It's Good Though…

Yield: 4 to 6 Servings

AllRecipes

Not just plain Asparagus.

• 1bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
• ½lb fresh mushrooms, quartered
• 2sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
• 2tsp olive oil
• kosher salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with vegetable cooking spray.

Place the asparagus and mushrooms in a bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, then season with rosemary, salt, and pepper; toss well. Lay the asparagus and mushrooms out on the prepared pan in an even layer. Roast in the preheated oven until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes.

Yield: 4 Servings

J. Kenji López-Alt / Serious Eats

Using traditional technique, caramelizing onions is a slow, painstaking process. Thirty minutes in the pressure cooker, though, and they taste just as good as if they had been on the stove for hours. Once they’re done, it just takes a few more minutes to make them into soup. Our recipe calls for a ton of Gruyère—French onion soup just isn’t right without a thick blanket of cheese.

• 6TBS unsalted butter, plus more for toasts
• 3lb yellow or mixed onions, sliced 1/8 inch thick (about 4 to 5 large onions) (see note above)
• ½tsp baking soda
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½cup dry sherry, such as Amontillado
• 2quarts chicken stock
• 2sprigs thyme
• 1bay leaf
• 1tsp Asian fish sauce (optional)
• 1tsp cider vinegar
• 8bowl-size slices rustic bread, toasted until crisp
• 1medium clove garlic
• freshly minced chives, for garnish
• 1lb Gruyère cheese, grated

Onions:

Set a 6-qt Instant Pot to the SAUTÉ MEDIUM setting. Add butter and heat until foaming stops.

Add onions and baking soda and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onions slightly soften and start to release liquid, about 3 minutes.

Seal Instant Pot and set to MANUAL HIGH pressure for 20 minutes. Release pressure using Quick Release, then remove lid.

Continue cooking with lid off, stirring constantly, until liquid inside has completely reduced and the onions are deep brown and sticky, about 5 minutes.

Add sherry and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until alcohol smell is mostly gone, about 3 minutes. Add stock, thyme, and bay leaf, raise heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add fish sauce, if using, and cider vinegar and season with salt and pepper (if necessary). Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

To Serve:

Preheat broiler and move oven rack to top position. Butter toasts and rub with garlic clove until fragrant. Spoon a small amount of broth into the bottoms of 4 ovenproof serving bowls, then top with half the toasts. Sprinkle some grated Gruyère on top of toasts, then spoon more soup and onions on top, nearly filling the bowls. Set the remaining 4 toasts in each bowl, pushing to nearly submerge them. Top with remaining grated cheese and set bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until cheese is melted and browned in spots.

Garnish with chives and serve.

with Mashed Potato

Yield: 6 Servings

TastesBetterFromScratch

This flavorful, juicy Instant Pot Meatloaf is an easy instant pot dinner. The meatloaf is made with ground beef (or a combination of ground beef and ground turkey), breadcrumbs, spices, and eggs, and I usually add potatoes to the bottom of the instant pot to make mashed potatoes at the same time, for an all-in-one meal!

For the Meatloaf:

• 2lb ground beef (or ground turkey, ground pork or a combination)
• 2large eggs
• 4TBS ketchup
• 2TBS Worcestershire sauces
• 2tsp Dijon mustard
• 4cloves garlic, minced (or 1½ tsp garlic powder)
• 1tsp salt
• ½tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1tsp dried sage
• ½cup yellow or sweet onion, minced (or 3 tsp dried minced onion)
• ½cup unseasoned breadcrumbs, regular or Panko
  

Meatloaf sauce:

• ½cup ketchup
• 6TBS light brown sugar
• 2tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼tsp ground nutmeg

For the mashed potatoes:

• 3lb Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
• 1cup water
• ½tsp salt
• ¼cup milk
• ¼cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  
• 3TBS butter

Special Equipment:

• Instant Pot and its Wire Rack
• Heavy duty aluminum foil

Total Prep & Cook Time: 60 minutes

Meatloaf Prep:

Add all of the meatloaf ingredients to a large bowl and gently mix everything to combine (without over-working the meat).

