To beat Bobby Flay on his own hit show Beat Bobby Flay, Damaris Phillips knew she had to think outside of the box and be bold. Which is why she chose a dish she knew Bobby Flay would never eat, let alone cook: “I thought there was exactly a zero percent chance that this debonair chef has ever or will ever eat a casserole famous for using canned tuna and soup… I was right. Bobby Flay makes a terrible tuna noodle casserole, but this winning recipe is delicious!” It’s no surprise that Bobby Flay decided to feature this smoky, creamy tuna noodle casserole in his book. Damaris’s take on this classic uses Gruyere cheese, loads of garlic, homemade chicken broth and smoked cheddar to wow taste buds – and win over the best of chefs, including Bobby Flay.
Related: What Beats Bobby Flay? 5 Dishes That Cost Him The Win
Reprinted with permission from Beat Bobby Flay. Copyright © 2021 by Boy Meets Grill, Inc. Photographs copyright © 2021 by Ed Anderson. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
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ingredients
Tuna Casserole
Roasted Garlic
directions
For the tuna casserole: Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the noodles and cook for 6 minutes. Drain well, rinse with cold water, and drain well again. The noodles will be very al dente but will continue to cook as the casserole bakes.
Whisk together the garlic paste, mushroom stock, cream, vinegar and soy sauce in a large bowl.
Melt the butter in a large (14-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper flakes and cook for 15 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the mushroom stock mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the Gruyere, sour cream, peas and half of the parsley. Add the cooked noodles and the tuna and stir well. Season with salt and black pepper.
Melt the remaining butter. Combine the melted butter, bread crumbs, potato chips and cheddar in a medium bowl. Sprinkle over the casserole.
Bake until the centre is hot and the top is golden brown, about 17 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining parsley. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
For the roasted garlic: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Using a serrated knife, slice off the top quarter of the garlic heads, exposing as many cloves as possible. Arrange the garlic heads, cut-side up, in an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish (make sure the garlic heads sit flat).
Drizzle the oil over each head and season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish tightly with foil and roast until lightly golden brown and soft, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly.
From the bottom up, squeeze each head to push out the garlic cloves (peel skins from any completely enclosed cloves). Transfer the garlic and cooking oil to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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