Meat & Potato Pie

Not only is this quick and easy ~ it's pretty too! 

(your family may think you spent hours)

They say nothing spells love like a home cooked meal.  I say, presentation exudes love.  I basically took meat and a potato and arranged or decorated them to please the eye.  

Yea, I could have nuked a potato and slapped meat on the plate.  It would have tasted the same.  Yet I like to think my extra effort says "hey family; I love you; come sit, relax, and enjoy this beautiful meal I made especially for you".

Ingredients:

• 4 med-large pork chops (or meat of choice, approx 1 lb)
• 3 med potatoes
• (optional ) 1/2 lb. vegetables of choice i.e. sliced mushrooms, onions
• (optional) 1 cup or can of cooked brown gravy
• olive oil
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Useful effecient kitchen tools

make all the difference!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sear meat in a pan on high heat and then cube (you do not need to cook meat through, it will finish in the oven)
3. Thinly slice potatoes into rounds (I use food slicer for nice even slices)
4. Mix gravy, meat and vegetable in a bowl then pour into your baking dish (I used an 11" round baking stone).  Top the dish with potato slices laying in a concentric circle and overlapping each slice by about 2/3).
5. Brush top of potato with olive oil.  Then spice with salt, pepper, and garlic to taste.
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Alternative Prep Options:

• you don't have to cook it in gravy, instead you can spoon gravy over your dish at the table (this is what I do because I don't eat gravy). 
• You may also leave veggies out of the dish completely and serve on the side; I've done both and it works great either way.  This recipe is super easy to work with and very forgiving.

veg & gravy served separetely

Side Veggie options:

• Whole Kernel Corn (I like frozen) cooked in a skillet with butter, seasoning salt and garlic until slightly caramelized
• Canned Green Beans with spaghetti sauce poured over the top (nuked)