Thursday, April 8, 2010

Buffalo Meat for Cheap

Wouldn't you know it? Just when I finally get the hang of cooking with beef (well, I can make burgers), Avo's doctor tells him to keep his cholesterol down by cutting out the red meat.

At the same time, I'm still trying to come up with a recipe which will use up the potatoes left over from Passover (I made so much kugel and yet somehow I still have a ton of potatoes). In my truly undomesticated days, I used to mock Avo for his obsession with using every last bit of food we had in the fridge. Now I think I'm worse than he ever was. Can't let one potato go to waste!

I found a recipe for meat loaf and mashed potatoes in an old copy of "Everyday Food" that one of my neighbors left on the window sill in our front hallway. But, not surprisingly, it calls for ground beef.

"Why not use buffalo meat?" asked Avo. "It's leaner and they sell it cheap at Trader Joe's. And instead of using the potatoes for mashed potatoes, why not make potato gratin?"

Well, for one, the potato gratin recipe in Patricia Wells' Bistro Cooking calls for 1 cup of Gruyere cheese and 1 cup of heavy cream -- somehow I am guessing Avo's doctor wouldn't approve of that!

4 comments:

Bernie Bernstein said...

It's Me, Mom - I think I may have the perfect solution for your left over potatoes and either ground lamb or, I guess, buffalo meat. I suppose you could also use ground turkey. How about Shepherd's Pie which is in your Joy of Cooking? It's ground meat covered with mashed potatoes and is a favorite pub food in England and Ireland.

Anonymous said...

I have some idea's for your potato problem. Potato salad. It uses the most potatoes! I love potato salad so much I can eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner all in one day. (which is why I don't make it too often)& you can go to foodnetwork online & type in the search button
& all the recipes come up from all the chefs. read a few & pick and choose the ingredients you like or make the one that sounds the best. You will also find great recipes for the gratin AVO wants that will be lighter. Use the resource you'll find everything you need. Oh & try warm potato salad! yummmmmmmmm

beau said...

hey: you can make a nice gratin w/out the cream, but foregoing the cheese would be sad. email me if you want a recipe.

your mom is right about Shepherd's pie, and about qualifying the possibility of using ground turkey (shudder) w/"suppose." Good save.

Cooking ennui is an inevitable test of your character to which you must rise. The secret is pre-planning for easy predictability occasionally interrupted by novelty. you've got to plan a handful of days at once, so you won't have to think about it all too much. Then, most of those meals have to be things that are relatively easy and well-liked, so going on auto-pilot isn't too taxing. Add one (relatively easy) thing you've been meaning to try (you may have to dig for this: another reason to subscribe to Fine Cooking) that keeps the week from seeming like endless repetition, and you're good. time will pass and suddenly, you'll find you're over the hump. definitely takes deliberate planning and will, though.

Undomesticated Me said...

I love this line, Beau. I may have to steal it: "Cooking ennui is an inevitable test of your character to which you must rise."

Thanks for the tips and the encouraging words. I'm not sure I'll ever be as comfortable in the kitchen as you are, but I'm not giving up hope quite yet! You're right that planning ahead is key. I've got to try that one of these days.