Meat and Potatoes Man

My husband loves meat and potatoes. Sometimes I make it by the book, sometimes I cheat. Now I have an easier way to do either!
There is a silpat that has an octagon shape that fits right on top of a flower cake mold - the same mold that makes a stunning cake that can be cut into four cute hearts. When the silpat sits on top of the pan, the steam from whatever is cooking creates a seal and a great little crock pot that cooks faster and cleans up way better because it doesn't bake onto the silicone like on a traditional pot.

Now, you ask, "How can you cheat with meat and potatoes?" It's called pre-cooked. There are a ton of meats out there. . . everything from frozen entrees like the lean cuisine my Uncle Jerry used to eat before he got married, to the prime rib I made that was delivered from my "meat man" who delivers steak and chicken to my door. Many times you can find great BBQ right next to the raw meat at your local grocer -- just pay mind to the labels so you know what is in it.

Anyway - the method I used was the same, but it took less prep to cheat, and maybe 15 minutes more to cook the raw steak. Both turned out to have fabulous potatoes and evenly cooked meat.

Here is what I did:
To cheat -- I peeled and cut up a few potatoes, put the prime rib with au jus sauce in the middle, placed the silpat on top, and stuck it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 35 min. It could have been less, but I was busy chasing my 4 yr old.

To use raw meat -- I peeled and cut up a few potatoes, put the steak in the center, poured in 1/3 cup red wine and 1/3 cup water, sprinkled pepper, salt, garlic, and minced dried onions. I placed the silpat on top, put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 50 min, though again I could have taken it out sooner but I had a diaper to change.

My husband wasn't ready for dinner either time, so I let it sit with the silpat on and it kept very hot because the steam created a seal. The clean up? I poured what was left over out, took a dish rag and some soap to wipe it out, rinsed and it was in the drying rack before you could say, "It's the Luck of the Irish!"