Cook's Country

-"Cook's Country" celebrates the best of American home cooking.

-Succulent, tender pork.

The two sauces are perfect together.

-Give that a whiff.

-Ooh-ooh-ooh.

-Mmm-mmm.

-We highlight classic comfort food.

-This is burger perfection.

-It's so good.

-You can taste the crunch.

-And share shortcuts to make low fuss, big-flavor weeknight meals.

-It was really easy to make.

-High payoff.

-We find regional favorites, uncovering the people in history behind exceptional recipes.

-Those bell peppers remind you of being in the South.

-This is "Cook's Country."

Today on "Cook's Country," Julia makes me skillet chicken and rice with peas and pancetta, Hannah tells us all about tart pans, and Vallery makes Julia sweet potato shepherd's pie.

It's all coming up right here on "Cook's Country."

Funding for this program has been provided by the following.

-Monument Grills Denali 605 Pro, made for the family cookout and weeknight dinner.

With 900 square inches of cooking space, several accessories, and Bluetooth capabilities, it's designed with the host in mind.

Monument Grills -- the "Everybody Everywhere Grill."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -One pot meals, like skillet suppers, are a great helping hand for the weeknight cook.

Now, speaking of weeknight cooks, we've got the best here.

It's Julia.

-Oh.

Stop!

-She's going to show us a great version.

-Yeah, I love chicken and rice.

You know, they make it all over the world.

There's tons of ways to flavor it.

This version is flavored with pancetta, dill, and lemon, which is a lovely combination.

-Oh, nice.

-Starting with pancetta.

Now pancetta, as you know, cured pork.

No smoke.

Has a lot of earthy, deep flavor.

Really gives this chicken and rice some oomph.

-Okay.

-This is 4 ounces cut into quarter inch pieces, which you can now buy.

So you actually don't have to prep this.

-Nice.

-And we're just gonna put this in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.

We want to render the fat, and we're gonna use that fat to help flavor the entire dish, rendering it and making it crisp.

Takes about six to eight minutes.

-All right.

-All right.

Now in goes an onion.

And as with chopping an onion, you want a nice, sharp knife.

I like to peel it after I've cut it in half.

I just think it's easier.

I take off that outer layer.

It's usually kind of old and a little bruised, maybe a little dried out.

But I've left the root end intact, and I've cut right through it.

That's gonna hold all those layers together as I cut.

So there's no right or wrong way.

It's just whatever feels easy.

But you want to cut it in both directions.

-Yeah, I always keep a video of Julia chopping onions on my computer, and it's the last thing I watch before I go to bed at night.

-[ Laughs ] So chicken and rice.

Here is the chicken.

These are boneless, skinless thighs.

They come in a variety of sizes.

You can get really small ones that are about 3 ounces.

These are on the larger size, about 5 ounces each.

They cook at the same time as the rice.

So the larger ones are a little bit better.

If you get smaller ones, it'll still work.

You just might have to pull them out a little early.

-Okay.

-So you want to pat them dry first.

-Yes.

-We're gonna season them pretty liberally with about a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, yeah.

-[ Whistles ] -I have to say, when I make this at home, not all of this makes it to the final dish.

They're kind of like little snacking bits as you cook.

-Yes.

-They just smell so good.

Oh, you want them nice and golden, crunchy.

All right.

I'm gonna take these out.

And I'm gonna leave all the fat I can behind in the pan.

All right.

Get all that pancetta out of there.

And look at all that flavor left in the pan.

-Gorgeous.

-We're gonna put this fat back on the stove.

Medium high heat.

We're gonna brown the chicken on both sides.

It takes about three to five minutes per side, and you can really crowd the pan here.

You don't have to do this in batches.

Last one in here.

All right.

We're gonna let those go.

Now while they brown, let's talk about rice.

-Let's talk about rice.

-So, again, one of the keys to this recipe is knowing the ratios.

So we have here 1 1/2 cups of long grain white rice.

And it's gonna be 2 1/2 cups of broth.

-Okay.

-That's the ratio to remember.

