Ham and Leek Frittata in Cast Iron Skillet

A frittata is a classic Italian egg dish, similar to a French omelet or a quiche, which is typically enriched with meats, cheeses, and vegetables, and is usually flavored with herbs.  I love them.  They are great for any meal of the day, hot or cold, but are the perfect brunch meal.  There are an endless amount of frittata recipes, as they can be made out of any concoction of ingredients you can come up with.  And I will admit, I’ve made better tasting versions than this classic recipe I’m sharing today.  But being a classic, I wanted to post this as an introduction to the delicious world of frittata’s.  Make it.  It’s good.  And then build upon it’s basics to create your own delicious frittatas.  Once you start, you will become addicted to them much like I am.  Happy cooking… enjoy!

Ham and Leek Frittata Ingredients

Frittata Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, farm fresh if you have them
• 1/2 cup milk, whole is best but 2% will work
• 3 oz mixed grated aged cheese (I recommend half Gruyère and half Irish white cheddar)
• 3 oz chopped ham
• 1 leek, white and light green base only, chopped
• 1 Yukon gold potato (around 6 oz), diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon back pepper

How to Make a Classic Frittata

Turn on oven to preheat to 350°.

Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over high heat until medium-hot.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add butter and melt until bubbling, swirling to coat the pan.  Add the diced potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned.

Saute Potatoes in Butter

Saute Potatoes Until Browned

Whisking Eggs to Make a Frittata is Crucial

As potato is cooking, crack the eggs in a mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until the yolks are completely incorporated into the whites.  Beat them longer than you would normal scrambled eggs, so as to incorporate more air into them.  The air helps the frittata to bake up light and fluffy.  Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and milk, and beat again until smooth and lightly frothy.

Once potatoes are browned, add the leeks and ham, and saute for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until leeks are soft.

Remove from heat and add the beaten eggs on top of the potatoes, leeks, and ham.

Add Eggs and Cheese to Make Frittata

Top evenly with the grated cheese, then place skillet in the 350° oven.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Bake Frittata in Oven

Remove from oven and serve in sliced wedges with any garnish and/or accompaniment you would like (such as herbs, beans, sour cream, fruit, toast, crackers and jam, etc.).

Ham and Leek Frittata Slice

Recipe by Jothan Yeager, January 2013

The Bald Gourmet shares his classic Ham and Leak Frittata recipe.

When I make biscuits and gravy at home, I always make my own scratch biscuits.  Flour, some butter or oil, baking powder, sugar, and salt, all gently mixed up with some water, then baked at 375° for about 20 minutes.  Easy to do, and I’ll have to do a “how to” post on it soon.  But being that I didn’t want to pack all those fixin’s on my camping trip, I went the easy route and bought some Pillsbury Grands Biscuits instead.  They are surprisingly delicious biscuits, but full of all sorts of crap I’d prefer not to eat.  Oh well, camping is about getting dirty right?

Biscuits and Gravy Gourmet Camping

What You’ll Need to Make Biscuits and Gravy for Four While Camping

• 1 large Dutch Oven, or 2 small Dutch Oven’s stacked
• 2 packages Pillsbury Grands Biscuits
• Oil
• Campfire grate
• 12 inch cast iron skillet
• 1 pound breakfast sausage
• 2 handfuls all purpose flour (little less than 1 cup)
• Seasoning salt to taste (maybe 1/3 teaspoon)
• Thyme to taste (maybe 1/3 teaspoon)
• Onion powder to taste (maybe 1/2 teaspoon)
• Black Pepper to taste (between 1/2 – 1 teaspoon, depending on how peppery and hot you like it)
• Milk to cover sausage (maybe 4 cups)

How to Bake Biscuits in a Dutch Oven

Stacked Dutch Ovens

The secret to Dutch oven cooking is temperature regulation, especially when baking bread.  You need an even balance of heat on the bottom and on the top in order to bake evenly.  You can use briquettes, or coals from the fire.  Either way, place more on the top than on the bottom, as the bottom coals will be closest to the baking bread.  There is a fine line here; too many coals and you burn your bread, not enough coals and it will take forever to bake.  There are formulas of how many briquettes equal so much heat, but I just eyeball it and go.  After all, if you burn the bottom of the biscuits, you can always cut off the burnt part and give it to your dog.

