Adventures with anrkst.

T-Bucket (the sous) wanted something with mashed potatoes. I've made this before so of course I'm going to make it bigger badder better..
#KentRollinsCooking Shepherd's Pie.

Here it is again..the missing thing. Do you see it now?


For this we'll need...about 5 lbs of potatoes!


These will help make it "not boring"

 

Double or even triple rinse your potatoes, your boil will stay almost clear and they will taste so much better. I guarantee it.


Some things, like steak, taste just fine on their own. In grinds a mix is just more flavorful imho


Time to throw down in the mighty 14"


Mine is going to have bit more "kick" than other versions


Use a little garlic why dontcha?!!

 

Some assembly is required


Now we're gonna bake this sucker for 45 minutes or so


Yep. Pretty sure people are gonna hurt themselves.

(There was in fact about 1/4 of this leftover...but sous came back 2 hours later and wiped it out. )

 

Look what my Dearest LadyAsh decided I needed.


Pretty sure the mail lady hates us now.


A massive 12 1/2" and 3.7 qts if I converted correctly


Next to my Lodge 12" CI I planned to use later.


I think I can make red eye gravy in this..


And here it is a mere 2 hours later.

 

Don't cha just loooove your kids?!


For this we want a nice TX-Mex blend


These for a well rounded dish


These need to be 1/4 and diced


And yes, while I was slicing and dicing daughter #2 popped out of her lair and made herself some scrambled eggs (leaving both the pan on the stove AND the dishes in the sink. ❤ her. ) but at least she left me 1 egg right?...

 

That's the way it goes huh?


I have a serious garlic...addiction


Saute everything up, let it cool just a bit, mix it in your cornbread dough, top it with whatever spice blend you have left, and bake at 400f for 25-30 minutes...


Stuffed Cornbread yall. Ok it's a bit crumbly (needed that other egg) Was delicious though. LadyAsh tore thru 3 peices faster than grease thru a goose.

 

Lookin good as always. How do you season your carbon pans? I've read that the de buyer mineral b is oven safe to 400 for 20 minutes. What's your method?

 

To tell you the truth I take no special care for the handles.
I have a trinity of these now and I start the season by boiling n scrubbing, then they get Crisco and tossed into the oven at 490f for an hour. I’ll do that 2-3 times then it’s just cook, wash/dry, oil, repeat. No different than cast iron really.
You can’t destroy the strap steel handle under the coating so I don’t worry about it. I have seen one that looked like “crackle paint” after years of use but even then the coating was still on.

 

Here are all 3. You can clearly see the length of use even though none are really that old.


Here from L-R on the handles. The L one has been baked dozens of times at 490f. For the record though, my oven is electric so results may vary.

 

Thanks that's the info I was looking for. There are so many varying opinions from internet experts it's nice to have real world experience weigh in.

 

What to do when your internet goes out for 6 days?! (Besides sleep on the floor? )
Why have a long drawn out conversation about whether these are Fajitas or Carnitas of course. Pretty good either way..

This awesomeness will get quartered lengthwise then turned into thin slices


It's a quick n easy dish


It the infamous "floor sleeper" but if you say his name the tail starts up.

 

I call this "seasoning the oil". Preheat good n hot, oil in, then coarsely chopped garlic for about a minute, then some green onions for about a minute more. Then pull em out (pierced rice spoon) and add back in at the last 3 minutes of cooking.


Veg left just a tiny tiny bit crisp..


Then meat. Lower n slower will make it less "chewy"...

 

Want flexible tortillas? I save newspapers (cast iron freak ya know. ) wrap em and flick some water on it..steams them nicely..


A little final assembly...and 20 of these disappeared in about 5 minutes flat!!

I mayyyy need a bigger batch next time.

 

Weird double post....

 

Ok my dear most excellent friends, I sorta wandered off into "experiment land"...again. I present The World Ugliest!! Homemade Pizza. (Seriously, I should stay in my lane with soups. )


We'll want a nice Italian blend, but I decided to use some Red Pepper flakes to give it a lil kick.


I can already tell this is about to go all outa control


Who puts bacon on a pizza? The real question is... Who doesn't?


Gotta watch where you step around here...

 

This right here, this is gastronomical nirvana.


Told you it was ugly!


There are some totally ravenous people around here!

 

Today's selection, Shrimp Fried Rice. This is the easiest fastest deliciousness I know how to make.


If you can make rice, you can make this dish.


But I gotta have fire under my DeBuyer 28cm.


If you're not cooking in a carbon steel chefs pan....You Should Be!!


Under 20 minutes and service for 2. Cant beat that with a stick.

 

@IW17 I took the following series of images in the hope they might help you on your journey.
After the Fried Rice seen above...pan needs maintenance..

No matter what's been said, hot water and soap will not kill this thing.


So after cooking, and washing, this...


It goes in the oven while warming to temperature (my oven takes almost 10 minutes to reach 490f so it's hot n dry)


I use plain ole Crisco and coffee filters (trick I learned from waitresses a long time in the past. )

 

Pt 2.


I put about 1/2 teaspoon in the hot pan, use the coffee filters to wipe both the inside and outside to just a sheen of oil.


I go 45 minutes. (Gas ovens would be faster)


After. It sits in the oven until cool enough to handle. The nice smooth "finish " is restored. I will do this ohhhh, every 3-4 use for a while. Then the seasoning will be black as night and you'd need vinegar (acid) baths to remove it.


The coated handle. It doesn't get oiled and slowly turns "brownish " over time. If it actually starts to flake I'll take a rotary knotted wire brush to it and not lose a minutes sleep over it.