Cheesy Potatoes

Also known as Hashbrown Casserole.  Because that's what I've always known it as.

My first introduction to this hot dish of goodness, it was so amazing that I ate three helpings.  Large helpings.  Large helpings of cheesy, buttery, amazingness.  Oh my it was delicious.

I was sooooo siiiiiiick that night.

Remember, large quantities of fat doesn't agree with my system.  Yes, this can be a blessing but it can also be a curse.  Apparently there was so much butter in this casserole that three helpings of it was more than I could tolerate.  So I refused to eat this casserole for a long, long, loooong time.  Even when my mom swore that she used far less butter, I would only scoop about two bites on my plate.

Nowadays I'm less squeamish about taking a more acceptable helping, but it's still been on my mind to find a variation with little to NO butter in it, while still keeping all that same decadent flavor.

BINGO!!

Cheesy Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers
Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

1 (10 3/4oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese NOTE: the sharper, the better
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 to 1/3 cup finely chopped scallions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (32oz) package frozen shredded or diced hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup Panko

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside. In a very large bowl, combine soup, cheese, milk, yogurt, scallion, and season to taste. Stir in potatoes. Spread mixture evenly in prepared baking dish.

Creamy, cheesy...what could be wrong with this??

Could not resist a shot of how gorgeously GREEN these are!

2.  In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and Panko.  Sprinkle evenly on top of the potatoes. 

This already looks fabulous.

3. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes more or until heated through and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

If the top doesn't get brown enough for you, turn on the broiler for a minute or two.

You'll notice, if you click through to the original recipe, that I took out every single "reduced fat" phrase on the ingredient list.  Why?  Because even though there are some things that I buy reduced fat (hello sour cream), others I cannot stand even the idea of getting low fat.  Cheese is one of them.  Have you tried reduced fat cheese??  Ew, ew, ewwwwwwwwwwwww!  I think you are far better off using a full fat cheese, but get something with a good sharp flavor so you end up using a little less.  So, if you normally buy a medium cheddar cheese, consider getting sharp, or extra sharp, for this casserole.  That more intense cheesy flavor will go farther to satisfy you.

Not that you won't take extra helpings of this casserole.  I made this for a cookout get together and I'm pretty sure every single adult there had at least two helpings of this dish.  Including me!!  It was so creamy, and cheesy, and rich (but NOT fatty!!), and wonderful!  I'm soooo thrilled with how this came out.  Now I can indulge my desire for this without fear!  WAHOO!!!

Twice-Baked Potatoes

How have I gone 30 years without discovering the awesomeness of twice baked potatoes?!?

HOW???

Twice-Baked Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Ree Drummond
Prep time: 15 minutes   Cook time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

4 baking potatoes, washed
2-3 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup crumbled bacon, optional
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Cheddar or Jack cheese (or a mix of both), plus more for topping
2 tbsp-ish milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped chives

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2.  Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Rub them with the canola oil and bake for 1 hour, making sure they're sufficiently cooked through.

Can you tell which ones are for Mommy & Daddy and which are for the kiddos?

3.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, bacon (if using), and sour cream. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F.

PERFECTLY cooked with a nice crispy skin thanks to the oil.

4.  With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Leave a small rim, about 1/4", of potato intact for support. Lay the hollowed out potato shells back on the baking sheet.

Leave some potato flesh to give the shell some structure.

5.  Smash the potato filling into the butter, bacon, and sour cream. Add the cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and chives to taste and mix together well.  

Yes, I could totally just eat this as is.  You would too; admit it.

6.  Fill the potato shells with the filling. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese.  Now here's what's really cool: at this point you could freeze the potatoes to bake up another time.  If you decide to take advantage of this Get Ahead moment (yesyesyesyesyesYES!!!), omit the chives; use them for garnish instead after baking.  If you plan to eat right away, then bake at 350 until the potato is warmed through and the cheese is nice and melty, 15 to 20 minute (psst! It'll be closer to 30 minutes if the potatoes are sharing an oven with another dish).

Mere moments away from glory.

