Skip to main content

Burger Cabbage Skillet


When you think of cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, and beef in a dish, what meal comes to mind?  The American Sunday standard, stew or pot roast.  But why?  Why can't the good wholesomeness of a stew be combined with the simplicity of a beef and cabbage egg roll stir fry?  Why can't bacon be added for an additional depth of flavor.  Bacon and cabbage, bacon and potatoes, cabbage and carrots, cabbage and potatoes, carrots and potatoes.  What really could go wrong with the combination of all the ingredients in a skillet hash sort of meal?  Nothing, really.

Ingredients:
1 onion, finely diced
8 slices bacon, diced
1 lb burger
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, shredded
salt, pepper
1 cup water (optional)

Instructions:
In large dutch oven, fry bacon and onions together till bacon is extra, extra crispy.  Brown lean meat.  If using 70/30 meat, the bacon grease should be drained first.  When meat is fully cooked, add in cabbage, salt and pepper.  If needed, 1 cup of water can be added to keep meat from sticking.  I did not need water as the dish was covered to keep steam from evaporating out.  Once cabbage was almost cooked, the meat was tasted for seasonings and the shredded carrots were added.  Shredded carrots cook very quickly.  You could cook for a few minutes or just toss the carrots thoroughly, turn off the heat, and let the dish rest covered for about 10 minutes.  

Scaled for Likability: Good
Bacon and I have a lot hate relationship.  Bacon must always be crispy, the crispier the better.  One could say even close to burnt is best.  Bacon when cooking in most meals becomes soggy, chewy, and gross even if cooked crispy first.  IE: Not Fabulous Green Beans.  Flavorings of bacon is a must, but bacon itself, not so much.  So it came as no surprise that the bacon after cooking with the cabbage became soft.  All the crispy gone.  It was not quite chewy but it was most definitely not crispy.  Other than the less than perfect bacon, which by the way the table counterparts loved as it was, the meal was better than the table counterparts expected.

The potatoes held their shape, the cabbage was cooked but not soggy, the meat flavorful.  The only thing I would change for the next time this dish is cooked is to cut the carrots on thin slices instead of shreds.  More typical of stir fry carrot slices but not chunks found in pot roast.  Strips allowed the flavor of the carrots to get missed.  Need more heft to taste against all the other flavors of the dish.

Popular posts from this blog

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup.  Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too.  Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup  are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes omitted, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one cup celery, three cups diced potatoes, one can tomato sauce, two beef and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water.  Once onions were softened, carrots/celery/potatoes/juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almost tender.  Green be

Papas a La Mexicana (Ranchera)

It  is a crying shame that there are six hens and not a egg in sight. What am I supposed to do with homemade ranchero sauce? Thankfully with a few quick searches of the internet a recipe from my hometown newspaper was discovered: Papas Ranchera . Not once in the thirty years I lived in my hometown did I ever eat at a local food joint serving papas rancheras. No time like the present to remedy this cultural dish. Because this recipe is hidden behind a paywall (grrr...) I have included it here for you: Servings: 4-6  Ingredients: 1 pound potatoes, diced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 large onion 1 1/2 medium tomatoes 3 jalapenos 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup juice from canned tomatoes Instructions: Fry potatoes in vegetable oil until lightly browned (about 4-6 minutes).  Saute onions, tomatoes, jalapenos until soft.  Add garlic powder and salt. Add tomato juice until vegetables are covered (may need to add water).  Bring to a boil and then add potatoes.  Cover and reduc

Sour Cream & Chive Scalloped Potatoes

Can't believe the Month of the Potato is over.  There are so many more potato recipes saved.  Guess I will have to work them into another month. Last week's scalloped potatoes were one of the best new recipes during the month of potatoes.  With today being the last day in the Month of Potatoes, I decided to go out with a bang by cooking another batch of scalloped potatoes but this time sour cream and chive.   The Best Scalloped Potatoes , or so they said. Modifications Made: Recipe was reduced by half.  Mayo was omitted and one entire package of chives were chopped and added to sauce before pouring onto layers. Scaled for Likability: Good Betty Crocker Sour Cream and Chive Box Scalloped Potatoes were the standard for this recipe.  These were a family favorite for years but have long since been discounted.  Bummer.  Trying to replicate this seemed easy enough.  Alas, it was not. These had a nice texture but were too oily from the cheese and did not contain enough onion, garlic,