Don’t let the Greek Food component of this beef stew recipe turn you off.  You need to try new recipes from different countries.  This Greek dish is very good, an easy beef stew recipe, and simple to make.  You will enjoy it.

And Crock Pot Beef Stew fits right in with all the other slow cooker | crock pot recipes on this site.  We try and bring you the best recipes that are available.

How To Make Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds of boneless beef stew meat or beef chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 large onions, each cut into 8 wedges
• 1 (10 ounce) container of grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 jar (8 ounce) pitted kalamata olives, drained
• 8 sprigs fresh oregano, divided
• 1 lemon, divided
• 2 cups of fat free, reduced sodium beef broth

Directions

1. Mix the flour, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic food storage bag.  Add the beef then shake to coat.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Add beef in single layer (use 2 batches if you need to) and brown on both sides, will take about 5 minutes.  Transfer to your slow cooker | crock pot.
3. Add onions, tomatoes, olives, 4 sprigs oregano, juice of 1/2 of the lemon and the broth.  Cover and cook on high for 6-7 hours or until beef is tender.
4. Cut remaining 1/2 lemon into wedges and serve with stew. 
5. You can garnish with the remaining  oregano.

Greek Food

Let’s talk a bit about Greek Food.  When most of us think about Greek a Greek Dish we tend to think about Gyros.  Let’s face it, most Greek Dishes are, well Greek to us.

Greek food recipes have been around way longer than the gourmet hamburger that we all crave.  Traditional Greek Food was around in ancient times.  Ancient Greek Food really was not all that much different than the Greek Dishes that we enjoy today.

Greek Cuisine is what you can expect to eat when you visit Greece.  It is the traditional food of Greece.  Greek food is considered Mediterranean food.  Most Mediterranean food will be related to food from Italy, The Balkans, Anatolia, and Levant.

You can expect modern Greek dishes to use olive oil, vegetables, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various meats including rabbit, pork and lamb.  Let’s not forget the popular ingredients of olives, cheese, eggplant and zucchini.

The reason you won’t find much beef in Greek Food is because the land of Greece favors raising sheep over cows.

A good Greek Salad will go well with the Beef Stew.

How To Make Greek Salad

Ingredients

• 5 ripe tomatoes
• 1 large red onion
• 1 cucumber
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1/4 pound Greek feta cheese, crumbled
• dried Greek Oregano
• sea salt
• extra virgin olive oil
• 12 Greek olives

Directions

1. Wash the tomatoes, cucumber, and green pepper
2. Cut the tomatoes into bite size chunks
3. Salt the chunks
4. Cut the cucumber in half length wise then cut into 1/2 inch slices
5. Slice the pepper into rings, salt lightly
6. Slice the onion into thin rings and salt lightly
7. Now mix the tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, and onion in a large bowl
8. Sprinkle oregano onto the contents of the bowl.  Pour olive oil over the salad, and toss
9. Before serving, place the feta on top of the salad
10. Toss in some of the olives
11. Mix the oil with 1 tablespoon of water and drizzle over the top of the salad

Greek salads and Greek salad recipes are plentiful.  It really depends on your taste.  Many people enjoy a Greek Pasta Salad Recipe.  We don’t have time to add that here and now.  But Greek Salads are always enjoyed with Greek Food.

Crockpot recipes have a soft spot for beef stew.  It is the perfect dish to make in a crock pot or slow cooker. 

I am of the firm belief that a good potato recipe should always be served with crock pot beef stew.  Here is a fast, easy, and quick Oven Roasted Red Potatoes Recipe.  It should go well with the stew.

Dinner

I once made beef stew and potatoes for a girlfriend of mine.  The one great thing about slow cooker | crock pot cooking is that just about anybody can do it well.

I can still remember a dinner date as if it was yesterday…

It took place late in the year.  Lets say it was during the waning days of October.  The Las Vegas air was still warm during the day but certainly cooled off considerably once the sun went down.

Her name was Joyce and I had met her at a home show.  We were both checking out the crock pots in the slow cooker booth.  I reached for the clear glass lid placed on top of the Rival Crock Pot.  Her hand reached the handle just as mine found its target.  We looked at each other and laughed.  Not just a chuckle but a friendly laugh full of understanding normally reserved for intimate acquaintances.

