Bacon cheese potato tarte

Served this with an instant pot roast for Valentine’s Day.  It was amazing!

2 lbs room temperature bacon

4 cups cheese, I use cheddar, smoked Gouda, and bacon white cheddar

4 large potatoes sliced thin

Cut a piece of parchment to line a cast iron skillet.

Directions

1.Preheat your oven to 350°F Carefully arrange the bacon in a radial pattern from the center of the bottom of a ten-inch, non-stick pan to the lower edge of the rim and continuing up and over it. Let the ends hang over. The slices should overlap slightly around the sides of the pan. To reduce the thickness of the bacon in the center stagger every other piece starting it two inches from the center and extending it further than the adjacent slices. With the palm of your hand, flatten the center area, leaving no gaps in the bacon. Season the bacon with pepper then sprinkle on several tablespoons of the grated cheddar. Slice the potatoes as thinly and uniformly as you can, about a quarter inch thick. Arrange a circular pattern of overlapping slices around the inside bottom edge of the pan. Continue arranging overlapping layers of the potatoes until the bottom is evenly covered. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Mix the onions and garlic together and sprinkle some of the mixture onto the potatoes. Continue with a layer of the grated cheese. Cover with another layer of the potato pressing it down firmly before continuing with alternate layers of the potatoes, onion mixture and cheese until the pan is full. Continue with several more layers in setting each a bit from the edge of the pan until the top is an inch or so higher than the pan’s rim. Fold the overhanging bacon neatly up and over the top of the potatoes. Trim a small piece of parchment paper and place it in between an ovenproof lid and the bacon. This will prevent the bacon’s ends from pulling back and shrinking during cooking. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for at least two and a half to three hours. You’ll know it’s done when a small thin bladed knife inserts easily. Pour off as much of the fat around the edges as possible. Let the tart stand for fifteen minutes then invert it onto a cutting surface. Slice into wedges and serve immediately. You may refrigerate any leftovers and reheat them later it in a microwave.

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Instant pot Roast Beef and gravy

Made this for Valentines Day dinner!  Delicious cheap and easy!  Served this with a bacon potato and cheese tarte.

• 3-5 pounds Eye of Round Beef Roast
• 1 Tablespoon Salt
• 3/4 cup Beef stock 
• 1 teaspoon Fish stock which is optional
• 2 cloves Fresh garlic minced

Rub

• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon bone sucking sauce steak rub
• 1 teaspoon Beef base

Instructions

1. Coat the Eye of Round with Kosher Salt and seal in plastic wrap.  Place in refrigerator for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Whisk together Rub ingredients of your choice.  Remove Beef from plastic wrap and massage into Beef.
3. Select Saute on Pressure cooker once hot place Beef into cooking pot fat cap side down and sear Until brown.  Turn and sear each side and remove Roast to a plate.
4. Pour beef broth into cooking pot and deglaze pot.
5. Place short legged Trivet into cooking pot and place Roast onto trivet.
6. Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve.  Cook at Low Pressure for 6 minutes.  When Beep sounds, wait 1.25 hours (pot should remain on Keep Warm) and then remove lid and quickly check temperature should be 120-130 degrees.
7. Remove Roast from cooking pot and cover with foil for 15-20 minutes before slicing.  Slice paper thin and use for sandwiches.

   
   

   Once you remove the beef, mix cornstarch and water together.  Remove trivet.  If you want you can add a little more beef broth I added another cup.  Turn pot back into sauté Mode and when broth and drippings are almost at a boil add slurry of cornstarch and water.  Stir until thick.  Remove pot from base.  Slice roast and pour over gravy.
   
   This recipe was one I found on Pinterest as always I added different spices and made a gravy but this was a great recipe!  

   https://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooker-roast-beef-instant-pot/

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

Instant Pot Chicken Gyro

Another instant pot win!  At first I was concerned by the amount of spices in this once.  But I have heard pressure cooking reduces the flavors of some dishes?  I don’t know it works that’s all that matters here!  This one is super easy.  Dump all your ingredients in and if you super pressed for time get your toppings from the salad bar and then there is no chopping.  I had no Greek seasoning on hand and do I made my own from a recipe I found onlbought me and it worked perfectly.

Chicken gyro in the Instant Pot

Ingredients 

2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons of olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of ground oregano

2 tablespoons of dill weed

2 tablespoons of Greek seasoning

1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 of a red onion, chopped

Dump all of your ingredients into your Instant Pot.  You can add these ingredients in no particular order.  close your Instant Pot and cook on high pressure or on the meat setting for 30 minutes.  Do a quick release. Remove the lid and the chicken should fall apart once you stir it with a fork.  You want to keep the chicken in the juices it cooked in.   Place chicken on pita bread or naan.  top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

I topped with lettuce, tomato, feta cheese, tatziki sauce (recipe below), kalamata olives, red onion and cucumbers.

Tzatziki sauce 

1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of dill weed

1 small English cucumber, chopped

1 teaspoon onion powder

pinch of salt and pepper

1/2  teaspoon of lemon juice

Mix all your ingredients and voila.  Let set in fridge for a little while to soften spices. 

Crack Slaw

i decided to try this low carb make ahead meal.  I love cabbage so it has to be good right!  This was super easy and I ended up halfing this recipe and using the other half of the hamburger meat for some other meal prep lunches.  I need variety.

• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
• 1 lb ground beef (we used 88% lean)
• 10 oz. cole slaw salad mix
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 stalk green onion

1. Start by frying up your ground beef.  Drain.  
2. Then add Garlic and sesame oil and cook about 2 minutes.
3. Add coleslaw and stir well.
4. Add in sriracha, soy sauce and vinegar and toss. Let this cook for about 5 minutes for the cole slaw mix to wilt.
5. Season with salt, pepper and sesame seeds. Serve with a sprinkle of green onion and enjoy!