The Philosophy of Food, Issue #004: Chicken-Andouille Casserole Thing

When I moved into my new apartment here in Bloomington my mother gave me a set of dishes, mostly plates and bowels, that I had grown up with.  Among these treasures was a small casserole dish.  In recent weeks this has prompted me to experiment, to mixed results.  Invariably, I tend to overcook whatever is on top.  A friend suggested that I add chicken stock or some kind of juice to the mix to add in some more moisture, so that's what we're going to attempt tonight.

The Ingredients

The casserole dish I'm using, along with a few of the ingredients.

-1 Idaho Potato, chopped into small-ish pieces.
-1/4 yellow onion, chopped.
-3 small cloves of garlic, chopped.
-1 andouille sausage, chopped into little pieces.
-1 boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces.
-1 cup chicken stock.
-Shredded cheddar cheese.
-Tony Chacherie's Spicy Creole Seasoning.

The Process
This is a relatively simple dish.  Basically you put everything in the casserole dish in layers.  First the potatoes, then the onions and garlic, then the anouille and so on.  I added a liberal amount of creole seasoning once the dish had been filled up to the meat, then slowly poured in the chicken stock, hoping to wash some of the seasoning into the lower layers.  Then I added the shredded cheese and a little bit more creole seasoning for garnish.  Cook in your oven for one hour at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

One potato. . .

To achieve my desired anouille size I cut the sausage like so and then quarter the individual pieces.

The Holy Trinity: potatoes, onions, and meat.

Mainly so you have an idea of how much cheese I'm using.  I didn't bother to actually measure it out.

Now, I have to admit two major fears for this recipe.  Firstly, I'm terrified that I used to much chicken stock and that my result will be soggy.  Secondly, I'm afraid that the cheese will burn.  We'll see if my fears were justified or not. . .

The Results

Bow to your meaty god!

Well, my fears of the cheese burning were entirely unfounded.  On the other hand, there was entirely too much liquid left in the dish.

I have to admit, I'm tempted to drink the remaining chicken stock.  I bet it tastes divine!

Also, the spices didn't make their way down to the lower levels of the dish, so I have spicy chicken and andouille and kind of bland potatoes.  It is still tasty and edible, mind you, it could just use improving.  And really, isn't that the purpose of this entire exercise?

In the future, I'm definitely using less chicken stock.  Maybe 1/3 or 1/4 cup.  I'll also add creole seasoning to each layer individually, to make sure it gets around.  I might use more cheese, too.  Enough so it's a real layer in and of itself, and not just a topping.

Enjoy!  And if you enjoy then, by all means, become an official follower of the blog.