I remember being nervous as I tossed over the appropriateness of asking Joyce out on a date after just meeting her.

“I see you are also interested in the Rival Crock Pot”, I said in a low tone.

She lifted her head slightly up and to the right and nodded in agreement.

What did I have to lose?  It isn’t like in a city of this size I would just accidently run into a person again after just having a chance meeting.

“Joyce”, I spoke probably in too low of a voice, “Would you consider going to a dinner party with me on Saturday.”  I was relieved to finally pose the question.  I was also a little embarrassed.  It really didn’t seem appropriate.  But I couldn’t let this angel disappear into the vastness of the home show.  Would I ever be able to find her again?  Would she just melt into the booths filled with plumbing supplies or the ones hawking insulation?

Dinner parties have always been a horrible experience when I show up without a guest.  And the thought of showing up with my new found angel made my will strong and let me overcome my shyness.

“Yes” she said before I felt too awkward.

I had to think quick.  I didn’t expect her to just say yes to dinner without asking any questions of me.

I responded with all the confidence I could muster.  “Great, lets set up a time I can pick you up.  The dress will be formal, I hope that won’t be a problem.”

“No problem at all.”  She spoke as if formal dress or any dress at all did matter to her.  In all honesty it did not matter to me either.  I stared at her like an artist gazes at a model he is sculpting.  Her body, her hair, her clothes all seemed perfect. 

For some crazy reason delicious food was the last thing on my mind.  I wanted to hold my new found angel close.  I wanted to taste the love that I was sure she had and hoped she wanted to do the same. 

The beef stew recipe sure is easy cooking.  That is the one thing I look for in a slow cooker recipe:  quick and easy!!  And that is the exact attributes I was looking for in a dinner guest.  There would be no slow cooker | crock pot beef stew at the party.  No…The dinner food will be prepared by a chef.   Yes a first class cooking chef that understands how to prepare food.  If I remember correctly it was a French Dinner that was served that fateful October night.

When cooking dinner with a crock pot there is no worry about following strict time constraints.  You just set the slow cooker and be on your merry way.  If you start to get romantic with your spouse there is no worry that an hour or two later that your beef stew will be ruined.

Don’t kid yourself.  There are people that can make a gourmet dinner or a gourmet meal in a crock pot.  Nobody will every know that it was cooked in a slow cooker.  When the dinner plate is placed in front of your guests they will be dazzled by the aroma of the culinary delight that you and your Rival Crock Pot created.

I learned to cook from an easy cookbook.  When it comes to making moves in the kitchen, it is my belief that everything should be easy:

• Quick and Easy Recipes
• Simple and Easy Cooking
• Fresh and Easy Ingredients
• Homemade Easy Recipes

And on and on…

Easy cooking recipes is the specialty of the slow cooker chef.  But really the only thing on my mind was an easy dinner.

Make no mistake about it.  I never attended a cooking school.  That is because I never really wanted to become a chef.  I like to cook for fun.

Cooking foods is just not a survival tactic to me.  Cooking foods is a pleasure filled event.  I am not a food chef.  I buy food, order food, enjoy food, and cook food.

The kitchen food and dinner setting is all I need.  Well I also need my lovely date….If you know what I mean.  I like to buy food from a local food source.   A local food source can be the farm where the food is grown or it can be at a farmers market.

Gourmet cooking is really not for me.  The food depot is more my style. 

Do you ever notice how many people go to cooking school?  Do they all end up being high end chefs on foodtv?  Or do they all end up at a fast food joint?  McDonald’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell probably all have highly trained chefs slinging out the day’s menu.  I’m just not into going to a cooking school.

When it comes to cooking budget meals, crock pot | slow cooker recipes is the way to go.  It is not just  budget minded but also a unique way to create delicious cuisine.

And if you have to cook family meals, well then the slow cooker beef stew recipe is perfect for you.

Remember this Beef Stew Recipe is tasty and quick and easy to make in a crock pot or slow cooker. 

Come back to find more Crock Pot Recipes and Slow Cooker Recipes.

Some people go a little bit overboard with their Mashed Potato Casserole Recipes.  They make a really large casserole.  Then they find out that the large casserole won’t fit into their oven.  So what do they do then?  They have to go out and buy a special casserole oven!  Have you ever heard of such a thing:  A Casserole Oven?

