Not your average Kreplach

On our last visit to Singapore my wife sat down with my grandmother to discuss traditional family recipes. We watched as one was prepared in Nana's kitchen and wrote this down. A similar recipe can be found in The Iraqi Cookbook - (302 color pages) along with many other good ones for you to try.

1) Boil potatoes. Mash and let cool. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in one egg (you don't want a loose dough).

2) Separately brown some ground beef and season to your liking (you can use any meat e.g. lamb or poultry). Allow to cool.

3) Take a portion of dough into your hand make a depression and put in some of the meat mixture.

4) Roll the sides up until your meat is covered by the dough.

4a) Optional: Use your favorite breading to coat your potato chops of a roll or sprinkle.

5) Fry in hot oil until golden brown and crispy.

6) Enjoy while hot! The soft and creamy mashed potato exterior with breading and the savory ground beef inside is an explosion of great taste of yesterday waiting to be enjoyed.

If you noticed my grandmother doesn't give amounts or quantities because that would require you to weigh each potato and adjust according to the weight of the chicken that you brought home from the market. Hope you enjoyed.

Share one of your family heirloom recipes below!

Slow Cooker Shepard's Pie - make it ahead

Tomorrow's dinner made tonight.

Sometimes in the kitchen prep is the way to go. Actually, the kitchen is only as strong as the prep cook. With the wife starting a new job tomorrow and us both having off today it was a perfect night to cook two dinners.

Tonight we had mini burgers aka sliders, pretty mixed rice, sweet potatoes, and steamed corn on the cob (off the cob was also available).

All that left making tomorrow's dinner ahead easier. A surplus sized ground beef mixture makes the perfect base for slow cooker Shepard's Pie. Green beans go next. Drizzle that with basil marinara sauce and finely chopped onions. Finally for the upper most layer a buttery well seasoned mashed potato blend.

Put on the lid. Let sit overnight in the fridge and plop it in the Crock Pot (we have a tiny one) base on low before heading out for the day. If you get home early you can put it on high approximately four hours before dinner.

Update tommorow when it's ready. Good night. Sign up for notifications so you never miss a meal.

[Update: final pictures added]

While waiting to serve I tossed a few spinach leaves on top for good measure. I added shortening on top to make the potatoes crispy but I added to much. Just a bit should do it. The potatoes were slightly creamier than expected but overall I would call this recipe a success.

I present to you Sideways Shepard's Pie.