This tater tot casserole goes soggy when the tots sit in the filling or bake under foil. I brown and drain the beef, keep the mix thick enough to mound on a spoon, then set frozen tots in one layer on top and bake uncovered until the edges are deep gold. I put a scoop of classic coleslaw next to the pan if I want something cold against the bake, or a slice of golden garlic bread to swipe the sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1½ lb (680 g) ground beef, 90% lean
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 can (10.5 oz / 298 g) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can (14.5 oz / 411 g) cut green beans, drained well
• 1 cup (140 g) frozen corn (no need to thaw)
• 2 cups (226 g) sharp cheddar, shredded, divided
• 32 oz (907 g) frozen tater tots (do not thaw)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 9×13-inch (3-quart) baking dish. Leave the tater tots in the freezer until you need them; thawed tots sit wet and steam instead of browning.
2. Brown the beef: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, breaking the meat into small crumbles, until the beef is browned with no pink left and the onion looks translucent, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then spoon off the fat until only a thin sheen remains in the pan.
3. Mix the filling: Stir in the Worcestershire, salt, and pepper, then add the cream of mushroom soup, drained green beans, corn, and 1 cup of the cheddar. Fold until the soup coats the beef and the mix mounds on a spoon instead of pouring. Taste and add salt if the soup flattened it, then scrape the filling into the baking dish and spread it even.
4. Arrange the tots: Scatter the remaining 1 cup cheddar over the filling. Set the frozen tater tots on top in a single layer, leaving a small gap between them so hot air can move around each tot. Don’t press them into the sauce, and don’t cover the pan.
5. Bake uncovered: Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tots are deep gold at the edges and the filling bubbles at the corners of the dish. If the tots are still pale, give them 5 more minutes so the edges brown. Let the pan stand 5 minutes so the filling thickens a notch before you scoop.

If the tots steam instead of crisp

• Pale, floppy tots mean the pan was covered or the tots were stacked. Take the foil off if you used it and give them 8 to 10 more minutes at 375°F until the edges brown.
• A greasy puddle under the tots means the beef wasn’t drained, or it was fattier than 90% lean. Spoon off the fat next time and leave only a thin sheen in the skillet.
• Soggy tot bottoms mean the filling poured like soup. It should mound on a spoon before the tots go on; if it’s loose, simmer 1 to 2 minutes to thicken.
• Bland bites mean the meat went in unseasoned. Salt the beef after draining and taste the mix before it hits the pan, because canned soup stays quiet on its own.

Storage

Cool leftovers and refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours. They keep 3 to 4 days. Reheat uncovered in a 375°F (190°C) oven until the center is hot and the tots crisp again; a covered reheat steams them. I freeze the assembled filling without the tots for up to 2 months, thaw it overnight in the fridge, then add frozen tots and bake as written. USDA leftovers and food safety covers the 2-hour cooling window and the 165°F (74°C) leftover reheat target.

This pumpkin cookies recipe starts by blotting canned pumpkin until it packs like paste, then mixing it with brown sugar and egg yolks so the cookies bake chewy instead of puffing into muffin tops. I leave the whites out on purpose – that extra water is what turns the dough into cake. If you already made a pan of pumpkin muffins, these use the rest of the can, and a loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread uses the same puree if you’d rather slice than scoop.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (122 g) canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
• ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 3 tablespoons (38 g) granulated sugar, for rolling
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, for rolling

Instructions

1. Blot the pumpkin: Spread the ½ cup puree on a plate in a thin layer. Press a paper towel onto it, lift, and repeat with fresh towels until a dry towel comes away with almost no orange stain and the puree looks like thick tomato paste. You should have about ¼ cup (60 g) left. If you skip this, the dough bakes up puffy and pale, more like a mini muffin than a cookie.
2. Heat the oven and mix dry: Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C) with a rack in the center and line two baking sheets with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until the spice looks even. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off, because a packed cup is the fastest way to a dry, sandy cookie.
3. Cream butter, sugar, and yolks: Beat the softened butter and brown sugar with a hand mixer on medium-high until the mixture looks lighter and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the yolks and vanilla and beat 1 minute more, until it looks pale. Beat in the blotted pumpkin on low just until combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled from the pumpkin hitting the fat, and it smooths out when the flour goes in.
4. Scoop and roll: Add the dry mix and mix on low just until the last streak of flour disappears. The dough should hold a scoop, not slump like batter. If it slumps, chill it 10 minutes. Scoop 2-tablespoon balls, roll them in the granulated sugar mixed with the remaining ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and set them 2 inches apart on the sheets.
5. Bake until puffy, then cool: Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 13 minutes, until the edges look set and the centers are still puffy and pale. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then move to a rack. As they cool, the centers fall and the tops wrinkle, which is the chewy texture setting, not a collapse.