Let’s hope that you don’t feel the need to prepare such a large  casserole. 

How To Make Mashed Potato Casserole Recipes

Should serve about 8….Or more if you went out and bought a Casserole Oven and made a really Large Casserole.

Potato Patch Recipes welcomes your comments and suggestions on this Best Mashed Potato

The red potato has always held a special place on the meal menu.  If you go to any buffet, anywhere:  Las Vegas to Paris, the red potato will be proudly displayed with all of the other potato salads.

How To Make The Red Potato Salad Recipe

This red potato salad is a make ahead recipe.  Once you taste it I am sure that red potato salad recipe will be on your dinner menu a few times a month.

Red Potato Salad is truly one of the most delicious recipes that you can make.  It is a summer food that is an all time favorite.  It is a mainstay as one of the great Fourth of July Recipes.  Can you imagine a better tasting and delicious summer food?  I can’t!!

Potato Patch Recipes welcomes your comments and suggestions on this Best and Easy Red Potato Salad Recipes or any other potatoe recipies

All Recipes On This Potato Recipe Site Are Free Recipes

When we talk about Red Potato Salad Recipes we are talking about the number one item that people pick up at the deli counter.  Bet you didn’t know that!  Potato Salad has the advantage of being one of the easier quick recipes that you can make.  It is also one of the side dish recipes that people just love to eat. 

Red potato recipes are popular not only because they taste really good but also because they look good.  The red skin really is striking.  When we post a salad recipe on this site we generally look for a easy to make recipe.  This red potato salad recipe fills that bill.  This truly is an easy potato salad recipe.

Summer salad recipes need to be quick and easy recipes.  Nobody wants to have a bbq or a picnic and then spend all of their time cooking up side dish recipes that take all day. 

Don’t forget that this Red Potato Salad Recipe is also a creamy potato salad.  The mayo really does the trick.

Without a doubt Cream of Sweet Potato Soup is the most popular potato soup in the United States.   So it is really no surprise that with the immigration of so many people from south of the border that they would bring their version of Cream of Sweet Potato Soup with them.  Hence we get the Mexican version of Cream Of Sweet Potato Soup.

Potatoes are grown all over the world and Mexico and South America are prime areas for all types of potatoes.  That probably explains why the Hispanic people have so many wonderful recipes that include potatoes.  Cream of Sweet Potato Soup being just one.

How To Make Mexican Cream Of Sweet Potato Soup

This Mexican Cream Of Sweet Potato Soup is a great make ahead recipe.  It is an easy, simple, and quick potato soup recipe that makes a perfect side dish.

More Potato Soup Recipes

• Sour Cream Poato Soup Recipe
• Potato Bacon Soup Recipe
• Baked Potato Soup Recipe
• Creamy And Easy Potato Soup Recipe

Potato Patch Recipes welcomes your comments and suggestions on the Mexican Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe or any other potatoe recipies

All Recipes On This Potato Recipe Site Are Free Recipes

Yam Nutrition is nothing to sneeze about.  We post Daily Free Recipes that feature potato recipes that are good to eat and full of nutrition.  Yam Nutrition is no exception.

How To Make Yam Souffle

So you see Yam Nutrition in a Souffle is just not possible but also very good to eat.  The yam recipe is an easy, simple, and quick recipeto make that everybody will enjoy.  This is a very good recipe for a Sunday night dinner, a Christmas get together, or a Thanksgiving feast.  Whenever you decide to make this dish you can be assured that this is the right yam recipe.

Potato Patch Recipes welcomes your comments and suggestions on Yam Nutrition in a Souffle or any other potatoe recipies

All Recipes On This Potato Recipe Site Are Free Recipes

The Daily Free Recipes posted on this Cooking site are meant for you to enjoy

Sweet Baked Potatoes Or A Canned Sweet Potato

That is all up to you. People use sweet potatoes for a whole variety of side dish recipes:

Really….Sweet Potatoes With just about everything!!!

Our great country of America is only 10th on the list of sweet potato growers. Would you like to take a guess who is number 1? Well it is none other than China!

Do you think that the Canned Sweet Potato that you buy at the store is the same as a yam? If you said yes then you would be wrong. A yam is a large, starchy, tropical root crop grown in Asia or West Africa that can weigh more than a large dog. In North Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi sweet potato farmers began calling their crop “yams” to distinguish it from the white-fleshed sweet potatoes.