And as with most pilafs, you want to rinse the rice.

-Right.

-And that's because there's starch on the outside of the rice.

You know, from packaging and traveling, some of the starch comes off.

-Sure.

-And if you don't rinse that off, you get very gluey pilaf.

So you just want to rinse it in the strainer into the water runs mostly clear.

It can take about a minute.

-All right.

-That looks pretty good there.

I'm just gonna put this over a bowl.

Let it drain until we need it.

-Okay.

-Let's take a look at this chicken.

Ah, I think it could use just a little more browning on this first side.

So I'm gonna let this go another minute or so till it's nice and brown again, three to five minutes on each side.

-Okay.

-Oh, isn't that looking gorgeous?

-That looks amazing.

-All right, so I'm gonna take the chicken out of the pan.

It's not done cooking yet, obviously, but that little bit of browning really gives the rice that chicken and rice flavor.

-And schmaltz doesn't hurt, either.

-Oh, some good schmaltz never hurts.

Okay, leaving the pan right on the heat, we're gonna add the onion and just a little bit of salt.

This is just 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

I'm just gonna cook this until the onions begin to soften.

That takes about three, four minutes.

[ Chuckles ] Schmaltzy onion.

-Smells like dinner.

-Yeah, it does, right?

To this, we're gonna add a little garlic.

This is three cloves of minced garlic.

And we're gonna add the rinsed rice.

-Okay.

-Now we just want the garlic to bloom and that rice to dry off a little bit.

So you just want to cook this for about 30 seconds.

Now time to add the liquid.

And as I mentioned earlier, you can change a lot of the flavors in this dish, but the liquid amount and the rice amount is pretty crucial.

Remember, it was 1 1/2 cups of long grain white rice, 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth.

-Okay.

-And that's not your traditional pilaf ratio.

That's 'cause the chicken's gonna release a lot of its own juice into the mix.

So we're gonna nestle this chicken back on top of the rice.

Uh-huh, and it's all gonna cook together, adding all those juices back in.

All right, so we're just gonna bring this to a simmer.

And it happens pretty quickly.

You can see it's starting to bubble around the edges.

Now we're gonna turn it down to medium low.

Put the lid on and let it cook nice and gently for 20 minutes.

It has been 20 minutes.

Oh, now I am gonna temp the thighs.

You want them to be at least 175.

Ooh, perfect.

175.

176.

They can even be higher and they'll still be juicy.

But 175 is the minimum.

-Yes.

-Now I'm gonna slide the skillet off the heat.

We're gonna take the chicken out now.

Let it rest for just a little bit.

I like that the cooked rice doesn't stick to the chicken as much.

Yeah.

-Yeah.

-All right.

So let that rest for about five minutes.

Now we're going to finish up the rice.

We're gonna add a cup of frozen peas.

We're gonna let the heat of the rice thaw them out and warm them through.

Just gonna sprinkle them over the top.

There we go.

Put the lid back on and let this steam for about five minutes.

-Okay.

-It's been five minutes.

Those peas have thawed perfectly and heated through.

Now, the final few flavors we're gonna add include a little bit of lemon juice.

This is a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.

And the pancetta is gonna go right back over the top.

I'm just gonna use this paper towel as a sling.

Sprinkle them on.

-The pancetta and the peas definitely give it a little bit of an alpine feel.

-Yeah, right?

So I'm just gonna stir the peas and pancetta in just a little bit.

That looks pretty good.

Now I'm gonna slice the chicken up so it's a little easier to eat.

-Mmm.

-Oh, so juicy.

-Yes.

-So I'm just cutting these into bite-size pieces, about half-inch thick or so.

-Got it.

-All right.

This last chicken thigh here.

-Mm, mm, mm.

-Mm-hmm.

-For the last bit of flavor, I'm gonna add some fresh dill.

This is a tablespoon of fresh dill.

When the dill hits the hot rice, it really just comes alive.

-Lovely with the pancetta and the peas in there.

-Yeah.

And it is that easy.

Dinner is served.

