Part of the challenge of the Pandemic has been discovering new entrees to keep The Man happy. No, he’s not difficult to please, but cooking entrees for dinner seven days a week becomes tricky. I love to cook (baking… not so much) but as we enter week 50 of the “older folks” stay home recommendation (we are on the waitlist for the vaccine), I find myself spending a lot of time studying recipes and looking for new adaptations of my old standbys.
I have spent time making sure the pantry is filled with basics and the stand-alone freezer allows me to have a selection of proteins on hand. Check out my amazon influencer store for foods and condiments I like to always have on hand. (With just a few staples in the pantry, you can easily whip up a nutritious and tasty meal.)
Here’s my thought process on putting an entrée together. First what entrée did I make yesterday? That rules out one protein or cheese. Second, what proteins are in the freezer? Third after selecting the protein, how did I use it the last time… and then I hit the internet and study various recipes until I formulate one that sounds good.
Today, I decided to start with boneless/skinless chicken thighs (I buy only organic chicken). They have a little more fat than breasts, and they have more flavor. The better flavor far outweighs the small increase in fat.
The Man is not a big potato guy and I rarely serve them but it’s been awhile so I chose potatoes. I have broccoli, bacon bits, sweet onion, and cheese… duh… everything needed for a one dish casserole. Plus fresh parsley from my greenhouse.
I googled “Chicken, potatoes, bacon” and found several recipes; all close in terms of how you put the dish together. I decided to adapt a recipe for “Loaded Baked Potato chicken Casserole” I found at Sweet Peas Kitchen.
Regarding the potatoes. Sweet Pea called for red potatoes and dicing them. I had russets and decided to slice them using my mandoline on the 1/8″ setting. (Mistake to slice rather than dice… I’ll explain below) Same setting for the onion. Sweet Pea recommended baking the potatoes for fifty minutes. I chose to cook them in water in the microwave for fifteen minutes.
I used a box grater turned sideways to shred the cheese. I went to my cheese fridge and chose Beecher’s Dulcet, a double cream cheese made with butterfat-rich Jersey cow milk. while grating, I could feel “fattiness”. Dulcet is made at the Beecher’s Flatiron location in Manhattan. ( Jersey Cow milk butterfat averages 5.36% vs Holstein milk 3.2% in the dry matter.) The cows live on the Dutch Hollow Farm right outside Albany, New York.
Dulcet has a tangy finish to accompany the creamy, lactic notes of the Jersey milk.
I prep a couple hours before cooking. After prepping, The Man and I enjoy “cocktail hour” and then I finish dinner.
After cocktails, I mixed everything in a large bowl and this is when I discovered dicing would have been better. The sliced
potatoes didn’t mix as easily and the casserole became more of a “mashed potato” casserole.
I baked in the Emeril Air Fryer at 325 F for 20 minutes and it came out gooey with a golden finish.
The Man swooned. I served with a green salad with homemade Ranch Dressing*.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
3 boneless/skinless chicken thighs cubed
Salt and Pepper
1/2 onion – sliced 1/8″ thick
2 Russet Potatoes – diced
4 Ounces Beechers Dulcet shredded
1/4″ cup bacon bits
1 cup broccoli pieces
1/8 cup flour
1 Cup whole Milk
Chopped parsley (from my greenhouse)
Preparation:
Sweet Pea called for bacon and use of bacon grease to sauté chicken. Because I chose to use bacon bits, I used a little EVOO for sautéing the chicken and onions.
Heat EVOO.
Salt and pepper chicken.
Sauté chicken and onions until cooked through.
Toss chicken onions, cheese, bacon bits and broccoli in large bowl (this is where I discovered cubed chicken would work better than sliced).
Sprinkle mixture with flour and transfer to oiled oven-proof dish. Pour milk over top.
Bake in Emeril Air Fryer for 20 minutes at 325F.
Let sit for a few minutes.
Another perfect meal after a perfect day with The Man.
*Homemade dressing and sauces coming soon.
In addition to being a member of the Internationale Guilde des Fromagers (Jura and Garde) and an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager with certifications that also include ServSafe Certified Instructor and Proctor. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability.
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I sample specialty artisan cheeses most Fridays or Saturdays at Sweet Combs of Honey: Check out my “Grab n Go” page at Facebook for more information.
The Man, aka Peter M. Wright, has written his first novel: Gold Fever, available at amazon.com as a kindle book for only $2.99.
Written in the flavor of one of our favorite movies, Romancing the Stone, Gold Fever is a romantic adventure that 
brings together an archeologist looking to establish his name in his field and a rock star on the verge of burn-out.
In GOLD FEVER an Archeologist motivated by a newly discovered clue, searches for a fabled Native American Legend – the long ago lost Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. While the Archeologist seeks to prove the legend is actually true, he is constantly under attack by a second group seeking the treasure.
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