The USDA requires that when it is used to refer to sweet potatoes, the word “yam” must be accompanied by the words “sweet potatoes” on all labels and marketing materials.

Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious vegetables. Low in calories with no fat and no cholesterol, they contain antioxidants; vitamins C, B6, and E; iron; potassium; and beta-carotene. They’re also a great source of fiber. Canned Sweet Potatoes are also very nutritious but not so much as the non-canned.

Those Southern Belles love their sweet potatoes—consuming 54% of all canned sweet potatoes, and 42% of all fresh sweet potatoes. I think they consume 99% of all grits.

When a recipe calls for white potatoes, use sweet potatoes instead. They’re also the perfect ingredient when making soups, stews, casseroles, puddings, cake, muffins, and bread.

If you’re using canned sweet potatoes in a recipe, add them last because they’re already cooked.

One 15.5 ounce can of sweet potatoes, drained, equals one pound of fresh sweet potatoes.

A 15.5 ounce can contains approximately 2 cups of sweet potatoes.
One cup of canned sweet potatoes equals one medium-sized, cooked fresh sweet potato.

Sweet Potato Recipe

• Mashed White And Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Sweet Potato Crisps
• Sweet Potato Au Gratin

Potato Patch Recipes welcomes your comments and suggestions on Canned Sweet Potatoes or any other potatoe recipie

All Recipes On This Potato Recipe Site Are Free Recipes

These Free Online Recipes are brought to you by Potato Patch Recipes

With all the Potato Recipes that are published every year, I though it was time to post a simple to understand explanation of different types of Potatoes.  I found the list and definitions on Yahoo Glue, India.

Find which Potatoes to use with which Recipes:

• Baked Potatoes
• Cheese Potato
• Garlic Potatoes
• Mashed Potatoes
• Potato Salad
• Potato Soup
• Potato Pie
• Red Potatoes
• Potatoes Au Gratin
• Roasted Potatoes
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Yam

Also contained is some basic information on How To Make Certain Potato Recipes.  Which potato recipes are good for “make ahead” potatoes…and so much more!! 

Happy Reading—

Russet Potatoes

Russet potatoes have a high starch content with low moisture.
These potatoes bake mealy and fluffy, and are the best choice for mashed potatoes and baked potatoes.
Medium starch potatoes include Yukon Gold and Yellow Finn potatoes. They aren’t as fluffy as russet potatoes, but have great flavor. Yukon Gold potatoes, especially, taste buttery when cooked.
Potatoes with a low starch content and high moisture include red and white potatoes. These potatoes are most often boiled or roasted and used in potato salad because of their creamy texture. They hold together well after being cooked.

Sweet Potatoes and Yams

Sweet Potatoes and Yams are actually two different tubers. Yams are a member of the lily family, and sweet potatoes are members of the morning glory family. In the United States, you’re almost always buying sweet potatoes; true yams are not very available. There are moist fleshed sweet potatoes and dry-fleshed potatoes. Both have lots of beta-carotene and potassium. They can be baked like russet potatoes, made into fries, or mashed. Sweet potato pie is another favorite recipe made from these tubers.
For the best baked potatoes, long slow cooking is best. The skin becomes very crisp and turns darker because the starch just below the skin converts to sugar, which browns in heat. Make sure you cut a slit in the potato as soon as it comes out of the oven so the interior doesn’t steam, which makes a heavier consistency.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes are easy; they just  require a little time. Bake the potato until tender, about an hour, then remove the flesh from the skins. Return the skins to the oven to keep them crisp while you make the filling. Then add the filling ingredients – cream, butter, cheese, seasonings – whatever you like; beat the filling, then refill the potato skins. Bake until the potatoes are beginning to brown and crisp.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes can be made from russets that are boiled or roasted. I myself prefer roasted, because I think it intensifies the potato flavor. The starch in the potatoes, once again, absorbs water and swells during the cooking process. Then when the potato is mashed or riced, the cells break open, releasing more starch, which makes the potatoes creamy and smooth. If you boil your potatoes for mashing, return them to the hot pan after draining and shake over medium heat for 2-3 minutes to dry the potatoes. Whatever the cooking method, add butter first when you begin mashing. That coats the cells and the starch so they absorb less liquid, making the potatoes less gluey and fluffier. For the actual mashing process, I prefer a potato ricer because it makes the smoothest mashed potatoes. Cook’s Illustrated also prefers a ricer because it causes less damage to the cells.