Chocolate chips, pecans, and a plain top

• Fold ¾ cup (130 g) semisweet chocolate chips in after the flour and skip the spice-sugar roll so the chips stay put instead of sliding off in the oven.
• Use ½ cup (60 g) chopped toasted pecans the same way. Start with already-toasted nuts, or they taste raw in the center of a 12-minute bake.
• Leave the sugar roll off if you want a plainer top to frost later. Frost only after they are fully cool or the frosting slides.

Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Let them cool completely before you lid the container or the tops turn sticky. Freeze cooled cookies for up to 2 months and thaw on the counter.

This pot roast recipe is a Dutch oven braise, not a stew. I sear a chuck roast until the crust is deep brown, keep the liquid only halfway up so the meat doesn’t boil gray, and add the potatoes and carrots for the last 90 minutes so they hold their shape. I put golden garlic bread on the table for the pan juices, and if I want ranch and pepperoncini instead of this gravy I make Mississippi-style pot roast.

Ingredients

• 3½ pounds (1.6 kg) boneless beef chuck roast
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus a pinch for the onions
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup (240 ml) dry red wine, or extra beef broth
• 2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1½ pounds (680 g) baby potatoes or Yukon Gold, halved if larger than 2 inches
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for gravy if needed
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, for gravy if needed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Season and sear: Heat the oven to 325°F (163°C) with a rack in the lower third. Pat the chuck dry and season it on all sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then lay in the roast and leave it 4 to 5 minutes per side, until the crust is deep brown and it releases on its own. Transfer the roast to a plate so the onions can take the fat and browned bits. If you flip it early or the pot isn’t hot, you steam the meat and the gravy later tastes pale.
2. Build the braising liquid: Lower the heat to medium, add the onion wedges and a pinch of salt, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until the edges brown and they pick up the stuck bits from the pot. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until the paste turns brick-red and smells sweet, not raw and tinny. Pour in the wine (or 1 cup of the broth) and scrape the bottom clean, then let it bubble 1 to 2 minutes until the sharp alcohol smell is gone.
3. Braise halfway up: Return the roast and any plate juices. Pour in the remaining broth, Worcestershire, bay leaves, and thyme. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the meat, not cover it. If it sits higher, ladle some out; a full bath boils the roast and you lose the crust you just built. Bring just to a simmer on the stove, cover, and put the pot in the oven for 2 hours.
4. Add the vegetables: Nest the potatoes, carrots, and celery around the roast so they sit in the liquid. Cover and cook 75 to 90 minutes more, until a fork twisted in the thickest part of the meat meets almost no resistance and the potatoes are tender but still hold a cube. If the meat is still tight at 3 hours total oven time, cover and keep going in 20-minute stretches. Adding time is the fix, not more liquid.
5. Rest and finish the gravy: Move the roast to a board and tent it loosely for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. If the juices already coat a spoon, you’re done. If they’re thin, set the pot over medium heat, mash the butter with the flour, whisk it in, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes until the gravy looks glossy and a spoon dragged through it leaves a trail. Slice or pull the meat into large pieces, return it to the pot, scatter the parsley, and serve.

Slow cooker, wine swaps, and other cuts

• For a slow cooker, sear and build the liquid on the stove, then cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots for the last 2 hours, and drop the broth to 1½ cups so the meat braises instead of boiling.
• Skip the wine and use 3 cups broth total. The tomato paste and Worcestershire still give the gravy a backbone.
• Brisket works the same way, fat cap up. Bottom round dries out in this amount of liquid, so I don’t use it here.
• Leave the potatoes out of the pot and serve creamy mashed potatoes if you want a softer side. Cubed chuck in gravy is a different dish: make beef stew instead of forcing this roast into cubes.

Storage

Cool leftovers and refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours. They keep 3 to 4 days. Reheat a portion in a covered skillet over low heat with a spoon of the gravy until the beef is hot, 165°F (74°C) in the center. Freeze portions with gravy for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. USDA leftovers and food safety covers the 2-hour cooling window and that reheat temperature.