-That is amazing.

-Yep.

I'm gonna make sure you get a little of everything.

-Thank you, Julia.

-Here we go.

-[ Gasps ] Oh, you can really smell the dill now.

-Yep.

-Mm-hmm.

-Now, you can serve this with lemon wedges or just a little drizzle of Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Just a little.

It's a nice zestiness.

-Sure.

-Yeah.

-Another component.

It's an easy weeknight meal.

This is your time to zhuzh.

-[ Laughs ] I'm going right for that rice.

-All right.

I shall, too.

-Mmm.

-The rice is cooked perfectly.

-Yeah.

-Absolutely.

Distinct grains of rice, but still really nice and rich.

Mmm.

-Mmm.

-All right.

Going for a little bit of that chicken.

Mmm.

The chicken is beautifully juicy.

-Mm-hmm.

-It's hard to do that with chicken breasts.

Chicken thighs -- a really wise choice.

Definitely going for some of that pancetta, though.

-Yeah.

I love how sort of that mild pork flavor just worked its way through the whole dish to give it just a little bit of depth, a little bit of heft.

-Definitely.

I mean, any kind of pancetta, bacon, anything like that, it's a super ingredient.

It's -- It's salt in pork form.

-Yep.

-Chicken -- juicy, well-seasoned, beautifully simple, though.

The flavors are so magic together.

-Yeah, and I love how you can just use it as a blueprint to add your own flavors, your own herbs as you want to.

-It's a simple supper that's incredibly elegant, too.

Just like us.

I'm very simple, and you're incredibly elegant.

-Oh, wow.

Thank you.

-Yeah, you got it.

-This was amazing, Julia.

Thank you so much.

-My pleasure.

-Now, if you'd like to try this beautiful skillet supper, it starts by browning chicken thighs in pancetta fat.

Sauté onion.

Add rice and broth and simmer covered.

And finish the dish with peas, crisp pancetta, and dill.

So from "Cook's Country," a spectacular and simple supper -- skillet chicken and rice with peas and pancetta.

Now, a little bacon's not gonna hurt anyone.

-Mnh-mnh.

♪♪ -Once you've mastered the pie world, it's time to move on to tarts.

You're gonna need a tart pan.

So Hannah's here, and she's gonna tell us everything we need to know about these pans.

-Yes, having a tart pan at home unlocks a particularly elegant section of the pastry world.

I mean, look at these apple tarts right here.

-Beautiful.

And look at that fluting.

-Look at that fluting, and that is thanks to a tart pan, which is a simple two-piece device invented in the early 1800s at the height of the French patisserie world.

So we tested six tart pans priced from $12 to $35.

We made all different delicious tarts with them.

It was some fun testing.

-Yes.

-We looked at how easy they were to use, tarts they produced, and how easy they were to clean.

-Okay.

-The biggest thing was material.

So these look pretty similar right in front of us.

But these two are actually aluminum.

And everything else over here is steel, either carbon steel or stainless steel.

-Okay.

-And heat whips through aluminum.

So the heat whipped through aluminum when we were making tarts in these pans, and it overcooked the filling.

-Yeah.

Super conductive.

-Exactly.

Steel on the other hand, it's conducting the heat, but it's doing it in a more even and controlled manner.

So the sides had time to set and get that gorgeous nice brown.

And the middle just was, you know, cruising to a delicious finish.

And so steel was a must have with tart pans.

So non-stick was the next important factor.

Only one pan did not have a non-stick coating.

This is by Fat Daddio over here.

And it didn't consistently release its tarts very well.

Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't.

We figure use non-stick coating here.

Get a leg up with that release to make sure you really get the gorgeous finish that you're using a tart pan for.

So we have a tart here in a Fat Daddio tart pan.

Go ahead.

Will you try to remove it for me?

You're a pro here.

-Yes, I always like to use a cup or a can, something like that.

It just makes it easier.

I just push down gently.

All right.

That does come off quite nice.

But that's not the real -- -It's half the battle.

It's half the battle.

-So sometimes you can take a little offset spatula.