Rub a bit of oil on the bottom and sides of Dutch oven to prevent the biscuits from sticking.  If your Dutch oven is very well seasoned, this may not be necessary, but what the hell; add it anyway.  Arrange the biscuits in the Dutch oven so that they barely touch.  they will expand, so leave some room between them for this. Put the lid on the oven, set on a bed of coals, and add coals to the top of the lid.  Walk away and tend your fire.

I like to check the biscuits after about 10 minutes to see how they’re coming along and if I need to change up any of the coals.  I encourage you to do this as well, as it just might save a batch of “too hot” biscuits.

Biscuits Cooking in a Dutch Oven

Dutch Oven Biscuits a Bit too Hot on the Bottom

How to Cook Sausage for Gravy over the Campfire

While your biscuits are cooking, turn your attention to your campfire.  It’s a good idea to have it raging before you get things started so that you have a nice bed of coals.  I use this “high heat” opportunity to heat and clean my cast iron skillet.

Cast Iron Skillet Over a Campfire

Once your fire has dropped to a hot bed of coals, return your skillet to the heat and brown your sausage.  I used a 1 pound tube of Jimmy Dean original sausage, as it is delicious and is a perfect cooler stuffer.  If your pan is very hot, you may need to add a touch of oil to keep your sausage from burning.

Add Sausage to Skillet Over Campfire Coals

Brown Sausage in Skillet Over Campfire Coals

Once your sausage is browned, add two handfuls of flour and mix to coat the sausage with it.  Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, so that the flour looses its “raw” flavor.

Add Handfuls of Flour to Sausage

Stir Flour and Sausage to Combine over Campfire

Sausage Evenly Coated with Flour

Next, you need to season the sausage.  This is where I stray a bit from traditional biscuits and gravy.  I season mine with thyme, seasoning salt, onion powder, and lots of black pepper.

Season Sausage with Thyme

Season Sausage with Seasoning Salt

Season Sausage with Black Pepper

How to Make Gravy on the Campfire

Now for the easy part, making the gravy!  Let’s see, you’ve already seasoned it, and you’ve already added your flour thickener, all that’s really left now is the milk.  You can use 1%, 2%, whole, skim, whatever.  I recommend at least some cream in it though for added flavor.  Simply pour the milk over the sausage while still on the heat.  Pour enough to just come up to the top of the sausage.

Add Milk to Sausage to Make Gravy

Add Milk Just to the top of Sausage to Make Gravy

Stir the milk and scrape the bottom of the skillet to get all the goodies up.  If your coals have cooled and your milk doesn’t seem to want to come to a boil, add some more fire to raise the temperature.  You must bring the gravy to a boil, otherwise it will not thicken.  A properly thickened gravy should coat the back of your spoon and not easily run off.

Stir Milk and Sausage to Fully Incorporate Flour

Raise the Campfire Heat to Bring to Boil

Bring Campfire Gravy to a Boil to Thicken

Allow to boil for a minute or two, stirring frequently, then remove from the heat.  If the gravy seems to be too thick, simply loosen it with some more milk.  Taste your outdoor creation and make sure that you have enough seasonings.  Add additional seasoning salt, black pepper, and/or thyme to your liking.

Whisk in More Milk to Loosen Gravy if too Thick

Add More Seasoning to Gravy if Needed

Perfect Sausage Gravy Made Over a Campfire

How to Eat Biscuits and Gravy While Camping

As if you really need any help figuring this out!  But for resolution to this post, I will show you.

Take two of your Dutch Oven cooked biscuits, split in half, and place on a camp plate.  Then spoon loads of delicious sausage all over them.  Eat quickly, humming loudly to inform all your neighboring campers and wildlife that you are the best cook in the woods!

Serves 4 with a few left over biscuits.

Biscuits and Gravy Gourmet Camping

Recipe by Jothan Yeager,  May 2012

The Bald Gourmet makes delicious Biscuits and Gravy while camping.

Gourmet Camping – Fried Rice and Sweet and Sour Brisket

So this may not really be “gourmet”, but when covered in dirt and surrounded with nothing but trees and squirrels in Grandjean Idaho, this is definitely a gourmet meal.

