Table Talk » Gluten-free Goodness: Sloppy Joes in a Hash Brown Crust

Most kids like Sloppy Joes, and Jayne is no exception, except Jayne can't eat gluten or eggs, so the bun part of Sloppy Joes is a challenge for her. Most of the tasty gluten-free buns we've found have eggs. I was on a mission to come up with a way to make Sloppy Joes for Jayne. I had two inspirations for what I came up with: Sloppy Joe Spaghetti Cups from Joe at Culinary in the Country and Hash Brown Quiche from Amy Casey at Dinners for a Year and Beyond. I could have made Joe's spaghetti cup with gluten-free spaghetti, but Jayne loves potatoes and a solution that doesn't use dairy except for butter was more appropriate for her family.

I've made hash brown crusts before, it's just been a while. Rather than making a standard size pie crust, I decided to make mini pie crusts. When I made the first iteration of this recipe, I used my Texas muffin pan to make the crusts. That worked well, but the pies were a bit too small to fill us up. Two pies were a good serving, to get the four servings needed for my client would have required two Texas muffin pans and I have only one. I have a collection of mini (5") pie pans so I decided to try those. They were perfect. If you don't have mini pie pans, use a regular pie pan.

For the crust, I used Alexia frozen hash browns. I use them for Crispy Potato Cakes and they work well. Hash brown crusts are really just a variation of Crispy Potato Cakes. In my first version of this recipe, it didn't have the potato starch (or cornstarch), but when I was making these for Jayne's family, I was also doing some gluten-free baking and there was a bag of potato starch on the counter. I thought back to Crispy Potato Cakes and how they use cornstarch. I tossed in 2 tablespoons of potato starch and it really helped absorb some of the moisture in the potatoes. You might not have potato starch on hand, but you probably have cornstarch, that will work just as well.

Sloppy Joes in Hash Brown Crusts
Serves 6

Hash Brown Crust:
6 cups frozen hash browns, I use Alexia brand
2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons melted butter or safflower oil
Sloppy Joes:
1 3/4 pounds 90% lean ground beef, or ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-3/4 cup cider vinegar
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2-4 tablespoons brown sugar, optional
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional

To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a plastic colander and defrost in microwave oven. Let the potatoes cool enough so that you can handle them comfortable. Stir them up to dissipate the heat. (If you don't use a microwave oven, you can let the potatoes defrost overnight in the refrigerator.) Toss hash browns potato starch or cornstarch, spices, and butter or oil. Press into the bottom and sides of pie pans. To make mini pie crusts, I scooped one cup of the potato mixture into each pan, then pressed the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pans. You want the bottom and sides to be about about 1/4-inch thick. Place the pie pans on a baking sheet and bake 25-30 minutes or until golden. You have to use some judgement on the amount of time you cook your crusts. You want them golden brown and crispy. The baking time is dependent on how much moisture is in your potatoes. Keep your eye on them, they may take less or more time.

While the crusts are baking, prepare the Sloppy Joe mixture: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until beef is browned, stirring until it crumbles. Add 1/2 cup cider vinegar, tomato paste, basil, and oregano; stir well. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened; stirring frequently. Taste, adjust seasoning. To make them more tangy, add more cider vinegar. To make them sweeter, add brown sugar. I like them tangy, so I don't add any sugar, but if you're making them for kids, I'd add some sugar. Spoon meat mixture into crusts. If desired, top each pie with 2 tablespoons shredded cheese. Bake 10 minutes.

I'm delighted with this new way to serve Sloppy Joes, because like Jayne, I love potatoes, especially crispy potatoes. For another gluten-free (and South Beach Diet friendly) way to serve Sloppy Joes, try them served over baked sweet potatoes.

Posted January 10, 2010 5:43 PM in Cook Dates, Gluten-Free, Recipes

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3 Comment(s)

Martha said… (on January 11, 2010 at 13:28 PM #)

Patti, I'm so glad these worked out for you! I bet Jayne was delighted. They look great.

Fran said… (on January 11, 2010 at 16:23 PM #)

These look yummy! I don't have to have a gluten-free diet, but thesloppy joes and hash-brown crusts look good for ANYBODY!

Carol said… (on January 12, 2010 at 10:41 AM #)

Just added frozen hashed browns to my shopping list. I can't wait to try these.


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