My low cost gourmet contribution(don't know what I'm doing)
Beef Shoulder:
It's a tough piece of meat that was on sale 2 for 1(~$6). Poke holes and marinate in soy for a couple days. Impregnated with small pieces of garlic and sear both sides in cast iron. Beef stock, s&p, onion and carrrots into the pan. Spoon liquid every 15 minutes to keep from drying out.
Potatoes gratin:
Slice thin two Idahos, butter, little milk, parsely, chedder. Cover tight with foil to get the starches(potatoes) to cook. Add parmesian last 5 minutes which soaks up excess liquid.
First cook 30min at 375deg. Then ~30min at 325deg with the foil loose over the potatoes to bake it without burning the cheese.
When done, turn off oven and let "relax" while cooking beans.
Frozen beans from garden:
Cooked on medium/high for few minutes with butter.
They were washed, blanched from 1-4min in salty water, dryed, frozen in single layer on plate, then bagged. That was about the only success this year.