Form the meat mixture into a round loaf that will fit into your instant pot.

Place the loaf on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold the edges up to make a secure nest for the meatloaf to rest in. (You want the edges high enough that grease from the meatloaf won’t spill out onto the potatoes while cooking.)

Instant Pot:

Add the quartered potatoes, water, and salt to the bottom of the instant pot.

Lay the Instant Pot wire rack on top of the potatoes. Place the aluminum foil “nest” with the meatloaf on top of the rack.

Secure the lid on the pot and close the pressure release valve. Select manual/High pressure and cook at high pressure for 25 minutes. When the timer beeps, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then use quick release.

Sauce:

While the meatloaf cooks, make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Set aside.

Finish:

Remove the Instant Pot lid, and carefully remove the meatloaf. Check for an internal temperature of 155°F. If below 155°F, finish in a 350°F oven. Discard the aluminum foil and grease drippings.

Spoon the meatloaf sauce over the top (or serve on the side) and cut into slices.

Mashed Potato:

Add the milk, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper to the instant pot with the potatoes. Mash to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.
Serve with your choice of vegetable.

A trick to ensuring your foil boat will fit on the rack, is to form it around the rack.

Yield: 4 to 6 Servings

Scott Nowell

Plain or with added protein, fried rice can make a nice meal by itself or used as a side. So many options. Experiment and find out what you like. Use care with the soy and salt, so it isn’t too salty. You can skip the dark soy sauce if you want a lighter colored finished dish.

Sauce pre-mix:

• 2TBS hot water
• 2tsp honey
• 2tsp sesame oil
• 2tsp Shaoxing wine (or dry cooking sherry)
• 2TBS soy sauce
• 2tsp dark soy sauce (skip for lighter colored dish)
• ¼-½tsp white pepper

Protein:

• ½-1lb protein: large shrimp, raw, de-shelled, pork, beef or chicken sliced thin, char siu, bacon or mix
  
• 2-4eggs, scrambled

Rice & vegetables:

• 4-5cups cooked rice
• 2cups cooked vegetables, broccoli, carrots, etc.
• ½cup bean sprouts, optional
• ½cup snow or sugar snap pea pods, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal, optional
• 1medium onion chopped
• 3-4green onions (scallions), white and green sections separated, white chopped into 3/8” rings, green into ¾” pieces
• 2-4TBS oil, divided
• 1tsp sugar
• 2tsp soy sauce
• 2tsp oyster sauce or 1 tsp sesame oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Mise, Mise, Mise, get your mise together! This means me! This happens so fast, that you must get everything prepped and measured before cooking starts.

Sauce premix:
Start by combining the hot water, honey, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine (if using), soy sauce, dark soy sauce (if using), and white pepper in a small bowl. This is the sauce that you’ll be adding to the rice, and it’s much easier to have it combined and ready to go before you start cooking.

Stir fry protein & onion:
With the wok over medium heat, add a TBS of oil and eggs. Scramble until just set. Remove to bowl, set aside.
With the wok over medium heat, add a TBS of oil and stir-fry the onions and white part of the green onions until translucent and then stir in the protein. Stir-fry until chicken or pork are cooked through. If using shrimp, stir-fry for a couple minutes and remove to a bowl. Add 2 TBS of oil and the rice and stir-fry until heated through.

Add sauce:

Add the premix sauce and salt and mix with a scooping motion until the rice is evenly coated with sauce. You will have to break up any remaining clumps of rice with the spatula as best as possible, but no need to be obsessive. The rice should be hot by this time.

Toss in your bean sprouts, pea pods, scrambled eggs and return shrimp (if using). Mix thoroughly for another minute or two and serve, topped with green part of green onions!