Snacking State-by-State: Mashup 9A - Potato, Pork and Pimento Pots

The last four states' worth of recipes have left me with an inordinate amount of ingredients that I really have no idea how to mix together: garam masala and peanut butter, heavy whipping cream and ground pork, Pepsi and U-bet chocolate syrup, pimento cheese and matzah meal, kidney beans and sauerkraut. These were not going to fit together into one recipe - but they fit well into two: an entrée and a dessert.

Mashup recipe #1: Potato, Pork and Pimento Pots

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients (state flag indicates State-by-State post where ingredient was featured. Ingredients with no flag were not specifically used for any one post.)

1/2 c sweet onion, minced 

9 small (or 4 medium) potatoes, chopped (preferably in small cubes)

1 stalk celery, minced

2 small (or 1 large) carrot, minced

3 T schmaltz (or ghee or oil)

1/4 to 1/2 c kidney beans (optional) 

1/4 c sauerkraut, drained and squeezed dry

1/2 lb ground pork 

2 T garam masala 

1 - 2 T tomato paste, 

1 - 1 1/2 c pimento cheese, divided into six (1/4 c) servings 

1/2 c matzah meal, divided into six (2 T) servings 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

I also used a dash of olive oil, and ended up not using the allspice or the chopped yellow onion.  You will also need six 3" ramekins (Don't have these?  Just put the whole thing in an 8 x 8 broiler proof dish).

Start by mincing the sweet onion.  I had to bust out the "faincy" new vegetable chopper that I bought in Rehoboth the weekend before at one of the outlet malls for all of $15.  It was, indeed, so worth it.

Do the same with the celery, carrots and garlic.

Melt the schmaltz in a large cast iron skillet.

Add the minced veggies and fry, stirring occasionally, until soft.

Chop the potatoes (in retrospect, why didn't I push these through the veggie chopper?)

Add the potatoes to the skillet...

...along with the garam masala...

...the pork (schmaltz and pork?  This is sooooo not kosher)...

...and the rest of the ingredients, except for the pimento cheese and matzah meal.  Cook until the potatoes are almost soft.

Now it's time to fill the ramekins.  Fill each one with some of the recipe.

Top each ramekin with 1/4 cup of pimento cheese...

...and then finish each ramekin off with 2 tablespoons of matzah meal.

Set the ramekins under a broiler for three minutes.

Serve warm.

As much of a hodgepodge as this recipe was, I think it was one of the most successful ones I've done for this series.  The veggies and pork mix well, even more so when coated with the tomato paste and garam masala.  Plus, the pimento cheese and matzah meal really top it off in a lovely way, with the matzah meal giving a very nice delicate crunch that most bread crumbs would be a little too heavy for.

Coming up next, the other mashup for dessert, before heading off to some Oklahoma recipes.