I can’t take credit for the brisket in this post.  It was discovered by another scout leader in our group from some website he could not remember.  I wish I knew what it was so I could give them credit and browse their other delicious offerings, but at least I can share it with you with some recommended changes.

Sweet and Sour Brisket Camping Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-pound) beef brisket (original recipe said to remove excess fat, but I left it on to get a more moist and flavorful brisket.  Definitely leave the fat on)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola/vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, cut in half, then thinly sliced into 1/2 moons
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
• One 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (water will do if you must)
• 3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup raisins (original recipe calls for 1/3 cup, but the sweet pops of raisin were very nice and needed to be more frequent)
• 5 black peppercorns
• 3 allspice berries (the original recipe called for 1, but it didn’t do much, so triple it and be happy)

Directions:

Preheat Dutch Oven to 300 degrees F.

Pat the brisket dry and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in the Dutch oven and sear until it is browned, roughly 4-5 minutes per side.  Transfer the brisket to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and cook the onion, stirring a few times, until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar, vinegar, raisins, peppercorns, and allspice and stir to combine well.  Bring mixture to a boil, return brisket and any accumulated juices to the pot, spoon some of the tomato-vinegar mixture over the brisket and cover tightly with the lid.  Place 3/4 of your coals on top of the lid, and the remaining 1/4 of coals under the Dutch oven.

Cook until the brisket is fork tender, 2.5 to 3 hours.  I highly recommend checking the brisket about 20 minutes in to see if you have the temperature right in the dutch oven, then checking again after an hour to make sure your sauce hasn’t reduced so much that it will burn.  If it does reduce too much, just add a little water to it to make it right again.  You want a thick but runny sauce, kind of like a loose gravy.

Remove the brisket from the Dutch oven, transfer the meat to a cutting board, and let rest for 10 minutes.  When you are ready to serve, cut the meat against the grain into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Pour the sauce over the brisket and serve warm.

Yield:  10 servings, serving size of 4-ounces plus 3 tablespoons of sauce.

Fried Rice Camping Recipe

Now if you really want to impress your fellow campers, make them some delicious fried rice!  Fun to make, easy to do, and full of unique (in the woods at least) Asian flavors, fried rice will become a staple camping diet for all your outdoor adventures (assuming you’re car camping).

I made this for 20 hungry boys and men, and I don’t have exact measurements to give you, but here is the list of ingredients I used and most typically use when making at home.  I’ll try to guess an appropriate amount of each ingredient to serve 4.  Make to your liking and judgement as to ratios of seasonings though.

Ingredients:

• Jasmine Rice (2 cups raw)
• Vegetable/peanut oil (roughly 2 tablespoons)
• Lemongrass, chopped (roughly 1 tablespoon)
• Ginger, finely chopped (roughly 1 tablespoon)
• Scallions, sliced (roughly 3-4)
• Garlic, sliced (3-4 large cloves)
• Sugar Snap Peas or Green Beans or both (1 large handful or so)
• Red bell pepper, diced (1/4 to 1/2 of pepper)
• Sesame seeds (roughly 1 teaspoon)
• Sesame oil (roughly 1 teaspoon)
• Soy Sauce (roughly 1 tablespoon)
• Chinese Black Vinegar (roughly 1 teaspoon)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook rice according to packaging instructions and set aside.  It is best if the rice has set for a couple hours, preferably overnight, but fresh cooked will work as well.  The older rice just separates into individual grains better.

Cooking Rice While Camping

Heat oil in wok/Dutch oven/griddle over high heat or hot coals.  Once the oil reaches its smoking point, add ginger, lemongrass, and white part of scallions.  Cook until scallions have softened, roughly 2 minutes.  Add peas/beans and bell pepper.  Cook until vegetables turn bright in color and slightly char, roughly 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and green part of the scallions, and stir to mix.  Then add the rice, tossing to combine and to get the oil all over the rice.  Break up any chunks of rice so as to get individual grains.  Add the sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce, and black vinegar and cook, stirring/tossing constantly.  Some of the rice may get little char spots on it, which is just fantastic.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, as well as any additional soy sauce, vinegar, or sesame oil to your liking.

