Food: Country Ribs, Tators, and Carrots Tutorial

Hey everyone. This is one on my favorite down-home, country meals. It is simple, quick, and delicious. I grew up on Meat 'n Taters (that is what we call this meal around here), but as an adult I was always too intimidated to use a pressure cooker to actually make it for myself. Eventually Mom gave me a push and told me to just try it. Needless to say I was on the phone with her the entire time the meal was cooking, but we made it through and it was worth the effort. As I was preparing this very same meal for my family the other day, I thought that maybe you too would like to know how to make Meat 'n Taters. So here we go.

First, get yourself a pressure cooker. Mine is just one from Wal-mart. It is nothing fancy, but it does the trick. Now, add the ribs and 1 and 1/2 cups of water into the cooker. That is all the water you will need to add during this entire process.  

Then, set your stove on high, put your lid on the cooker and wait. In about 5-10 minutes depending on how much water and meat is in the cooker, you will notice steam and maybe bubbles coming out around the jiggler. The jiggler will start to move around and make a little bit of noise. Once this happens, it is time to turn your stove down to medium heat. Allow your meat to pressure for 20-30 minutes depending on how much meat you put into the cooker. I think I had 4 ribs in mine so I just did 20 minutes.

When the 20-30 minutes is up, turn off your stove. You can allow your pressure cooker to sit on the stove and cool, but this takes time. So I just follow my Moms directions and very carefully move the pressure cooker to the sink. Turn on cool water and run it over the lid of the cooker for a few minutes. Try not to get it on the jiggler or the red dot on top. I just run it around the edges and that works just fine. This releases the steam/pressure from the cooker. You should easily be able to take the lid off. If it doesn't want to budge, don't force it, just allow it to sit under the running water a couple more minutes.

Once your lid is off, you just move your cooker back to the stove top. Add in your potatoes. Mom doesn't add carrots to hers, but I do and sometimes I even add in onions. There is no certain way to cut the potatoes. Just peel them and "hunk 'em up" as we say. Just cut them into chunks. You can fill your cooker almost to the top. You don't need to add in any more water. The water you had originally in there will be enough.

Now that your cooker is filled with the ribs and water you pressured before, potatoes, carrots, and onions, add in a bit of salt to taste. Put your lid back on the cooker and set the stove back on high heat. Wait about 5-10 minutes until it starts jiggling, turn the heat down to medium and allow the potatoes, carrots, and onions to cook for 5-10 minutes depending on how full your cooker was. I fill mine almost completely to the top so I allow them to cook for 10 minutes. When the time is up, just repeat the process of running water over the cooker to release the pressure. Now your meal is finished and should look something like the photo below. 

 

My sweet cornbread smothered in butter is the perfect compliment to the meal.

Have fun and enjoy! 

I shared this tutorial at Farmgirl Friday

Food: Young 'Taters 'n Gravy Tutorial

One of my favorite country meals that my Mom makes and I had no clue how to is Young 'Taters 'n Gravy. Some of you may know what that is and how to make it; but I bet most have no clue what I am talking about. So I figured I'd get Mom to show me and you how to make them.

Young 'Taters are often known as New Potatoes. Really it is just a potato that has been dug before they are mature. They usually are small and the skins are a light brown or yellow and very thin.

Photo from all-about-potatoes.com

{I had to borrow the photo above because I forgot to take a picture before Mom cooked them.} I purchased my potatoes at the local farmers market for $3.00, but was informed later that afternoon that Dad had plenty in his garden that I could have dug. Guess I'll ask before I buy next time. Hopefully by next year I'll have some young 'taters of my own. 
You can cook the young 'taters with the skin on; but Mom peeled 'em, chopped 'em up,  covered 'em with water and cooked 'em over medium-high heat until they were tender. You should be able to very easily mash them with a fork.

After the 'taters have cooked, grab yourself a bowl. In that bowl, add 6 tablespoons of flour,

6 tablespoons of cream or milk,

and one cup of water.  {No Mom doesn't have two right arms. LOL. My sister was standing beside her washing jars. We were making kraut that day}

whisk.

Turn your potatoes back on medium-high and let the water start to boil. Add a very heaping teaspoon of butter.

Pour in the flour mixture, turn down to medium and stir. Let the gravy mixture simmer about five minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick.

Now it is ready to eat.

Enjoy!  If you find that your gravy is too thick, just add a little more water. If it is too thin.. just add a little more flour mixture. It is really easy.  My cousin said in order to prevent clumps she takes her 'taters out of the water after they have cooked, mixes up the gravy in the water that is left, and then adds the potatoes back in.  Mom said she had never done it that way before because it takes more time and she was always in a hurry.  I shared this post at Homestead Revival.