You put all these together and you have a superb meal in no time. We absolutely love this dish. Beef, potatoes and beans.. everything seems right with this dish and it was. I always find comfort in meat and potatoes.
Well, I grew up in a traditional Asian family. Rice with lots of other dishes and soup to either start or end the meal. Beef was never on the menu. Beans and potatoes were often cooked in the form of soups. I believe it is the western influence that started me on eating beef (nothing’s wrong with that, just saying!) and baked potato (jacket potato is what they called in the U.K). I love them and find comfort in this type of meal ever since.
Baked potatoes with sour cream are so common in the western cuisine. Some people add chives to it. This recipe added fresh rosemary and believe me, a simple addition of that brings the potato to a different level. Beef hash is also another common one, but you spice it up with thyme, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce (almost got my tongue tangled up), eat it with the beans and potatoes, you will be so surprised by how good the whole deal is. I’m a kind of person who like to mix different dishes and it them together in one plate (I think my brother said “like a pig” but I’ve forgiven him and forgotten about it) and this is just perfect. Try it and you’ll have a great meal in no time!!!!
Recipe is adopted from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals cookbook published by Penguin Group.
30-MINUTE MEAL: SUPER-FAST BEEF HASH, JACKET POTATOES AND LOVELY BUTTER BEAN
Ingredients
Potatoes:
- 4 large baking potatoes
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 4 tsp sour cream
Beef Hash:
- about 1.1 lbs (500 g) good-quality ground lean beef
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 red onion
- 2 carrots
- 3 sticks of celery
- A few prigs of fresh rosemary
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- A small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
Beans:
- 4 slices of smoked bacons
- 2 tomatoes
- 14 oz (400 g) white beans
- Red wine vinegar
- 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh Greek basil (found the plant at home depot but not at grocery store though) or regular basil, leaves picked
Seasonings:
- Olive oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- POTATOES: Preheat the oven to 425 F. wash the potatoes thoroughly, dab dry with paper towel. Stab few times with a fork, then put into a large microwaveable safe bowl and cover with a double layer of plastic wrapper. Put straight into the microwave for around 14 to 16 minutes, or until soft and cooked
- HASH: put the ground beef into the largest frying pan and break it up with a wooden spoon. Add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper and drizzle over some olive oil. Pick in the thyme leaves ad cook until golden, stirring often
- BEANS: drizzle olive oil into the second frying pan on a low heat. Finely lice the bacon and add to the pan. Toss occasionally and move the pan off the heat once the bacon is golden
- HASH: peel and halve the red onion. Wash and trim the carrots an celery, then slice all of them in the food processor and set aside. When the beef is golden, pick the rosemary leaves into the pan. Crush in the 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic and add 6 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. Stir well, cook until nicely glazed, then add the sliced vegetables and stir again. Reduce heat to medium and remember to toss often
- POTATOES: put a knife through each potatoes to check they are cooked through. Pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves, and add them to the bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Gently toss to coat them in the flavors, then use tongs to transfer the potatoes to the hot baking tray and put under the oven to crisp up
- BEANS: get your pan of bacon on a high heat. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the bacon. Tip in the beans and their juices, and simmer gently to cook the liquid down
- HASH: finely slice the parsley. Add most of it to the pan, reserving a few leaves. Taste and correct the seasoning, then transfer it to a large serving platter
- POTATOES: take the potatoes out of the oven. Cut a cross on each one and pinch them open. Serve on top of the beef. Top each with 1 tsp of sour cream and scatter over the parsley. Take the platter to the table
- BEANS: add a little extra virgin olive oil and a good splash of vinegar, then season. Sprinkle over the Greek basil leaves. Take the pan to the table