These. Are. Amazing!!!  And yes, sort of time consuming to make, but sooooo worth the effort!  Especially now that I know I can freeze them for another time.  And the flavor is outstanding... if you like sour cream/onion/cheddar potato chips then these are right up your alley.

Ok so you run along and discover for yourself how incredible these are.  I have to go redesign my garden to include a little potato patch so I can make a TON of twice-baked potatoes for my freezer.   Cheers!

Shepherd's Pie

Are you married to someone who, technically, "doesn't like casseroles"?  Yeah, me too.  And I take quite a bit of enjoyment in pointing out, every time I make this, that this dish is a casserole.  I always get The Look when I do.

Because what Carnivore can resist good ol' browned meat, mixed with vegetables, swimming in gravy, and baked with a sinfully creamy mashed potato topping??

Shepherd's Pie
Recipe kind of a mash-up adaptation from Pampered Chef and Rachael Ray
Prep time: 5 minutes   Cook time: 15 or 45 minutes

1 lb ground meat
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup stock or broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp dried herb of choice
2 cups frozen vegetables
3-4 cups prepared mashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional

1.  Preheat the oven to 375.

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the ground meat and crumble it as it browns.  Add the onions and cook until translucent.  Add the minced garlic and cook another minute.

I usually use beef, since that's what Rob likes.

3.  Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and stir to coat.  Let this cook a couple minutes to get out the flour taste.  Slowly pour in the stock or broth, while stirring.  Bring to a simmer and let bubble a few minutes until the gravy is thickened to the consistency you like.  Season with salt, pepper and your herb of choice.

I used beef stock and 1/2 tsp dried rosemary.

4.  Add the vegetables and simmer until heated through.  Pour the meat and vegetables into a baking dish and spread out evenly.  Scoop spoonfuls of potatoes around the edge of the baking dish and top with a little cheddar cheese, if desired.

I try to get more vegetables into my boys so I'm using mixed veggies

5.  Now you have some options!!  If you are pressed for time, you can simply put the casserole under the broiler, about 6-8 inches, and brown the potatoes a few minutes.  Everything's already hot and cooked.  OR you can bake this in the preheated oven (to 375) for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and browned.

And yes, I stirred a little cheese INTO my potatoes too. ;)

Yup, I was intentionally vague up there with the ingredients... because I think you should be free to make this using whatever flavors you like.  Not into red meat?  Use ground chicken, or turkey.  Someone in your family only like certain vegetables but not others?  I don't see anything wrong with 1-2 vegetables in this.

And about those mashed potatoes, that's how you can totally take this flavor to a whole other level.  A typical mashed made with butter and milk is quite yummy.  What about making sour cream and cheddar potatoes?  Or perhaps use up some instant roasted garlic mashed potatoes that your husband had leftover from his guys' weekend.  I'm also a big fan of stirring in some garlic/herb cream cheese into potatoes.  Whatever you like, putting that on top of a comforting blend of meat, vegetables, and gravy absolutely MAKES this dish.

Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

So I'm learning a lot about myself in this week of No Cooking Dinner.  For one, I think about food, and what I'm making for dinner, and what I might bake today, and what sides am I going to make tonight, and what dessert would be good this week, way too much.  Taking all that away to focus purely on my family is weird.  But good!  Yeah, totally good and awesome therapy to put all things in perspective.  I am spending more time snuggling with Kieran on the couch, playing tic-tac-toe with Gavin, or watching the boys "race" little push carts around the living room.  It's nice to worry less about dinner, and have more time to absorb the life happening around me.

I made marinated tomatoes to round out the meal.

But anyway, I did make this dish last week, and it's fabulous.  I'm really not sure what I love more about this recipe: the minimal hands-on prep time, that it essentially all cooks in almost one dish (well, you use a little skillet to make the sauce but I'm not going to count that), or the fantastic flavor!

Garlic Chicken and Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine
Prep time: 5 minutes   Cook time: 35 minutes

2 lbs small red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. Spread in a large baking dish and roast until the potatoes begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Little potato cubes with just a touch of cumin.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden, about 1-2 minutes [Keep a close eye on it! Minced garlic burns quickly]. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, lemon juice and red pepper flakes.