French Fries

French fried potatoes are a bit more difficult to make at home. Frying them twice gives the best results. The potatoes must be dry when they are fried, or the starch will absorb the water on the surface and won’t seal the potatoes so they will absorb grease. Greasy french fries are NOT desirable! Cut your fries from russet potatoes and place in a bowl of ice water as you work. This helps prevent the potatoes from changing color. Heat oil or vegetable shortening to 325 degrees. Dry the potatoes thoroughly in some paper towels. Cook the potatoes for 6-8 minutes until they become limp and just begin to change color. Remove from the fryer and let stand for 10 minutes. When you want to serve the fries, heat the oil to 350 degrees. Add the precooked potatoes and cook about 1-2 minutes until fries become golden brown and slightly puffy. Remove from the oil, salt, and serve! And here’s a tip if you like to bake french fries: chill the potatoes in the refrigerator overnight the day before you want to make them. This changes some of the starches to sugar, which then makes the potatoes more brown, even in the lower, more indirect heat of the oven.

Hash Brown Potatoes

Hash brown potatoes are easy to make from scratch. Make sure you grate the potatoes just before cooking them, or else they will change color, turning pink or brown. This happens because the sugars in the potatoes oxidize, causing the color change. Russet or high starch potatoes are the best for hash browns. Grate them in a food processor or on a hand grater and dry thoroughly by squeezing in a kitchen towel. Season them to taste and cook in butter and olive oil, pressing the potatoes with a spatula as they cook. When golden brown on the underside, flip the potatoes and cook until dark golden brown.

Roasted Potatoes

Roasted potatoes are simply cut into chunks and tossed with olive oil and seasonings, then baked at a high temperature, stirring once during cooking. I like to leave the skins on my roasted potatoes, but you can peel them if you like. These potatoes cook more like french fries, with the starch on the surface sealing the potatoes, making a crispy crust (even on cut sides) and a moist, tender interior. Bake potatoes at 400 degrees for 40-60 minutes until they are as brown and crispy as you like.

Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes can be made with russets or low starch red potatoes. Russets will be more tender, and red potatoes will be firmer; the choice is yours! Slice potatoes 1/8″ thick for the best texture and most even cooking, and try to get the slices the same thickness so they cook at the same time. Potatoes can be cooked in cream (see Potatoes Grand Mere) or in a thin white sauce, or for the easiest sauce of all, thinned condensed cream of mushroom soup.

Hopefully this article also help to clear up some of the questions that keep getting asked about the difference between Sweet Potatoes and Yams.

No matter which Potato use choose to use for your Potato Recipe…Just remember this:

• All Recipes for Potatoes are Easy, Simple, and Quick Recipes!
• Most Potato Recipes can be “make ahead” recipes.
• A soup cup of potato soup is better than any other soup out there.
• A homemade potato recipe is the easiest homemade food you can make.
• As far as food recipes are concerned, potato recipes make the easiest foods.
• As a Side Dish Cooking Recipe, nothing beats a good Potato Recipe.

Potato Patch Recipes welcomes your comments and suggestions on this article concerning Which Potatoes for Which Recipes or any other potatoe recipies

All Recipes On This Potato Recipe Site Are Free Recipes

You might ask why we didn’t make this a Whipping Cream Cheese Potato Soup.  Well the answer is pretty simple:  My wife thinks I’m gaining just a little too much weight and the cheese potato soup will only make the problem worse.  Besides, look at some of the other potato recipes on this site and you will see that there are plenty of Cream Potato Soup with Cheese Recipes.  This is a “Make Ahead Recipe”.

How To Make Potato Soup With Whipping Cream

More Easy, Simple, and Quick Potato Soup Recipes:

• Red Potato Soup Recipe
• Baked Potato Soup Loaded Recipe
• Creamy Yam Soup Recipe
• Baked Potato Soup Recipe

Potato Patch Recipes welcomes your comments and suggestions on the Potato Soup with Whipping Cream Recipe or any other potatoe recipies

All Recipes On This Potato Recipe Site Are Free Recipes

Bon Appetit Recipe January 1998. It has been tweaked quite a bit.