Twin Cities Hotdish

For the February Royal Foodie Joust, featuring mushrooms, noodles & cauliflower, I present the hotdish. Ah the hotdish, the star of church suppers & potlucks from International Falls to Albert Lea. A tasty combination of ground meat, creamed soup & starch (typically potato). We eat it fried in the summer at the State Fair & in the winter we compete for the best one at the Winter Carnival. I figured why not try my own spin on it...

For this hotdish I made my own cream of mushroom soup with fresh baby bellas then seasoned it with cayenne & thyme. For a topping I used roasted cauliflower mixed with some good stinky Wisconsin cheese & panko instead of potatoes.

This turned out really good. The cauliflower was the best part of the whole thing with just that little bit of sweetness from the roasting. Next time the change we would make is more; we'd make a little more of the mushroom soup & we'd add more cayenne.

Twin Cities Hotdish

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 T olive oil
salt & pepper
6 oz egg noodles
1 c yellow onion, peeled & roughly chopped
3/4 lb lean ground beef
2 c chopped baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 T unsalted butter, divided
1 T all-purpose flour
pinch dried thyme
large pinch cayenne
1/2 c half & half
3/4 c chicken broth

1/2 T dry sherry
1/4 c grated Wisconsin Bierkase (beer cheese)
panko

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place the cauliflower & olive oil in a small roasting pan. Stir to coat. Season with salt. Roast the cauliflower until starting to brown about 20 minutes. Set aside.

Cook the egg noodles according to the package until al dente, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Heat a skillet with just a little olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions & cook until starting to brown. Add the ground beef & cook through. Drain any grease & set aside. Season with salt & pepper.

Melt 1/2 T of the butter in the skillet. Add the mushrooms & cook until tender about 3 -4 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour, thyme, cayenne & some salt & pepper. Stir while cooking for one minute. Add the half & half & continue stirring until thickened. Stir in the mushrooms, chicken broth & sherry. Cook until bubbly & thick. (If not thick enough stir in a little more flour mixed with a little broth.) Check seasoning & add more as needed.

Mix the mushroom soup, noodles, beef & onions together in a casserole dish. Press down with the back of a spoon into the dish. Mix the cauliflower together with the grated cheese. Layer on top of the noodle mixture. Sprinkle panko over the top.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until bubbly & golden brown.

Serves 4

Thanks Jenn for hosting another month of fun.