Yeah, I'm getting a little resistance.

It is coming off, but I think some of the bottom of that crust is gonna be marred.

Oh.

See?

Still sticking to the bottom.

-When a tart pan had a non-stick coating, it was flying off.

Not like this.

-No.

-And it is the pan's fault.

-I have failed you.

-No, no, you're doing great.

-Yes.

-You're showing the people what we need to show them, which is, you do want a non-stick coating on a tart pan.

You've done all this work.

-There we go.

-There you go.

-Took too much effort to get that off of there.

-You saved it.

You're a pro.

But why even need to save it?

You know, you've busted that beautiful crust right there.

It's still beautiful.

It's still delicious.

It's still gonna be great.

But, hey, if you can choose something that's gonna work a little better, why not?

Flutes were the final thing that really mattered in testing.

If you look right here, do you see how these flutes are deeper?

And I mean the depth going this way, not how deep they are in the pan.

We actually figured, hey, that might make for some nice crust definition.

But the reality is, in testing, when you're pressing dough into that pan, it's super finicky.

The dough can get overhandled, and it wasn't as easy to clean, so we actually preferred more shallow flutes like the one in the USA pan right here.

-Gently scalloped.

-Right.

Gently scalloped.

It doesn't -- You're like, "Oh, is that gonna do enough?"

But look at this crust over here.

You get plenty of crisp definition.

It looks gorgeous, but it's just easier to use.

-Looks good enough to eat.

-I-I -- Pbht, I think we are gonna have to try that just for science after, of course.

This is in fact one of our winners right here, from USA Pan, made of steel for that nice, even heat conduction.

It had a non-stick coating for great release and shallow flutes for nice definition, but, you know, it was really easy to use.

The great news is, I have two winners for you here today.

-Excellent.

-This pan over here was another favorite of ours.

This is from Fox Run.

The only real difference between them is this is 10 inches.

This is nine inches.

And they both share those same qualities that made for a fantastic tart pan.

-Well, thanks so much, Hannah.

A lot to think about.

Lots of information from the queen of tarts.

So if you want to add a tart pan to your kitchen, we've got a couple of winners for you.

There's the USA 10-inch tart pan that runs about $24.

Or you can get the one from Fox Run.

It's a 9-inch loose-bottomed tart quiche pan, and that runs $21.

♪♪ -Shepherd's pie is a classic, well-loved casserole with lamb and vegetables sitting in a gravy topped with mashed potatoes, and then run under the broiler just before serving so it gets a nice golden top.

But today, Vallery is gonna show us her version of shepherd's casserole, and you're switching up some of the flavors.

-Yeah, so we're swapping mashed potatoes for sweet potatoes.

-Oh, yum.

-And adding sweet potatoes gives a savory, sweet profile that works great with lamb.

I had it when I first had lamb tagine.

-Oh, yum.

-Yeah, but this is comfort food.

This is a great cozy weeknight dinner.

-Oh, I like it.

-So let's get started.

I've got a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat and a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

-So you're gonna use the cast iron instead of a casserole dish.

-That's right.

And it's great because we'll be able to use it from the stovetop to the oven when we broil it.

-Very clever.

-And I'm gonna add a pound and a half of ground lamb.

-All right.

-I'm gonna add some spices.

I've got a teaspoon of paprika, 3/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg.

-Ooh.

-So a lot of these spices also go well with the sweet potato and the lamb.

-Yeah.

-1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

-And you mentioned you were inspired by tagine.

-Yes.

-I'm getting that sense here.

-And 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, these spices, like the cardamom and the nutmeg, they work great in the lamb and the sweet potatoes.

So they're doing double duty in this dish.

So this is gonna take about six minutes.

And while this is cooking, we're gonna prepare our sweet potatoes.

-Okay.

-So I've got four sweet potatoes.

These are half-pound each.

-Mm-hmm.

-So I'm pricking them with a fork so as they cook, the steam can escape and they won't explode in the microwave.

We're gonna cook these in the microwave for 8 to 10 minutes until they're soft.

