THE COOKBOOK TEST #????: TAKE A CHANCE WITH ME
!?!WILD CARD INSTALLMENT!?!
Dear Readers,
This isn't a typical update per se. I mean, it's an update, but it's not a book review, and it's not a run through the ol’ Minneapolis test kitchen.
I've been writing this newsletter for nearly five months, and I'm coming up on my six-month, self-imposed "do or die" deadline.
Here's the thing. I like to do. Dying, not as much.
This has been fun. This has been a hell of a lot of fun. I like to read. I like to cook. I like to try new things and cheer as they succeed and groan as they fail. Hopefully a lot of that comes through in the writing, and hopefully you've been liking it, too.
If I'm going to keep doing this, though - and maybe even add some new stuff, like video, which I'm pondering - I have to make this financially sustainable.
Since kicking this thing off, we've brought together about 230 people to read this newsletter every week.
Well, parts of it, at least - only 33 folks are paying, which is about 1/3rd of my six-month goal for this project. Take out the comps, and we're at less than that.
But let's stay positive and focused. Let's count the comps. Let's relax about the dollars.
I would love to see some forward motion. If you're reading this newsletter, and you like it, and you've found a new book, or a new recipe, or just spent some pleasant time traveling with me to these new places - I want to ask you now, standing virtually before you as a real human being with a real kitchen and real grocery bills to pay - to consider subscribing.
For the cost of a single decent restaurant meal you'll get a year's access to 52 different cookbooks - well, mostly cookbooks, there are some video games and bizarre mystery texts that pop up now and again - and some choice, battle tested recipes therein.
You can do it right now!
OK. Did you do it? If you did it - THANK YOU. I hope you can feel my gratitude, because it's powerful, and it's real. I would love to see this project succeed, and if you are one of the people who hit that button in the spirit of fellowship, you are one of the people who are helping me to get it done.
Alright, if you're still reading and you didn't do it - I get it. I've got a lot of subscriptions already, too. And a lot of bills! And there's a whole Internet to read, why do I have to support this one random jerk in Minneapolis anyway?
You don't, it's cool, I get it. But. OK. I still have an ask for you.
Tell a friend. Voice, text, DM, TikTok, Reddit, whatever - say or post something about THE COOKBOOK TEST somewhere. Tell people, or even just a person, to check it out. That also means a lot. Readers are my people, readers are power, readers are energy, readers help keep this going, readers are the whole reason it's going. Readers can become subscribers, and even if they don't, they're readers, and that's glorious.
If you told someone - thank you, too.
OK, now that I've boxed you into the elevator with a sales pitch, here's something from a cookbook - my own house cookbook - that you might find useful or delicious. Consider it an apology for being pitched, a thank you for you subscribing or telling a friend, or a tip of the hat for just reading this far.
The weather is cold all over (Minnesota included), and this is one of my favorite cold-weather jams, ever. It uses ground lamb, which I think is delicious and under-utilized. You can make a big version and serve 6-8 people, or you can make four little 2-person loaf pans, eat one, put one in the fridge for later in the week, and then eat the next two on nights when you need something homemade and goddamned delicious to save your life. It's pretty simple, it's essentially foolproof, and it's really, really good.
Season your potatoes thoughtfully, you want them salty but if you overdo it, it's one of the only risky bits about this recipe. Never happened to me, but I try to see the danger around the corner, not when it's already in the house.
SHEPHERD'S PIE
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 pound ground lamb (or substitute half with another ground meat)
3/4 cup beef or chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry rosemary
1 heaping cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk (any fat content) plus 1/4-1/2 cup sour cream if available
Kosher salt to taste
1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the onion, carrot, and meat. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Drain the fat and add the broth, tomato paste, and herbs. Simmer until the juices thicken, about 10 minutes, then add the peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish; set aside.
Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.
Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, sour cream, and salt.
Spread them over the meat mixture, then crosshatch the top with a fork.
Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
Alternatively: freeze before baking. Usually takes about 45-90 minutes at 350 F from frozen, depending upon the size of your pie.