My Labor Day plans went through a last minute change and I had to plan a dinner for four adults and my 5-year-old nephew. If you’re thinking the 5-year-old is the wildcard in this hand of Texas Eat ’Em, you’d be right. Whenever I cook dinner for this crew, I try not to plan around his palate. I have yet to find a recipe for a Goldfish Crusted Chicken Nugget Mac & Cheese casserole that will please all five of these lovely humans. The closest I ever got was Mormon Funeral Potatoes, which admittedly were delicious and got compliments all the way around, even from the Terror Tot.

Why are Funeral Potatoes so delicious? Well, just to break down Pioneer Woman’s recipe for MFP it goes like this: Dairy, hash browns, onion, flour, dairy, chicken broth, black pepper, dairy, dairy, dairy, kettle chips, dairy. These potatoes are so creamy and unctious with milkfat and butterfat, someone at that last holiday gathering named them Suicide Potatoes. Wanna try the Russian Roulette of casseroles for Thanksgiving? Click here.

After deciding to do a trio of homemade sausage rolls, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, I remembered a recipe that I created a few years ago. I opened up my recipe database and scrolled back to Sept. 2016 and pulled up the card for Mirepoix Mashed Potatoes. Mirepoix (meer-PWAH) is a mix of sauteed vegetables cooked slowly in butter or oil to release their flavors, but not browning them. The mirepoix vegetables are then mixed with some herbs and meat stock to act as the base for sauces or soups. At the time I started futzing around with this recipe, I was looking for a way to incorporate more flavors and texture into my mashed potatoes, not sneak more vegetables into a child’s gullet. Don’t let the French word throw you off; it’s fancy but very easy to make.

The French mirepoix method has a Spanish cousin, the sofrito. Same cooking technique, but utilizing minced onions, tomatoes, peppers and garlic. I haven’t played around with that base of veggies for another variation on these potatoes, but if you decide to try it, you’ll probably need to cook it down a bit longer, due to the water content of the tomatoes.

Mirepoix Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

One stick of butter

2/3 cup finely chopped onion

Two cloves crushed garlic

One stalk celery, minced

Half cup carrot, minced

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/3 cup white wine

1 tsp chicken stock concentrate (I use Better Than Bouillion)

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 to 1/3 cup Half and half or cream

1. Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat until foaming; add carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Saute over medium-low until tender.

2. Add thyme, parsley, white pepper, wine and chicken stock concentrate to saucepan and stir to mix blend. Continue to simmer until wine has mostly reduced and then stir in the half and half. Cover and reduce heat to low.

3. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender and then drain completely.

4. Mash the potatoes with a hand masher or ricer and then fold the mirepoix mixture into the mashed potatoes with spatula. Salt & pepper to taste and serve hot.

The sausage rolls as the main course were a little simpler. I’ve never made this British favorite before, so I consulted my UK friend, Dame Paula of East Lyme. I thought she might have some secret recipe or arcane wisdom to impart. Nope, she said she uses Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage and freezer puff pastry. I was a little surprised, but she says “Ain’t nobody got time to faff about making their own puff pastry.” (She’s sounding more and more American all the time.)

I did a little bit of “faffing” by adding some sauteed chopped onion to my sausage mix and adding some Everything Bagel seasoning to the tops of some of the rolls.

No-Faffing Sausage Rolls

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 lbs Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage

2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, whisked

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on medium heat; add onion and cook until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, add the sausage, onion and 1/4 cup water. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly and evenly combined.

Preheat oven and heat to 400°F. Lightly sprinkle all-purpose flour on a work surface. Unfold puff pastry into two rectangles. Cut each rectangle into 2 long strips (4 total).

Line two baking sheets with parchment and place 2 pastry rectangles on each baking sheet. In the center of each pastry, form the meat mixture into a long sausage the length of the pastry strip, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all around. Fold the pastry over the meat filling to form long roll and pinch the seam closed. Flip the sausage roll over so the seam is on the bottom. Lightly brush the top surface with egg.

Cut the rolls into 3-inch lengths (shorter for more snacky appetizers). Bake in the oven until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Can be served hot or cold.

Steamed broccoli

Do I really have to tell you to buy a microwave-ready bag of broccoli and follow the directions on the bag? Remember.... no faffing.

Plumcots, pluots and apriums, oh my!

I learned something new last week. At Costco, I spotted packs of apriums, a newer hybrid cross between an apricot and a plum. I have long enjoyed pluots and plumcots when they’re in season, but I never really understood the difference. And now that apriums are on the scene, I finally got around to looking it up. Here’s the difference:

Plumcots: A true 50/50 hybrid cross between plums and apricots originated by botanist Luther Burbank in the late 1800s.

Pluots: Originated by Zaiger Genetics (a plant breeding company) in the 1980s and the name was trademarked in 1990. There are a few different varieties and they are roughly 60-70% plum and 30-40% apricot.

Apriums: Another Zaiger Genetics trademarked hybrid, but comprised of roughly 75% apricot. The ones I tried were very sweet with that nice apricot density to the flesh. Yum.

Rich Swanson is a local cook who has had numerous wins in nationally sponsored recipe contests. He is also the layout specialist here at The Day.

Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Rich Swanson can be reached at TheSurlyTable@gmail.com.