It's been about six minutes.

-Mm-hmm.

-It's cooked through.

-Smells amazing.

-Yeah, it's no longer pink.

It's brown all over.

So I'm going to use a slotted spoon and scoop it into a bowl.

And I'm using a slotted spoon so some of that fat can drip off into our skillet.

So look at all that fat.

-Yeah.

-I'm going to pour it into a bowl.

-Okay.

-'Cause we don't want it to be overly greasy.

But of course we want all of that good flavor.

So 2 tablespoon.

It's about perfect.

-Yeah.

All right.

It's a good day.

-So I turned the heat back to medium.

-Mm-hmm.

-And it's shimmering hot, so I'm gonna go ahead, I've got one onion that's chopped.

I've got two carrots.

1/4 teaspoon of salt.

-All right.

-And we're gonna cook this until the onion starts to soften.

It's gonna take five to six minutes.

♪♪ It's been five minutes.

Our onion is soft and translucent.

So I'm gonna add our tomato paste.

-All right.

-I've got 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, two minced garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon of minced fresh thyme.

-Okay.

-So we want this to be fragrant.

I'm already getting whiffs of that fresh thyme.

-Mm-hmm, and the garlic.

-Listen, if you can splurge on the fresh herbs or add some to your windowsill, it's totally worth it.

It's been about one minute.

Smells fragrant.

-Mm-hmm.

-So I'm adding 2 cups of beef broth.

And I've got 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.

-Okay.

-And I'm gonna sprinkle this right on top.

We are not making a slurry here.

When cornstarch hits hot liquid, it clumps.

-That's right.

-So that's why you make a slurry so that you can prevent that.

We still want the cornstarch for its thickening properties, but since our beef broth was not hot, we didn't need to add a slurry.

I'm gonna add our ground lamb back to our skillet.

And if there are any accumulated juices or fat at the bottom of your bowl... -Mm-hmm.

-...don't worry about adding that back.

We've got plenty of fat and flavor in this, and we don't want it to be overly greasy.

-Okay.

Makes sense.

-It's getting nice and thick and glossy from that cornstarch.

I'm gonna increase the heat to high, and once it's boiling, we'll reduce the heat to a low simmer.

So I'm reducing the heat to medium low.

And we're gonna let this cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

It's gonna get thick and glossy.

-Mm.

All right.

-While we're waiting for our lamb to cook, let's finish our sweet potato topping.

-No longer hot.

-Exactly.

We can handle them with ease.

I've got a spoon.

I'm just gonna scoop the flesh right into a bowl.

Look at that.

-So easy.

-No need to peel these potatoes.

And another great thing about cooking them in the microwave, we intensified their flavor.

I'm gonna mash them, and cooked sweet potatoes, they mash really easily.

-They really do.

-You don't need a potato ricer to get them all nice and fluffy.

-No, they just have so much more moisture than a traditional white potato.

-Absolutely.

I want to make sure that these are nice and mashed so that when we spread them on top, it'll be nice and smooth.

Sweet potatoes are mashed.

I'm adding 1/2 cup of half and half.

And I've got 3 tablespoons of melted butter.

-Mm.

-And 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

And I'm just gonna stir this together.

The half and half and the butter, they make the sweet potatoes richer.

All of that mashing paid off.

-Yeah, it did.

-See how easy this was to stir?

-Mmm, looks delicious.

-All right.

These are ready to go.

Let's let our filling finish.

-Okay.

-I mean, look at this.

-It's gorgeous.

-Yeah.

It's been about 10 minutes.

It's thick.

It's glossy.

And how does it smell?

-It smells really good.

It smells like shepherd's pie, but those spices are just adding a little something new.

-Yeah, so I'm gonna turn the heat off and add our 1/2 cup of frozen peas.

-A classic in shepherd's pie.

And they're still frozen.

-They're still frozen because we don't want them to become mushy and break down.

-Yeah, they'll fall right in the casserole.

-And I've got a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

-Mmm.

-Gonna give this a stir.

