Dutch Oven Meatballs with Potatoes

This one is some yummy comfort food at our house.  It's a dish I've made before, and one that my wife used to make a lot (using the indoor oven).  It's a simple dish, a one-pot two-step.  Easy, yes; healthy, not so much...!

• 1 medium to large onion, sliced
• 3 cloves, garlic, chopped
• 4-5 green onions, chopped
• 2-3 Sweet peppers, chopped

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 3 slices bread, chopped
• 2 eggs
• salt
• pepper
• very liberal shakes of parsley
• 1/2 package cream cheese
  

• 4-5 medium potatoes
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• Juice of 1 lemon

• A layer of grated cheddar

I started off by heating a tablespoon or two of oil in the dutch oven with about 15-20 hot coals below it.  I wanted to get the oil nice and hot to sautee all of the ingredients in the first set.

While that was cooking, I made the meatballs.  I mixed everything and blended it up nicely.  Then I made a meat patty about the size of my palm, sliced off a piece of cream cheese, and closed the meat around it.  The final meatball was just a little larger than a golf ball.  I also sliced up the potatoes and opened up the cans of soup.

Back out at the dutch oven, I arranged the meatballs on top of the now carmelized veggies, with a little space between each.  I scattered in the potato slices inbetween the meatballs, then spooned the soup concentrate from the cans onto the top.  I spritzed on the lemon juice, and closed the lid.  I set it with 10-12 coals on the bottom and 16-18 on top, and let it bake for about an hour, or until the potatoes were nice and soft.

Then, I brought it in.  I put a layer of grated cheese on top and put the lid back on, letting the cheese melt.

It's yummy, gooey, and oh, so comforting.  Love it!





Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.



Mark's Other Blog Posts: name post, name post,

Dutch Oven Bread

In all my years (even though it hasn't been that many) of dutch oven cooking, the one thing that has brought be the most struggles, and yet also helped my confidence grow the most, is making a good loaf of bread.  I tell ya, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. 

Over the 2 years or so that I've been focusing on learning about it, I've found a few things that make it work more consistently:

• Use a good, fresh, bread flour
• Knead it enough (use the windowpane test)
  
• Manage your heat carefully, and preheat the dutch oven (or at least the lid)
• Bake it to the right temperature
• Let it cool enough

Over the course of the next years, I'm sure that I'll learn even more, as my efforts continue.  Below, I've listed some of my better bread success stories.  Before you dive in and try any of them, however, I strongly recommend that you read my Dutch Oven Bread Baking Lens.  At the very least, it will help you understand some of the things I say when I'm explaining the recipes and the processes in these other post:

• An experiment that worked! Cocoa Bread in the Dutch oven!
• Dutch Oven Sourdough Rye Bread, with good hints on the baking process, too!
  
• Finally!  A really good Dutch oven sourdough loaf
  
• After struggles, comes the learning! (Sandwich loaf, whole wheat)
  
• I attempt artisan ciabatta in my Dutch oven
  
• Beautiful and delicious dutch oven swirled bread recipe, and pictures of it.
• Few things in bread making are as challenging as a good French bread, especially in a Dutch oven!
  
• A different Sourdough bread recipe, with milk, honey, yogurt
• No-Knead bread with an overnight rise
  
• Traditional Irish soda Bread

I'm far from an expert, but I think I've got some good tips.  Stick with me and we'll learn together!





Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.



Mark's Other Blog Posts: Songs of Zion: More From Doug Erekson

Mark's Black Pot Aprons

Hello, folks...  Time for a between-recipe posting.  I need some help, here.

The other day, I looked at some funny aprons in a cooking shop, and I thought it would be cool to create a line of them for dutch oven chefs.  I came up with a bunch here, and I thought I'd both share, and ask your opinions.  Which ones are the best?  The funniest?  Do you have any ideas to throw into the sauce?  Any more clever ways to phrase any of these?  Post your ideas as comments below, or as an email to me!

1. I cook in heavy metal
2. Doncha wishya husband could cook like me
3. Careful what you say.  I have a knife.
4. Real cooks don't use recipes
5. Real men wear aprons
   
6. Dutch Ovens: Cheaper than Therapy
7. Never trust a skinny chef
8. *%&! the recipe!  Full Speed Ahead!
9. Recipe?!  We don' need no stinkin' recipe!
10. Danger: Men Cooking
11. Dutch Ovens are for Men: Meat, Metal, Knives, and Fire
12. Well-seasoned chef
13. I'll cook, you clean
14. It's not burned, it's cajun
15. Good cooks never run out of friends
16. You kill it, I'll grill it
17. Too much thyme on my hands
18. Chef's are hot
19. It's supposed to smell like that
20. Meatatarian
21. The Iron-ic Chef
22. (insert whatever your cool idea is here...)
    

I'd love to see what you folks can come up with!

Update - 1/21/10

I just put all of these options into a survey.  Simply click on the ones you like best and submit.  If you have ideas for other good ones, use the comment box below.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.