My Mom was one of the most talented Home Cooks I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She could take any ingredients and make it into something SPECTACULAR! One of my biggest regrets is not asking her for her recipes, though I surmise that kind of cooking magic was only for her hands and in some fashion with me now trying to recreate her recipes it keeps her alive in my hands, as well as my heart. So here is my hybrid attempt at another version of her Shepherd’s Pie utilizing the slow cooker to do the bulk of the work. I hope you would be proud Mom! ♥

1. Bring your stew meat out of the fridge and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes while you prepare your flour/dredging mixture. This will take the chill out of the meat and is better for the browning/searing process. In a plastic bag combine the flour, one tbsp of the pepper, garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Add your stew meat, seal the bag lid and shake it all about. Do the Hokey Pokey if you like, this is a no judgement zone.  Make sure to coat all of the meat. Set the meat aside. In a cast iron pot or any regular pot, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and heat it up on medium heat. Add about half of the meat and brown on all sides. Depending on how many pounds of stew beef you are searing, please do this step in batches to keep the heat of the oil nice and hot and ready for searing. After all of your meat has been seared, remove from the pot and set aside.

   

   

2. Add the remaining two tbsp of olive oil to your pot and add your diced onion. Let the onion cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the garlic. Saute the onion and garlic together for another minute or so, add a little more flour from the dredging mixture, about 2-3 tbsp and combine with the onions and garlic. Add the sherry to deglaze the pan, picking up all of those oniony, garlicy bits off the bottom of the pan. Add your stew beef back into the pot and add the beef stock and stir all the players together. Bring to a boil for about 3-5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Lower the heat to low or just above, cover your pot and let that meat do what it does best cook low and slow for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

   

   

   

   

3. This step is purely optional! But I thoroughly recommend it! Pour yourself a glass of wine and read a good book.  😀

   

4. Now that the 2 hour mark has arrived. It is time to add the veges. I cut the veges pretty small because I want them to cook a little bit quicker as your family is pretty much probably starving by this time and the smell in your kitchen that has permeated the house is probably driving them crazy. I know every time I went to stir the beef my husband would say “when is dinner going to be done Woman?” To which I politely replied (politely, that’s funny), soon honey, soon.  😛 When the veges have been added to the pot, add a tbsp of the dried parsley, crushing it in your palm first to release the oils. Add more salt and pepper to taste and let them simmer for 30 minutes.

   

   

5. At the 30 minute mark, ladies and gentlemen start your grits. Follow the directions on your grits package but basically boil 4 cups of water. When the water is boiling slowly add your grits and a pinch of salt or two and whisk away. Turn your heat to low and let the grits thicken for about 10-15 minutes, whisking occasionally. When they are to your desired thickness, add the butter and cheese and a little salt and pepper and combine.

   

   

   ---

   When all is said and done it is as always time to plate. Put a little (or a lot) of those cheesy grits to line the bottom of your bowl and add to your heart’s desire the beef tips, veges and gravy, sprinkle with a little dried parsley and Enjoy! Cheers to Family and the lost, hopefully to be found again, coveted tradition we call Sunday Night Dinner.  🙂

   

   ---

1. Cut up the onion, and peppers into strips leaving them on the bigger side because they can get pretty small after a time in the Crocker. Add them to the Crocker and season with some salt and pepper to your liking. Add the chicken broth and stir all together.

   

   

   

   

   

2. In a bowl add your beef and a little flour, salt and pepper and combine to coat. Add more flour if needed and the same with the salt and pepper. Remember: you can always add more but it is harder to take it away.

   

   

3. Place your beef on top of the veggies, put on the lid and set your Crocker to your desired time, I set mine to 8 hours. Wait about 30 minutes for the meat to get acclimated to the rising temp and stir all together before you head out the door. Just set it and forget it!

   

   

   

   

4. Upon your return, add some olive oil to a pan, heat to medium and add your mushrooms and pepper to taste. I saute my mushrooms separately because I like them with a little bite and if they go into the Crocker with the rest of the veggies for eight hours, they mush up. When they are sautéed to your liking, remove them to a bowl and set aside.

   

   

5. In the same pan you sautéed your mushrooms add the butter and 2 tbsp flour and whisk together to make that all important binding roux. Take ladles of the juice from the Crocker and add them one by one whisking after each addition until you have the amount of sauce you want and the desired thickness of the sauce. Season a little more with salt and pepper if desired and remove from the heat. Stir in your sour cream and watch the magic happen!

   

   

   

6. Easy cheesy in a pot of bowling salted water add your egg noodles and cook according to package directions.

   

7. Here is the best part! Deciding how you want to stylize this meal–just beef and veges or do you want to Beef Stroganoff it, dress it up a little. Or maybe a little of both? Simply add your egg noodles on the bottom of the plate or bowl to create a nice bed, add your meat mixture and add the stroganoff sauce on top and then top with the mushrooms. Or add no sauce, either way it’s all good!

   

   

   

   

   You really can’t go wrong any way you choose to style your beef! ENJOY!  😀

   ---