Recipe: Turkey Pastrami and Root Vegetable Hash

I had a bunch of root vegetables in my fridge that just needed a good recipe to go with them.  I'm fond of "hashes" like corned beef hash & bubble and squeak and thought I'd give this a go.  I used turkey pastrami instead of corned beef or beef pastrami as I wanted a dish full of flavor, but not so full on the waistline.  The process is easy, it just takes some time to cook...

Ingredients:

3 large new or white potatoes, diced

5 large rutabagas, peeled and diced

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 large beets, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

2 red jalapenos, finely chopped

1 1/3 lbs turkey pastrami, diced

2 tbsp Herbs de Provence

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp sea salt

3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place all of the peeled root vegetables into a large casserole dish. Add the Herbs de Provence, minced garlic, cumin, brown sugar, sea salt, and all but 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil. Mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Place into the oven, covered, for 35 mins then remove the cover for 10 additional minutes to allow the vegetables to start browning.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the jalapenos, onion, and turkey pastrami. Cover, and cook until the onions start to become translucent. Remove cover and continue cooking until most of the remaining liquid has cooked out. Add the whole mixture to the large casserole with the root vegetables in the oven and mix thoroughly. Re-cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately (preferably with a poached or soft-fried egg on top :)).

Makes 10 servings.

Recipe: Garlic-Lovers Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lb. chuck roast

2 1/2 cups of red wine

2 1/2 cups of beef stock

6 tbsp. minced garlic

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. dried ground sage

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. dried basil

3 large carrots, diced

2 large beets, diced

4 large potatoes, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 - 3 tbsp. of Wondra flour

Directions:

You're going to need a large dutch oven and a large roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 325.

Mix the dry spices all together to make a spice rub. Use 1/2 of the rub to coat the roast on all sides. Lightly coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil, throw in the diced carrots, beets, and potatoes, spray the vegetables on the top with cooking spray, and then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of the spice rub over the vegetables. Place the remaining vegetable oil into the dutch oven and put the dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Place the diced onion and garlic into the hot oil. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Place the roast in the hot oil with the onions and garlic and sear on all sides, about 2 - 3 minutes on each side. Add in the red wine and beef stock and stir it up. Put cover on the dutch oven and place into the oven for 3 - 3 1/2 hours.

Place the roasting pan with the vegetables into the oven separately with 1 hour of cooking time left. Once the roast is done, carefully take it out of the dutch oven (it'll be very tender!!!) and set aside. Skim any excess fat off the top. Place the dutch oven back on the stove over medium heat and add the Wondra flour. Stir frequently until a nice gravy forms. Turn off the heat, place the roast back into the gravy, and serve with the vegetables.

Makes 6 servings.