Tuna Casserole topped with Crispy Hash Browns

Its coming to the end of November. It's getting colder in the states, hotter in Australia and same ol' humid in Asia. This pronounces holiday season, we would gain a few pounds, know a few more people, learn a few new things and 2011 would pass. 

Having Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years in mind, I started to crave for Casseroles. Rustic, Sticky Crispy Carbo casseroles. Being too lazy to head out for groceries, I had to think up a way to combine the ingredients at hand. I was recently gifted with some chinese sausages. For those who has no idea what that is, the closest I could describe is a sweet chorizo. I had a spicy can of tuna and handfuls of Macaroni, Spaghetti, Egg Noodles and Hash Browns.

So, here we have, 

Spicy Oregano Tuna Mac Casserole with Chinese Sausages, Topped with Crispy Hash Browns. In short, Tuna Casserole.

Ingredients:

25 g Butter

4 cloves of Garlic minced

4 cloves of Red Shallots sliced

1 teaspoon of Dried Oregano flakes

1/2 tsp red Paprika powder

250ml of Whole milk

30 g Cheddar cheese (Optional)

3 tbsp all-purpose Flour

200 g of Sausage/ Bacon/ Ham/ Chicken Breast

1 can of Spicy Tuna

Salt and Pepper to taste (depending on the sausage/ham/bacon you choose)

50 g Macaroni

50 g Spaghetti 

50 g Egg Noodles

200 g Hash Browns

Directions: 

preheat oven to 350F/175C

1. Going from the top, melt the butter on medium heat.

2. Saute garlic and shallot until browned and fragrant.

3. Stir in Oregano and Paprika. Adding the dry herbs at this point would ensure that all the flavor would be activated. I recommend adding different herbs such as thyme, rosemary or cumin. 

4. Pour in the milk and wait for it to boil before quickly stirring in the cheese.

5. When the cheese melts, add flour by the tablespoon. It should reach the consistency of a paste. Test-taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

6. Quickly add in the meats. Make sure the meats are sealed, then, turn off the heat.

6. Stir in the pastas and noodles and pour it into desired dishes.

7. Lastly, break the hash brown into tiny pieces and gently push it into the surface of the casserole.

8. Bake for 30 minutes, turn and bake for another 30 minutes. If Hash brown topping browns to quickly, cover with an Aluminum foil and place dish on the lower shelf in the oven.

I reckon Milk and herbs are the basis of a good cream. It doesn't take cheese to combine a casserole together, hence, its optional. A Casserole dish is awesome because its a "throw in one pot" type of meal. Anything you like, everything in moderation and add one or two special ingredients, such as, red wine or  10 types of mushrooms or Coriander. You've got yourself a warm fuzzy meal.

Lets innovate

Jes