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Dinners Meat Vegetables

Bolognese Spuds, Revisited

23 January 2010 – 8:45 am

A few moons ago, when Sugarlace was still new and I didn’t have a proper SLR, things were a little bit messy and dare I say it, ugly. I put up a post about spuds and the corresponding photo did not do the recipe any justice.

What difference does one year make and a properly working SLR. The recipe stayed the same, the lighting at home is still insufficient, and the eater (me!) is still, well, me!

So, I’m revisiting the humble spud with the addition of better photos. This is actually a perfect winter dinner with the warmth and heat from the carbs of the potatoes and the protein from the mince, but you know what? With this crazy Sydney weather where we change from 42 degrees C one day to 16 degrees C the next, we could possibly have a wintry-summer day tomorrow! So enjoy!

Bolognese Spuds

Makes approximately 4 servings

For the Filipino “Bolognese” Sauce

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

500g mince meat

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tbsp sugar (optional – Filipino sauces are sweet hence the addition of sugar)

Salt & pepper

  1. In a saucepan, sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes on the saucepan when softened to let the juices out.
  2. Add mince and soy sauce. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water if the pan gets dry (you don’t want burnt mince!).
  3. Add tomato sauce and salt and pepper. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the Spuds, you need a few simple ingredients. As Nigella Lawson would say, your kitchen benchtop becomes somewhat like a conveyor belt of different ingredients!

First are the potatoes, of course!

Then the butter, salt & pepper

Then some tasty cheese…

Then the cooked mince…

And sour cream and chives (be generous!!! The shops usually scrimp the sour cream, but not in my kitchen!!! Bahahaha!)…

And voila! Eat your heart out… literally.

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Meat Vegetables

“Bolognese” Spuds

26 May 2009 – 5:51 pm

I get home most nights around 8:30PM. Why so late, you ask? Well, I usually finish work at 5:30PM, do my Body Attack or Body Pump classes until 7:30, catch the train home and be in my doorstep at 8:30PM. Yes, my days are long – made even longer by the shorter winter days.

I only get to cook the meals during evenings. Apart from the occasional daylight photos, most of my meal photos are taken at night, and I_hate_it. Zeriously. I wish I have a tripod for maximum exposure, or one of those nifty DSLRs that cost an arm and a leg but oh so worth it.

Alas, beggars can’t be choosers. I have a hand-me-down, ancient Canon D60 given by a very good friend who knew I was on the lookout for a decent camera. In return, I made her chocohotopots (entry + photos coming soon). What a fair exchange!

In the meantime, I have to make do with my dodgy kitchen lighting and mediocre evening food photos. At least they taste good. *cheeky grin*

…

One very ravenous evening after a rigorous gym session, I came home and had one thing in mind for dinner: spuds. Lovely, hot, starchy potatoes flooded with thick, salty-and-peppery minced Bolognese sauce, topped with extra cheese and sour cream please, thanks.

I know this is not a proper Italian Bolognese sauce, but more of a Filipino spaghetti sauce sans the sweetness (and the pasta) – but this is the only tomato-based sauce I know how to make so please bear with my ignorance.

“Bolognese” Spuds

Makes 4 servings

8 medium sized potatoes, skin on, washed

500g minced pork

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp dried oregano flakes

Garlic butter, sour cream, tasty cheese, chives (I only had scallions so that’s what I used)

  1. Bake potatoes on a 200 deg C oven for 40 minutes or until cooked.
  2. In a saucepan, sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes on the saucepan when softened to let the juices out.
  3. Add minced pork and soy sauce. Cook pork for 20-25 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water if the pan gets dry (you don’t want burnt mince!).
  4. Add tomato sauce, oregano flakes, salt and pepper. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Once potatoes are cooked, cut midway down the flesh into quarters, and “open” the centre. Spread butter on the exposed flesh if desired. Ladle the sauce, top with cheese, and return to the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
  6. Top with sour cream, chives, and freshly cracked pepper. Enjoy!
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