Too Lazy to Think Up a Title.

Because I clearly need another hobby, this is what I picked up the other day. Fun, but definitely cuts into the knitting time.




And this was my New Year's Day culinary contribution: Bobo's meat and potato pie ("Bobo" is the name we called our wonderful maternal grandfather). Big chunk of this, some cold sliced dill pickles, and an icy root beer - nothing better. Actually, I realize it's probably better with non-root beer, but our family tradition, based on Snoopy's annual celebration, is "quaffing" root beer on New Year's. Tasty.




By the way - the weird thing about organic root beer is, it's clear. Man, does that feel strange, drinking clear root beer.

All right, I'm obviously short on content today, so I'm giving you the recipe for this pie, then I'm off to spend a few days without blogging. I have this panicky feeling that, if I don't post at least every other day, all (well, both) my readers will abandon me. However, I myself have been daily checking a blog I read, though it hasn't had a new post since November 27, so I know some of you will return, like the swallows to Capistrano. Hope so.

Bobo's Meat and Potato Pie

Equal weight lean ground beef and russet potatoes
1 large onion
Bit of garlic
Teaspoon or two of dried sage
Lots of salt and pepper
Basic pastry recipe, like the immortal Tenderflake version from the inside of the box (excellent for large batches, can be rerolled as often as needful without losing its flakiness)

Brown ground beef with onion, garlic, and spices. Drain and add a bit of water if you think the pie needs it.

Peel and chunk potatoes, boil in water til tender, drain. Bash up the cooked potatoes a bit , leaving plenty of large chunks. Mix with the ground beef.

Roll pastry to fit your tin, which you will have chosen depending on the amount of beef and potato you have used. I sometimes use a large deep glass pie plate, or a cookie sheet, or, as in this case, a Pyrex 8X10 rectangle. Personally I prefer the cookie sheet - I like that proportion of filling to pastry. Generally speaking, the deeper the container the more filling you'll get per inch of pastry.

Cover the bottom and sides of the container in pastry. Pour in filling, being careful not to compress too much. Cover with another sheet of pastry. (Optional: you can lay slices of onion on top of the filling, under the top pastry. I've never tried it but others tell me it's good.) Pinch edges to seal, and cut steam vents in the top crust. Then, brush the crust with a beaten egg, and bake at 375 (350 if using a glass pan) for about 30 to 45 minutes, just to cook the pastry.

DUH lish.