Fireman's Stew - An All-Time Favorite With Modern Possibilities

Potatoes = comfort food.  Recipe with layers of potatoes, ground beef, and tomatoes = food of love.  Growing up, my brother's favorite (and most often requested) meal my grandma made was fireman's stew.  How it got the name, I will never know, but it's less of a stew than a layered one-dish masterpiece of blended flavors and gorgeous colors.  Though the original recipe has simple flavors, it's easily adaptable to Italian or Tex-Mex flavors. 

What I love most is that it can be made one of three different ways depending on the available equipment or time.  Pressure cooker hanging around begging to be used?  30 minute no-fuss meal.  Slow cooker needing some love?  This recipe can accommodate!  Oven cold and needing warmth?  Here's a baked version for you!  Ingredients are also versatile - traditionally, it's made with ground beef, potatoes, and canned tomatoes, with green beans as an option.  If you want to lighten it, add leaner beef, chicken, or turkey.  Dislike green beans?  Don't add them.  Want some spice, swap Ro-tel (tomatoes with chiles) or add in a can of diced green chiles or sliced jalapenos to the recipe.  Go Italian with the seasonings!  Possibilities are endless.

Here is the basic recipe that makes four servings with the three cooking methods.  Happy eating!

Fireman's Stew

1 lb ground beef (chicken or turkey ok too)
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thick
1 (28-oz) or 2 (14-oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 bag frozen green beans (or 1 can green beans, drained)

Place 1/2 of the potatoes in a layer in pressure cooker, slow cooker, or 8x8-inch glass baking dish.  Add salt and pepper.  Add 1/2 of the ground beef on top of the potatoes.  Add in 1/2 of the green beans and 1/2 of the tomatoes.  Repeat layers and pour tomato juices over (2 layers total).  If using baking dish, may make more layers than two.

If using pressure cooker, close lid and heat on medium-high to high heat to bring up to pressure.  Reduce heat to medium-high.  Cook at pressure for 10 minutes.  Allow pressure to go down before opening lid. 

If using slow cooker, add ingredients in layers as described above and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.

To bake: Layer as described.  Cover and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

*You can easily increase the recipe with 1 - 2 lbs more ground beef and more potatoes if wanting to serve more people.  If adding more than 2 lbs of beef and 4 large potatoes, add more tomatoes

**Variations: Swap Italian-stewed tomatoes and sprinkle layers with oregano, basil, and granualated garlic; For a Mexican-style twist - add tomatoes with chiles, 1 can of corn (drained), and some chili powder and oregano.