It is perfect with the Sweet and Sour Brisket and sauce.  YUM!!!

Frying Rice on the Camp Stove

Keep Stirring Rice While Frying on Camp Stove

Recipe by Jothan Yeager, August 2011

The Bald Gourmet’s camping adventures are mighty tasty for all to enjoy.

Mediterranean Olives with Lemon, Bay, and Pepper

This beautiful party appetizer is both eye catching and delicious.  It is designed for a large crowd of 25 or more, but could easily be reduced by half for a smaller gathering.

Choose an assortment of olives, either at the local grocer olive bar, or in packaged jars.  I personally like a mix of seeded and seedless, but do whatever you feel is best for your gathering.  Try to get a mix of colors, sizes, and flavors when choosing your olives.  I personally enjoy Kalamata, Black Greek, Spanish Green with Pimentos, and Sicilian Green stuffed with garlic, citrus, almonds, or jalapenos.  I recommend 5 or more varieties to keep it playful and interesting for your guests.

Mediterranean Olives with Lemon, Bay, and Pepper Recipe

• 3 pounds mixed olives
• 2 small lemons, sliced and quartered
• 10 red dried hot chili peppers
• 15 bay leaves, fresh or dried
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

How to Make a Mediterranean Olive Party Bowl

Place all ingredients in a large serving bowl, preferably one with bright colors, and toss gently to coat with the olive oil, being careful not to break the chilies.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, tossing again a few times every few hours to ensure the flavors marry well.  Remove from refrigerator at least an hour before serving so the olives have time to warm to room temperature.  Do not server cold, as the olive oil will be congealed.

Recipe by Jothan Yeager, August 2010

The Bald Gourmet creates beautiful and delicious recipes which are perfect for entertaining large crowds as well as intimate gatherings with.

Chili Lime Chicken Sandwiches with Mango Salsa and Roasted Pablano Peppers Recipe

Chili Lime Chicken Sandwich with Mango Salsa and Roasted Pablano Pepper

The boys went crazy for this dish.  They absolutely loved it and never dreamed of eating something like it on a campout.  It was really fun teaching them the different steps and techniques.  A couple even asked for the recipe so they could go home and cook it for their families.

For the Roasted Pablanos:

• 2 pablano peppers
• vegetable oil to coat

Coat the peppers with oil, then place on a grill rack over the campfire (just coals, no or very low flame), until black all over.  Cover with towel or place in bag for 10 minutes to allow to steam.  Remove blackened skin by rubbing with a paper towel.  Remove stems and seeds and set aside.

For the Chicken:

• 8 chicken breasts, skin and bones removed
• 1/2 lime
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Garlic powder to taste
• Cumin powder to taste
• Chili powder to taste

Grill over campfire, seasoning both sides with the seasonings and lime juice, until cooked.

Grill Chicken Over Campfire

For the Mango Salsa:

• 1 mango, seeded, peeled, and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• half a bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste, roughly 1/4 teaspoon each
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

To assemble sandwiches:

Slice roasted pablanos into quarters and place one quarter on a piece of bread with a chicken breast.  Top with mango salsa.  Add lettuce and mayonnaise to another slice of bread if you’d like and assemble.

French Toast with Nutella, Strawberries, Bananas, and Powdered Sugar Recipe

French Toast with Nutella Strawberries and Bananas

Now this is the breakfast of camping champions…

• 1 large loaf sliced bread
• 1 dozen eggs
• milk, maybe 1 cup
• 1 teaspoon or so of cinnamon sugar
• Nutella to spread on toast
• 1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced
• 4 bananas, peeled and sliced
• powdered sugar for garnish

Crack eggs in bowl and whisk with milk to a smooth runny consistency.  Add cinnamon sugar and whisk to incorporate.  Dip bread, one slice at a time, to coat, then grill over medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides.  Spread with Nutella and place sliced strawberries and bananas on top, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Recipes by Jothan Yeager, July 2011

The Bald Gourmet is a seeker of delicious food, and creates wonderful dishes no matter where he is, including while camping in the middle of the forest in the mountains.

