“Can we have basic food for dinner?”
This was the subject line of a recent New York Times Cooking email in which the author (Ali Slagle) went on to say that while she is a recipe developer for The New York Times, and often deals in “sparkly” dishes, she also sometimes just likes to cook “obvious, plain, basic food”. As in simply season it and cook it; no marinating or multitasking required.
I read that email and just thought “yes! same!” - and why don’t we do that more often?? Many times, the simplest of dishes are the best ones - as good ingredients, cooked well, shine.
I know I am guilty of sometimes thinking that in order for dinner to have been something “worthy” it has to have a million ingredients, or be something expensive, or take all day to prepare. When in reality, we all would be just as pleased with simple roast chicken and white rice. (In fact, one of my newly discovered favorite comfort food dishes is a Thai dish with poached chicken and jasmine rice surrounded by a flavorful broth. Now I want some.)
And in this busy season of back to school, and afternoon and weekend sports, with what seems like ALL the holidays looming around the corner, wouldn’t it be nice to simplify dinner at least once in a while?
In her newsletter, Ali laid out some great ideas with crispy chicken thighs, roasting any veggie until nice and brown, or steaming something green over rice cooking away in the rice cooker and then adding a fried egg on top. For me, my personal favorite “basic” dinners include roasting a chicken over some baby potatoes, cooking a pork tenderloin alongside mixed vegetables, sheet pan bratwursts or italian sausages with onions and peppers, and chicken thighs baked in pretty much any sauce, store-bought or homemade. You’ll notice most (if not all) of those ideas are pretty much hands-off. (I even worked a couple into our family dinner menu this week!)
The recipe for Skillet Sliders with Caramelized Onions below falls somewhere between basic and not-too-involved. Cheeseburgers for dinner always feels uncomplicated and fun, and you can get a jump on it by making the meat mixture and forming patties ahead of time. You can even make the caramelized onions a couple of days in advance. (Or, leave them off to take out a step, but they’re so good…) The mayo and spices in the mixture keep the sliders moist and evenly seasoned throughout, and the little patties are perfect with the sweetness of the onions, sharp cheddar cheese, and soft hawaiian rolls. Toss some frozen french fries on a foil lined pan, and you only have one skillet to wash!
See you back here next week, where I’m sure I will have already forgotten my promise to myself to keep it simpler! Oh well, a girl can dream.
MONDAY - BBQ Chicken and Mac ‘n Cheese
Easy peasy boneless chicken thighs tossed in BBQ sauce are baked until toasty. One pot stovetop mac ‘n cheese for the side. Fresh fruit or a salad to round it out.
TUESDAY - Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Baked Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts
Simply seasoned pork tenderloin (I grew up on this Cavenders All-Purpose Greek Seasoning - It’s good on pretty much everything, and you can usually find it in any grocery store) and baked potatoes take care of themselves. All I have to do is arrange some brussels sprouts cut side down in a big skillet and give them a quick cook while pulling out potato toppings.
WEDNESDAY - Homemade Pizza Night
I got a fun new cookbook for my birthday - Pizza Night by Alexandra Stafford - and we can’t wait to try all her combinations! Inspired by one of her’s, we’ll do a pizza with some leftover ratatouille for a topping and then another as a meat-za or supreme style.
THURSDAY - Ground Beef Lo Mein
An “inspired by Instagram” night! This Lo Mein from Salt and Lavender looks delicious and easy. I found lo mein noodles in the Asian section of the grocery store, and I cheated and bought frozen mixed veggies to make it even faster.
FRIDAY - Friday Night Pick-up
SATURDAY - Dinner at YaYa’s (the in-laws!)
Chicken enchiladas and rice. Always a winner! She does creamy white enchiladas (so good and cheesy!), but it reminded me that we also love red enchiladas and I should add that to my running list of upcoming dinner ideas.
SUNDAY - Dinner at Dad’s
Pesto pork loin and parmesan smashed potatoes. You butterfly a whole pork loin and pound it out, then spread pesto and proscuitto over it before rolling it back up. It makes such a pretty spiral in the center!
LUNCHES for this week -
By now you probably know that I love a big batch lunch salad or grain bowl. I’m a big fan of anything I can prep ahead, plus many times this is where I can eat what the rest of the family might deem “weird food” - you know, quinoa, farro, barley and the like. Well, this weekend I came across a few recipes for lentil salads/bowls that all looked delicious! This one from Bon Appetit (which might be behind a paywall, sorry) and this one from Love and Lemons are similar and both utilize fresh veggies and a bright vinaigrette. This one from Serious Eats is more of a warm bowl with lentils and eggplant and a tahini dressing. So, I got some lentils at the store just so I can make up something for this week’s lunch! Bonus - lentils are high in both protein and fiber!
EXTRAS for this week
I haven’t been a good sourdough baker lately. Yes, the starter is still alive, and I’ve been feeding her, but I haven’t actually made bread in quite some time. Anywho, I think I’ll make a loaf or two this week! Or, I’ve been craving some ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls, maybe I can find a recipe for soft, fluffy sourdough cinnamon rolls.
Skillet Sliders with Caramelized Onions
Makes 12 sliders
Caramelized Onions
· 2 medium Onions, sliced
· 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
· ½ teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· ½ -1 cup Water, as needed
Sliders
· 2 pounds Ground Beef Chuck (I use 80/20)
· ¼ cup Mayonnaise
· ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
· ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
· ½ teaspoon kosher Salt
· ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· ½ tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Extra
· 12 Hawaiian Style Rolls
· 6 slices deli Cheddar Cheese, quartered
· Desired cheeseburger toppings
For the caramelized onions – In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high until shimmering. Carefully add the onions and salt and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently 30-40 minutes, until onions are very soft and light brown in color. Reduce heat as necessary to prevent burning. You can also add a splash of water if the onions start to stick. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve.
For the sliders – While the onions are caramelizing, in a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Using a rubber spatula or your hand, gently mix in the ground beef until well combined. Form into 12 equal patties with a slight indention in the center of each.
Heat a large skillet (12-inch or more) over medium high heat. Place slider patties in the skillet. (It may be a tight fit, their sides might touch, it’s okay.) Cook for 6 minutes per side. In the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add 2 small squares of cheese to the top of each patty, and cover with a lid to help melt the cheese. Move the sliders to a paper towel lined plate before serving.
Serve each slider on a roll with caramelized onions and other desired toppings.
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all of the past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)
All recipes categorized by type can be found in the index!