter on medium heat. Add flour and mix together. Cook until the roux darkens slightly. Add milk and whisk together. Simmer the sauce while grating the cheese. Add grated cheese and stir together until melted and integrated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the pasta, sauce, sausage, and half and half in a casserole dish. Mix thoroughly to coat the pasta. Cover the top with more grated Parmiggiano. Bake for 20 minutes. The top should be a little crunchy, while the interior will be creamy and cheesy.

Minnesota Hotdish

I'm going back to my roots for this one. No matter how many delicious Indiana pork tenderloins you feed me, there will always be a place in my heart and belly for hotdish. There's just something so endearing about a food that you dump a can of soup into. Comfort food at it's finest. This recipe is the perfect complement to the mushroom soup-based casserole from January. I, perhaps like many Minnesotans, am lucky to have casseroles from both sides of the family. This is a dish Mom grew up eating, and I made sure to call for some tips before making it.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
• 2/3 pound ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 cup diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1/6 cup breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil salted water in a pot. Cook the macaroni for 10 minutes in the boiling water.

Dice the onion. Heat some oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Fry the onions until soft, then add beef and season with salt and pepper. Remember, other seasonings would be so un-Minnesotan. Brown the beef. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato soup. Mix together and heat briefly.

In a casserole dish, combine the beef, onion, and tomato mixture with the macaroni. Mix thoroughly, then sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly on top. Bake for 30 minutes. If you desire a softer, gooier texture, bake longer. You may also want to broil for a few minutes to brown the breadcrumbs on top. Make sure to watch it so it doesn't get burned.

Macaroni Casserole

I would bet there are a few dishes that transport you back to your childhood every time you eat them. This is definitely one of mine. My grandparents have been making this casserole for as long as I can remember. It's an ancient and traditional recipe they smuggled to the United States all the way from Hong Kong. I also might have made that up. This is a delicious and easy-to-make macaroni casserole that truly deserves to be passed down through the generations. I would love to hear about dishes of your childhood in the comments!

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
• 1 pound ground beef or pork
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup grated or crumbled hard cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

The choice of meat is up to you. I have made it with all pork, all beef, or a mix of the two. You can also add diced ham if you like. This recipe makes a pretty meaty casserole. If you prefer less meat and more pasta, adjust accordingly.

Boil salted water in a pot. Once the water is boiling, cook the macaroni for ten minutes. Then drain and rinse the pasta. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat and mushrooms. Work in batches to avoid crowding the pan. 

Once the meat, mushrooms, and macaroni are finished, mix them all together in a casserole dish. Take about 2/3 of the soup out of the can and mix it in also. Smear the rest of the soup over the top of the pasta-meat mixture. Top with cheese. You can use whatever cheese you want. This time, I used gruyère. Cheddar or Monterey Jack are other good options.

Bake the casserole for 10 minutes, then broil for about 5 minutes, until cheese becomes crispy. Handle with care, as the dish will have become very hot. Scoop out onto plates, making sure everyone gets a proper cross-section. It keeps very well in the refrigerator. Just heat it up for a few minutes in the microwave later.