Fire Roasted Corn, Tomato, and Basil Salad

The secret to this recipe is roasting the corn, husk on, over a live fire until the husks are entirely black and the kernels inside have a slight caramelized char on them and a faintly smoky flavor.  This, combined with the fresh basil and red ripe tomatoes, provides a refreshing and healthy salad that is perfect for campouts, picnics, or other summer get togethers.

Fire Roasted Corn, Tomato, and Basil Salad Recipe

• 6 large ears of corn, husks on, soaked in water
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup (packed) thinly sliced fresh basil
• 5 large tomatoes or 10 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Soak ears of corn in water for at least 20 minutes, then roast on open flame, rotating evenly.  This can be done on a campfire, barbeque grill, or even on your gas range inside (messy though).  Do this until husks are charred and kernels are cooked (approx. 20 minutes).

Fire Roast the Corn in Husk

Fire Roasted Corn

Remove from flame and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Remove from husks, and slice kernels off cob with a sharp knife.  Place kernels in a large bowl, and allow to cool.  Add diced tomatoes and basil.   Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar, toss gently, and season to taste.

Recipe by Jothan Yeager, 2006

The Bald Gourmet uses fresh seasonal ingredients to make delicious healthy salad recipes utilizing traditional fire cooking techniques.

Wok Fried Spinach with Garlic

I discovered this simple and delicious dish at Din Tai Fung Restaurant in the Pavilion KL Mall, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  My version has larger pieces of garlic and a touch of black pepper.  Perfect served as a side dish with Chinese BBQ pork, or as a meal all on its own over rice, it is absolutely delicious, especially with spinach grown in your own home garden!

Wok Fried Spinach with Garlic Ingredients

• 8 cups fresh spinach
• 1 head, or 12 cloves, garlic
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Kosher salt to taste, roughly ¼ teaspoon
• Black pepper to taste

If planning to serve with rice, now is the perfect time to start your rice.

Unless you’re blessed enough to have one of those fabulous Asian fire cannon burners, you will need to preheat your wok to get it hot enough to quick-cook this dish.  You want a very hot wok, so turn it on over high flame while you prep the ingredients.

Thoroughly wash the spinach and shake dry.  If leaves are very large, chop into halves or thirds to have more bite size pieces.  Slice the garlic.  You want nice large slices of garlic, so do not chop it.

Preppred Spinach and Garlic

Add the oil to the hot wok.  If you’ve gotten your wok hot enough, the oil should start smoking immediately.  If not, let the oil get hotter until it starts to smoke.  Add the garlic, then immediately add the spinach.

Garlic in Hot Oil

Stir fry together and season with salt and pepper.

Stir Fry Spinach

Let the spinach wilt thoroughly, stirring/turning every 30 seconds or so.  Once completely wilted, cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Wilted Spinach

Serve immediately.  I love it over rice.  If serving over rice, make sure to pour any left over juicy oil in the wok over the rice with the spinach.  It’s absolutely delicious!

Wok Fried Spinach with Garlic Served over Rice

Morels and Eggs

At the end of walking my dog yesterday, I was greatly surprised to find a familiar looking mushroom growing in my flower bed.  I knelt down to inspect it.  Holy crap it was a Morel!  Morels don’t really grow here in Boise due to the high desert climate, so I was very excited to see these delectable little morsels in my yard.

Where there’s one morel there’s always more, so I scavenged the yard and found a total of four.  Oh how it made my day!  “God must love me,” I thought to myself, than happily ran inside to clean them up.  Morels are one of my favorite mushrooms.  They have a very earthy flavor, but are delicate and mild at the same time.  Their texture is firm, never soggy, and are very versatile in the kitchen.

I had all sorts of visions of preparing some delicious gourmet delights….things with pine nuts, goat cheese, and cognac; but alas, I settled on enjoying my wild front yard morels in simple purity:  Morels with Scrambled Eggs.

If this wasn’t one of the best things in the world to eat, I’d be embarrassed to post a recipe like this on The Bald Gourmet, but as it stands, this is one of my all time favorites.  These two flavors compliment each other so well that I’m surprised they are not served in every 5 star restaurant in the country.  Earthy, savory, meaty, soft, chewy, buttery….oh no!

I’m sharing the purest form of the recipe, but you can add some fresh rosemary or time, garlic, hard-aged-cheese, potato, or sausage to it.  It’s awesome served on some good crunchy whole grain bread, or made into a frittata.

