Farmers' Market Skillet Casserole

This dish was born when I went, rather uninspired, to the farmers' market today and fell in love (as usual) with the tomatoes and (rather unusually) with the ground beef at Highland Farms. Then I picked up a beautiful bunch of basil to go with the tomatoes, and stopped at the cheese guys, who gave me a free container of spicy curds to replace the one I bought that went moldy in a few days. I came home to an ear of corn that needed eating. And that is how all these unlikely ingredients combined to produce a seriously good dish. Ooo-- added bonus-- prep took exactly 15 minutes. Cooking took another 20 or so, and the whole meal uses only one pot, making this a perfect weekday throw-together meal.


You'll need:

1 lb ground beef
kernels from 1 ear corn
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb assorted heirloom tomatoes, thickly sliced
1c cheese curds or grated cheese
1/4c fresh bread crumbs
1/4c grated parmesan
1/4c basil, chopped
1T red pepper flakes
1T cayenne
1T olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat olive oil in an oven-proof skillet (cast iron would be a great choice here). Saute onion and garlic, stirring, until onion is golden. Add corn and saute another 5 minutes. Add ground beef, breaking up with a wooden spatula, until brown. Add red pepper and cayenne. Season to taste with salt and pepper, but remember that the cheese will add salt.


Top ground beef with cheese. Lay tomato slices on top. Sprinkle bread crumbs and parmesan. Bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes, then put under the broiler briefly to brown.

we also had this surprisingly delicious wine