Jac cooked a beef and mushroom casserole for dinner. She served it with garlic mashed potatoes.
The kitchen smelled wonderful as the pot of casserole simmered away on the stove. I’m not sure exactly how long she cooked the casserole for, but it was ages. The carrots and celery were soft and sweet, the beef so tender it fell apart under my fork. The potatoes tasted amazing soaked with gravy. And the gravy was utterly drinkable. It was another delicious hearty winter meal.
I'm TFP, a food blogger from Perth, Western Australia.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, stews. It’s summer, but how I miss you so. I haven’t had a casserole in ages, and I didn’t even know what it was a year ago… I still don’t, really. I prefer to refer to them as gratins, or a pasta bake, or stew, or… I guess you catch my drift.
Wei-Wei
We are in the middle of the worst heatwave here in the states. Jac’s casserole looks delicious. It’s just the wintery evening, that got me! I would always rather warm up, than cool down.I love cozy comfort food and right now, we’re eating alot of Popsicles! I’m glad you’re enjoying cozy meals with Jac and the kids.
I’ve never had garlic mash potatos but they sound like a
perfect match ^^
Can I ask what cut of beef you guys used? I’m always worried to use lean meat and end up using parts like osso bucco or ones with some bone or fat..which end up being a little oily, but quite tasty!
oh that casserole looks absolutley gorgeous!! I love meat that’s been cooked for so long that it starts to fall apart. We’ve had whole steaks done like that before (in the slow cooker) with mushrooms and gravy. Mmm…
That’s the perfect winter food isn’t it? :-)
That is always an enjoyable, satisfying dish. Would love a lightly buttered dinner roll to sop up that luscious gravy. And isn’t it amazing how well celery soaks up meat broth?
Mind posting a recipe? It looks gorgeous!
I can almost taste it in my mouth.. almost… *salivates* So hungry!!
Garlic mash! YUM. :D
Yum, the shredded, falling-apart beef looks amazing! I’ve been meaning to get some kind of electric crock pot so I can cook myself things like this while I’m away at school.
Wei-Wei,
I can eat stews and casseroles all year round. Doesn’t matter if it’s a stinking hot day like we get here in summer – I’m quite happy to eat a stew or soup or curry – especially curry! :)
kathy,
Hahaha, see my reply to Wei-Wei above! :) Like you, when it comes to temperature extremes, I prefer really cold to really hot. When Pixel sees Jac busy cooking (and when she smells the food) she’ll sneak into the kitchen (she knows she is not supposed to be there – we’ve trained both cats to know the kitchen is off-limits) looking for dropped morsels and begging for treats.
Adriana,
Garlic mashed potatoes are the best. Jac just pops a couple of garlic cloves into the saucepan with the potatoes. The garlic cooks as the potatoes boil When it’s time to mash, you simply mash the garlic and potatoes together, add the butter and whatever else you would to make mashed potatoes. So simple, so tasty. Jac bought a pack of “stewing” beef (also sometimes labelled as “casserole” beef). It’s a cheap cut that has to be cooked for a long time, otherwise it will end up very tough and chewy.
soph,
Hopefully we will have more of these kinds of meals as we’ve bought a slow cooker. Jac is really looking forward to cooking with it – I think she’s planning to cook another beef casserole in it today (beef and red wine).
Craig,
It sure is! Jac has also been making yummy hot desserts like apple crumble, which she serves with hot custard. Even more perfect!
Cindy,
Jac had some bread as well but I was perfectly happy with the potatoes for carbs. Yes, the celery is just wonderful in the casserole! I used to hate celery as a kid, but I really like it now.
Justin,
Sorry, no recipe. Jac doesn’t usually follow recipes and doesn’t usually write them down – she’ll often have an idea she wants to try and just makes up the details as she goes along. The corned beef with mustard sauce posted previously was based on a recipe from her mum, so it was easy to write up a recipe based on that, but Jac didn’t follow a recipe for this beef and mushroom casserole. The general rule is: if I have a recipe for a dish I will always post it. If there’s no recipe posted, just assume there isn’t one.
Peky,
Wouldn’t it be great if you could taste from photos? :D Or at least enjoy smell-o-vision? Heheh.
Dea,
Garlic mash has become our standard for mash. Jac automatically pops garlic cloves in the saucepan to cook with the potatoes every time. :)
Megan,
We just recently bought a slow cooker but haven’t had a chance to use it yet (this casserole was just cooked in a pot on the stove). Jac is going to try a beef and red wine casserole in the slow cooker and leave it on low heat to cook for 8 hours or so (as per the instructions). I am looking forward to it.
OMG!!!!!! I’m here!!!!!!! finally!!!!!!!!! first time in MONTHS I’ve been able to see the site.
Nicole,
FANTASTIC, YAY! I’m very excited for you! Well, hope you think the posts were worth waiting for! :)