Stuffed Meatball Sub - Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 2 pounds bulk Italian hot sausage
• 1/2 pound smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 cubes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup softened sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• One can Italian crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
• Salt and pepper
• Four crusty sub rolls, ciabatta bread or individual ciabatta rolls, 7-8 inches long per person
• A handful of basil leaves, torn or shredded
• Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for topping

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.

2. Place a bowl of warm water on a work surface. Arrange a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide the sausage into four equal portions. Form three balls from each portion, nestling one mozzarella cube into the center of each meatball and sealing the meat around it. Coat the meatballs with a drizzle of EVOO, place on the rack on the baking sheet and roast until firm, about 18 minutes.

3. While the meatballs are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, one turn of the pan, in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and olives. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 7 minutes.

4. Remove the meatballs from the oven, turn off the heat, then place the rolls in the oven and bake until crisp, a minute or so. Split the rolls and top each with three meatballs and some sauce, basil and Pecorino Romano.

This dinner ended up being very filling - I couldn't finish my sandwich!! They also tasted great. I made a few changes.
I bought the small mozzerella balls instead of cutting the large block up. The meatballs came out pretty big, next time I would cut them in half.
I didn't use olives. I don't really care for the saltiness and the texture. I didn't' miss them :) Definitely add them if you like them though!
I also used Parm. cheese instead of the Romano. The grocery store near us doesn't always have specialty items and if they do they run out quickly. I do like Romano cheese and I think it would've tasted great, use it if you can.
Enjoy :)

Shepard's Pie Stuffed Potatoes - Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped, divided
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 pound ground sirloin or ground turkey
• 1/2 pound button or crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, for sprinkling on top

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
On a baking sheet, toss the potatoes with a hearty drizzle of EVOO and some salt. Bake in the oven until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool.
Turn the off oven and pre-heat the broiler.
While the potatoes are cooling, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the bell pepper and half of the onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, then cook until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice lengthwise off of the top to expose the inside. Scoop out the potato flesh, taking care not to pierce the wall of the potato, and transfer to the bowl with the veggies (reserve the potato shells). Add the sour cream and paprika to the bowl and mash. Reserve warm.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the ground sirloin or ground turkey to the pan and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to turn golden brown, 4-5 minutes.
Add the remaining onion and garlic to the pan and cook until all the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes more. Push all of the ingredients to the edge of the pan and add the butter to the skillet. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock, mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
Fill the potato shells with the beef and mushroom mixture, then top each of them with the reserved mashed potatoes. Transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cheese. Pop the potatoes under the broiler until the cheese is melted and tops are golden brown.

These potatoes were super filling! I followed the recipe as is. They came out delicious :) The only think I was disappointed in was the amount of left over potato. I didn't plan for so much to be left over and it went to waste. Plan for the left overs and serve with your favorite main dish.