Refrigerated Doughs

Ahhh... the world of refrigerated doughs.  I have experimented in the past with different doughs from the freezer and fridge sections in the grocery store with sad results.  I used to think it was me, but I have come to realize that it is likely the ingredients and the way the dough was processed.  But I'm always up for a new baking adventure, so I saw a new brand in the grocery store and went for it.

Wewalka makes four types of doughs that are rolled in parchment paper and sold in colorful tubes -- croissant, puff pastry, bistro pizza, and family-style pizza.  We tried the croissant and puff pastry dough over the last two days.

Because my children are 2 and 4, the first meal involved nitrate-free beef hot dogs "pigs in a blanket"-style.  I cooked the hot dogs completely, then rolled them in the dough triangles.  For best results, cool the cooked hot dogs before wrapping and don't take the dough out of the fridge til you are absolutely ready to wrap.  Doughs like these depend on the butter in the dough to make the flaky layers, so putting super hot meat in there or leaving it out to get warm will change the texture, as the butter will melt.

They baked at 350 for about 15 minutes and came out perfect!  I wish I had thought to take a picture. Perfectly puffed, golden brown, and the triangles were just the right size to wrap a whole hot dog. And the dough TASTES great!  No rubberiness or chemical aftertaste.  One package has 6 croissant triangles, for 6 pigs in a blanket.

Dinner the next night was perfectly imagined by my husband and perfectly timed for the Outlander premier last night.  We took the meat mixture from my cottage pie and wrapped it in the puff pastry dough.  High fives for that idea.  Same lessons apply from the croissants -- protect the butter in the dough by keeping it cold til ready to use, and cool the meat before loading up the dough.  We wrapped it in a log shape, sealing seams with an egg wash, then Eric tenderly egg washed the whole thing.

It baked at 425 for 18 minutes, and when I went to pull it out of the oven, I swooned.

Look at this brown beauty!  I could hardly wait to slice into it!  So I did -- with a serrated knife, so as not to mangle it:

Amazing.  In hindsight, I could have stuffed all the meat mix in there -- we conservatively tried with half, to make sure the dough would close.  There's totally room for more in there.  Good thing I have one more roll of croissant dough!  And I was so excited to bake this, I forgot the cheese.  When have I ever forgot the cheese??  So the next one gets cheese.

So we celebrated the Outlander premier festively with this!  Yay to Outlander being back on TV... gives me something to look forward to every week.

Shepherd's or Cottage Pie

One of the best things my mom made while we were growing up was mince and totties (which should actually maybe have been called tatties), which was about the same thing as shepherd's pie.  True shepherd's pie is made with lamb, so the appropriate name for beef or chicken would be "cottage pie".  I have read different versions of this with varying spices and other additions, and have come up with my own version.  I like my cottage pie with beef and will test a chicken or turkey version soon.

Also, my husband really wanted this in a pie form with crusts like a chicken pot pie.  We tried this and I think with the potatoes, it's just too much.  The meat mixture alone in a pie crust would probably be great, either in a pie dish or as empanada-style hand pies.

Mashed potatoes:

4-5 small to medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) of salted butter (Kerrygold is my favorite)

1/4-1/3 cup milk

Additional salt to taste

Meat mixture:

canola oil

1/2 medium sweet onion, diced

1 cup carrots, chopped into small pieces.  You could use shredded or crinkle cut carrots and chop those.

1 tsp minced garlic (I like the kind in a jar)

1 tsp salt (I like sea salt or pink Himalayan)

1/2 black pepper (from a grinder for optimal freshness)

1 pound ground beef  (could also try substituting ground lamb, ground turkey, or diced chicken breasts)

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp Dijon mustard (yellow mustard works in a pinch)

1/3 cup beef or chicken broth (my mom would have used Oxo cubes and water)

up to 3 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup peas

Additionally:  cheese, preferably cheddar, either pre-shredded from a bag or chunks cut off a block.  The amount depends on how much you like cheese.

First, boil salted water in a large pot for the potato pieces.  Potatoes are done when a fork passes through the cooked chunks easily.  Drain away the water and mash the potatoes with butter, milk, and salt.  You may need more or less milk at this point.  If you like thinner potatoes that spread on top of the dish easily, maybe add a little more.  If you like them thick, hold back the milk til you've seen what the butter has done.  Alternatively, you can whip these in a stand mixer.  Taste the mixed product before adding extra salt.

For the beef mixture, heat a tablespoon of canola oil over medium heat in a pan.  When it's heated a bit, add the diced onions and carrots.  Sautee these until the onions turn translucent and the carrots soften.  Add the garlic, salt, and pepper.  When these are evenly distributed, add the beef.  Brown the meat, chopping it in to smaller pieces with your spoon or spatula.  Incorporate the veggies and let the flavors mingle.  When the meat is fully browned, you can now add the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and broth.  Mix these in evenly to the meat and veggies, still cooking over medium heat.  Now you can add a bit of flour to thicken the mixture and make it into a"gravy".  Add a tablespoon at a time and mix it in well -- flour can clump in liquids.  Also, check thickness after each tablespoon --avoid OVER-thickening the broth.  You may only need one or two tablespoons of flour.  If it gets too thick, you can add more broth or water.  When it looks satisfactory, turn off the heat at this point and mix in the peas -- I just toss in frozen ones.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Assemble the dish in two layers in a glass baking dish, 8X8 or 9X9.  You can add cheese to this in a couple ways: between the beef and potato layers, on top of the potato layer, or in fun chunks pressed through the layers.  I have tried all of these and I liked stuffing chunks of sharp white cheddar in the baking dish after I layered in the meat and potatoes.  It's like a glorious treasure hunt of cheesy surprises when you go to eat it.  But it is easier to use a bag of shredded cheese, so do what feels right to you.  So, with your cheese plan in place, layer the meat mixture in the bottom of the dish, and then cheese and potatoes in the order that you wish. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, til the meat and gravy is bubbly and the cheese appears melted.  

Kilt and a stout brew are also optional, but would probably round out the experience.  Ith gu leòir!