once cooked: meat (printer friendly page)

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MEAT

BURGERS

Dust off your slow cooker because you’re about to make Meat Pie Yurts out of unclaimed burgers. Frankly, you’d never want to build Yurts out of raw burgers anyway. There’d be gobs of fat to skim off but instead, with this recipe you’re working with only a bit of “gourmet fat” from bacon.

Inside the slow cooker, meat juices, plum tomatoes, chicken broth, and wine will percolate in all directions, replenishing even the most moisture-stunted burger meat. Another bonus of using a slow cooker is that dried mushrooms can be added to the mix without having to be re-hydrated first!

If you don’t have a slow cooker, a Dutch oven* is also ideal but will require stove top preparation. Much like a slow cooker, a Dutch oven won’t keep you chained to your stove. The trick is to set the flame to simmer after the entire mixture has been brought to a boil.

After a hard day’s work, you can come home to broth that has a beefy depth to it and meat that is tender and flavorful but quite unique from chili or Shepard’s pie. Needless to say, the total effect of four miniature meat pies topped with golden brown mashed potato roofs is adorable. Even better, each meat pie is a complete, self-contained meal. Paired with a salad of mixed greens, it’s a really fun meal to serve on a chilly Sunday night.

* Dutch oven is just a fancy word for any heavy weight, enamel-coated pot with a tight fitting lid.

Level 3
Meat Pie Yurts
Serves 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: crockpot: 6-8 hours on low, or Dutch oven: about 4 hours on simmer)
Serving dishes: circular, oven-proof soup bowls

Ingredients for the yurts:

2 Tbsp. butter
4 strips raw bacon, finely chopped
1 cup chopped onion (about 2 small onions)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped mushrooms (your choice)
1 Tbsp. each: dry parsley, oregano and basil (if fresh, then finely chop)
1 14.5 oz. can peeled tomatoes, including juice
4 cooked burgers, broken into small pieces
3 cups chicken or beef broth
½ cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms or shitakes (optional) link to PP
Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for mashed potato roofs:

6 cooked potatoes, peeled and mashed (or 4 cups prepared potato buds)
1/2 cup half & half (or milk))
2 Tbsp. cream cheese
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper to taste

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Substitution Tip: Instant potato buds are nothing to be ashamed of as long as you tinker a
bit with directions on the box. For a richer mix, decrease the amount of liquid called for by 50%, substituting half and half for the milk and water.
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In a deep skillet, heat butter. When butter begins to brown slightly, add bacon, cooking until close to crispy. Add onions, garlic and celery and keep cooking until translucent. Add fresh mushrooms, and cook entire mixture over medium heat until mushrooms begin to soften and release their moisture. Empty mixture into crock pot.

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Prepping Tip (for cutting bacon): Use scissors to snip bacon into little pieces, three strips
at a time. It’s faster and easier.
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To the crock pot, add hamburger meat, tomatoes (including juice), broth, white wine, bay leaf, herbs, and dried mushrooms, blending well with a wooden spoon.

Set crock pot to low. Cover tightly with lid, and forget about it. When done cooking, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

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Cooking Tip : If using a Dutch oven, preheat oven to 275 degrees. Empty all ingredients into
pot; mix well and cover tightly. Place in oven for 6-8 hours.
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Now, for the potato tops:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, add potatoes, half & half, cream cheese, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth and liquid is incorporated.
Ladle 1 cup of meat mixture into oven-proof soup bowls, leaving 1” for the potato mixture. Spoon mashed potatoes on top of the meat to cover. Sprinkle each “roof” with shredded cheese, and dot each “roof” with 1 teaspoon of butter. Place bowls on a cookie sheet or in a glass pan; bake 20 minutes until tops are golden brown.