This recipe is from my sister-in-law Colleen - from her grandma, Trinidad Borreta. It’s great to be able to take this out of the freezer, thaw then bake and enjoy all year. Recipe may be halved.
1 pound or 2.2 kilograms ground beef, browned and drained
Set 2
5 pounds or 2.27 kilos Russet potatoes
Set 3
8 fluid ounces or 237 milliliters sweet relish, drained
8 ounces or 227 grams pimentos, drained
8 ounces or 227 grams chopped olives (packed 1 cup)
12 ounces or 340 grams whole, seeded olives, quartered lengthwise
½ cup or about 53 grams chopped celery
1 generous cup or 165 grams raisins
Set 4
14-ounce bag or 340 grams Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix
Set 5
1 tablespoon or 17.1 grams salt
1 tablespoon or 7 grams black pepper
½ tablespoon or 5 grams garlic powder
Set 6
24 ounces or 710 milliliters evaporated milk
Set 7
Melted lard or your choice of oil for deep frying the potatoes and for coating the baking pans
Tools: large pot for frying, spider spoon, colander, extra-large roasting pan, half-sheet pan, napkins, medium bowl, freezer and oven-safe baking dishes or roasting pans, non-stick pan spray, rice spoon, pastry brush
DIRECTIONS
Mix the relish, pimentos, olives, raisins, and celery in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large pot, melt lard or add your choice of oil about 2 inches deep. Heat on medium heat till a wooden stick sizzles when you put it in the oil.
In the Meantime, line the extra-large roasting pan with napkins. Also line a half-sheet pan with napkins. Clean and skin the potatoes. Cube them to about half-inch squares and transfer to the napkin-lined extra-large roasting pan. Once all potatoes are cut, pat down with napkins to absorb more water.
When the oil is ready, deep fry the cubed potatoes in batches. Fry about 15 minutes or when a fork slides in easily. If not done, fry another 5 minutes and check again. Fry to a golden color. Drain each batch in the colander then transfer to the other napkin-lined half-sheet pan. Once all the potatoes are fried, remove the napkins.
Preheat your oven to 325 to 335 degrees Fahrenheit if you will be eating the stuffing immediately.
In the extra-large roasting pan, remove the water-soaked napkins. Layer half the potatoes, half the ground beef, half the veggies, half the seasoning and half the dry stuffing mix. Repeat with the remaining half of ingredients.
Pour two cans of evaporated milk over the mixture. Use a rice spoon to fold the ingredients together, thoroughly combining them.
Brush baking dishes with butter or spray with non-stick pan spray. Spoon stuffing into dishes. Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until the stuffing is hot all the way through.
Cover and label to store in the freezer. Thaw completely when ready to heat as described above.
Leftover, baked riyenu may also be frozen. Thaw and reheat in microwave.
Effective March 2021, PaulaQ will begin replacing Canola and vegetable/seed oils in recipes with pure lard from Reverence Farm, coconut oil, and avocado oil.