Ingredients

• Roughly 1 cup of chopped morel mushrooms
• 2 thin slices of large onion, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 3 large eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Melt butter in pan and add the onions and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium-high heat until onions are soft and mushrooms are starting to brown, about 8 minutes.  Beat eggs in a bowl with a tablespoon of water or milk.  Pour over the eggs, season with salt and pepper, and scramble together with the mushrooms.

Add Eggs to Mushrooms

Serve on lettuce leaves or toast.  Eat and hum.

I often wonder why people buy bagged croutons at the store when they are so easy and inexpensive to make at home.  You can make them out of any bread, even hot dog buns, and are a great way to do something with stale bread rather than throw it away.

You can season them with anything you like.  Herbs, cheese, chili powder, sugar and spice, whatever.  Let your imagination go wild, you can’t really screw them up.  But today, I’m going to focus on a basic recipe that I love and seem to make the most.  The bread I’ll be using is week-old Grandma’s Bread, which I’ve decided makes the best croutons ever.

Start by slicing the bread in uniform sizes.  I like mine about ½ inch thick, but you may like yours smaller.  Once sliced, turn the stack and slice in strips, then turn again and slice to get uniform cubes.

Crouton Slicing

Crouton Cubing

Crouton Cubes

Place the cubes in a baking pan and drizzle with oil.  I like extra virgin olive oil, but you could use any that you like or have on hand.  Butter is especially delicious if you’d like to use it.

Olive Oil Drizzle

Season with fresh-ground black pepper and kosher salt.  You won’t need a lot of salt because of the dressing you will be eating the croutons with later, so a couple of pinches for the entire pan should be sufficient.  Sprinkle with thyme, maybe ½ teaspoon for the entire pan.

Finely grate some Pecorino Romano cheese, sprinkle liberally on top, and then toss the croutons with your hands to coat with the oil and seasonings.

Bake at 350˚ for twenty minutes, then turn them with a spatula and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  They should be perfectly golden brown and very crunchy.

Serve hot or cold on a simple green salad; toss with tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar; try them in Chipotle Romano Salad with Croutons; or put them in a bowl of hot soup.  Delicious! They will keep in a sealed container for a couple weeks, but I’ve never had mine last more than a few days.  Enjoy!

Delicious Coupon Casserole

Sunday mornings, I awake at my leisure and slowly make my way downstairs where I am greeted with the Sunday paper at my front door.  It always seems to arrive in a protective bag as if it were some cherished Christmas present for grownups.  And in a way, I guess that it is due to the coupon inserts contained therein.   I always am disappointed however at all the coupons for worthless, nutritionally void crap, and always shake my head at the disgusting food industry of America.  But then I find the occasional coupon for items that are not highly processed or full of salt and/or sugar; things that I can use to create wonderful dishes at home with.  But occasionally I keep a couple coupons for foods that I know will lead to high blood pressure.  Today’s recipe uses coupons of this nature.

The coupons in question:

• $0.75 off Jimmy Dean Sausage (1 pound tube)
• $1.00 off two bags OreIda Tater Tots (you’ll need one bag for this recipe)
• $0.50 off two cans Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup (you’ll need one can for this recipe)

You’ll also need:

• Half of a large onion (or one small onion) chopped.
• Shredded cheddar cheese to top.

Cooking with Coupons:

Brown the sausage in a skillet with the chopped onion.  Browning gives you more flavor in the casserole and adds a nice occasional crunch.

Browning

When done, place into a casserole dish with half a bag of frozen tater tots.  Add 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (cream of chicken will do too) and gently stir around to combine.  Top with cheddar cheese, then cover to bake.

Mixed together

Bake in a 400˚ oven for 40 minutes.  You can remove the cover for the last 10 minutes of baking time if you’d like the cheese to be firm and slightly chewy.

I’m not going to make any claims that this dish is heart-healthy or that it will fit in with your diet and weight loss plans, but I will tell you that it is rather delicious and makes for an excellent left over lunch.  The sodium content is quite high though, so make sure you have access to plenty of water for the rest of the night because your body is going to need it.

Serves 3-4

Recipe by Jothan Yeager