And I'm just gonna smooth the top down before we add our sweet potato topping.

-This is the fun part.

-I'm just gonna dollop it right on top.

And then I'll smooth it around.

I've got a small spatula and I'm just smoothing the topping down, getting as close to the edge of the pan as I can.

But as you can see, there are a few little places and that's perfectly fine.

We're just gonna be broiling this for a few minutes.

We're not fully baking this casserole in the oven because we cooked it on the stove top.

So we smooth the top.

It's like frosting a cake.

-This is my kind of cake.

-Right?

And now we're gonna decorate the cake.

-[ Laughs ] -I've got a fork.

We're gonna use the tines to drag across the top.

We're making these lines so that we get more browning when we broil it.

-This is a traditional way to finish a shepherd's pie.

And it's not just for looks.

-It's not.

By doing this, we're actually creating more surface area for when we broil it.

-Mm-hmm.

-So we're gonna get even more texture in all of the insides of these little ridges.

-They get nice and brown.

-They get nice and brown.

So we're getting texture and that flavor from the browning.

-That's beautiful.

-All right.

We're ready to broil.

I'm gonna transfer it to the oven.

I want it to be six inches beneath the heating element.

It's gonna take about six minutes, and it's gonna be browned in some spots on top.

♪♪ -Oh, Vallery, that looks fantastic.

[ Sizzling ] -Hear that sizzle?

-Yeah.

Picture perfect.

-Oh, it smells amazing.

Wow.

-That is stunning.

-The flavor smells so intense.

I cannot wait to dig in.

-It also looks rippin' hot.

-Yeah, it is.

I tested this recipe about 30 times.

-Wow, that's a lot.

-Yeah, but I'm still so excited to dig in.

But I've learned it's best to wait about 10 minutes before you do.

-Got it.

All right.

10 minutes.

-Yes.

♪♪ -Mmm, mmm.

-It's been about 10 minutes, so it should be cool enough to eat now.

-Great.

-I'll serve you first.

-I like it.

Oh, look how that topping's holding together.

-Oh, yeah.

-It's a sign of a good shepherd's pie right there.

-Mm-hmm.

Make sure you get all this nice gravy.

-Oh, yeah.

Mmm!

The spices change the whole thing.

I mean, it's a familiar texture.

-Right.

-The gravy is deep and silky, but the sweet potatoes and the lamb and just the little bit of cardamom and paprika makes all the difference.

-It really shines through the spices.

They're so fragrant.

-Yeah.

-And it just feels so comforting when it all ties together.

I think sweet potatoes do that for me.

But in this dish with the lamb, it's really hitting.

-Lamb is tender.

-Mm-hmm.

-That is picture-perfect gravy.

-[ Laughs ] -It's got the consistency.

It's got the depth of flavor.

-Mm-hmm.

And even the chunks of vegetables, the carrots and the peas... -They still have a little texture.

-Exactly.

-This is spectacular.

-Well, thanks for helping me make it.

You see how easy it was.

-And I love that it's in a skillet.

If you want to make Vallery's own shepherd's pie, start by sautéing the lamb with nutmeg, cardamom, and paprika.

Microwave and mash the sweet potatoes to make the topping.

Then put it all together in a skillet and finish it under the broiler.

From "Cook's Country," a brand-new recipe for sweet potato shepherd's pie.

You can find this recipe and all the recipes from this season, along with our product reviews and select episodes at our website, CooksCountry.com/TV.

These are my kind of flavors.

-Right?

-Oh, I'm so gonna make this.

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You can sign up for free at CooksCountry.com/Inbox.

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A one-year introductory digital membership is available for a special rate of $49.95 for our public television viewers.

To sign up, visit AmericasTestKitchen.com/ Membership.

-Funding for this program has been provided by the following.

-Monument Grills Denali 605 Pro, made for the family cookout and weeknight dinner.

With 900 square inches of cooking space, several accessories, and Bluetooth capabilities, it's designed with the host in mind.

Monument Grills -- the "Everybody Everywhere Grill."

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