My pan is dark so you can't see the warm brown color of the sauce real well.

3.  Remove the baking dish from the oven, push the potatoes to the sides and arrange the chicken breasts in the middle. Season the chicken with salt and drizzle with the garlic mixture. Return to the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

Just shove things aside to make room.

4.  Remove from the oven; transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice. Add the parsley to the baking dish and toss with the potatoes. Serve the chicken with the potatoes and lemon wedges. Drizzle with the pan juices.

Almost finished!

If you're like me, you may be thinking that Garlic Chicken is going to have that strong, spicy GARLIC flavor to it.  You'd kinda be wrong though.  The garlic ended up having this sweeter, almost roasted flavor to it, which was oh-so-lovely on the juicy, tender chicken!  The potatoes cooked up to this soft, comforting perfection.  Truly this was such a comfort food meal that I can't wait to make it again!!

p.s. Even GAVIN liked this and asked for seconds!  That's such a rarity that I always feel compelled to let you know when I have a Gavin Approved dish.

Parmesan Potatoes

Mashed?  Meh.

Boiled?  No thanks.

Roasted?  Not in the mood.

Baked?  Yawn.

I like think that's pretty much what was going on in my mom's mind when she tried out this recipe.  Just goes to show you to never underestimate the power of boredom, my friends.  Boredom, when carefully channeled, can yield AMAZING results. 

And if it's not carefully channeled you get Toy Box Explosion that is my boys' bedroom.

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.

Parmesan Potatoes
Recipe from my mom, whom I think got it from my aunt

1/2 stick butter
4 potatoes, peeled
1 egg
Splash of milk
3/4 cup Panko
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/4 tsp Emeril's seasoning (or similar seasoning blend of choice)

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  While oven heats up, put the butter on a large baking sheet and stick it in the oven to melt.

That little half stick will coat the whole pan

2.  While the butter melts and baking sheet heats up, thinly slice the potatoes.  You want them about a 1/4" thickness.

Yeah, about that thick.  No need to be precise.

3.  Whisk the egg and milk in a shallow dish.  In another, combine the Panko, Parmesan, and seasoning.  Dip the potato slices in the egg mixture, then coat in the breadcrumb mixture.  Place in a single layer on the butter coated baking sheet.

Like my fancy schmancy new breading trays??

4.  Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden.

Single layer.  Everyone shares a little butter bath.

I really can't decide how best to describe these delectable little beauties.  On the outside, they're like a potato chip: crisp from the butter and breadcrumbs, with a nutty saltiness from the Parmesan.  However they're waaaay thicker than a chip, which means the inside is still soft and velvety.  You think regular ol' chips are addicting??  I dare you to stop at just one of these.

You can serve these alongside whatever main dish you'd normally do potatoes with.  Since it is a slightly more involved side dish than I normally prepare, I like to make these on Grill Nights, when the main dish is left in Rob's care.  Makes it just a bit easier for me!

Hearty Burritos

I wasn't sure I was going to tell you guys about this one.  I made these a while back and they turned out fine, but not really spectacular.  One the major factors that caught my eye about this recipe though was that I could make, assemble, and FREEZE these burritos to bake up later on.  So since I'd made up a bunch of the filling, I went ahead and froze a few.

Wow, I think these taste better for having sat in my freezer for a couple months!  And sooooo handy too.  Let me tell you that when you're starving, the baby's screaming and refusing to be put down, it's super nice to be able to grab one of these to toss into the oven for a while.

Hearty Burritos
Recipe adapted from my mother-in-law's recipe collection

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg (16oz) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5oz) Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup cooked rice [Great use of leftover rice!!]
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded Cheddar
8 flour tortillas, BIG ones

1.  In large skillet, cook beef, green pepper, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add potatoes, beans, tomatoes, corn, salsa, rice, chili powder and salt. Stir to combine. 

Suggestion: stir in some chopped fresh cilantro just before wrapping

2.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese off-center on each tortilla; top with about 1 cup beef mixture. Fold sides and ends over filling. 

Prepare to be wrapped!

3.  Wrap burritos individually in foil and freeze up to 3 months.* Or place burritos seam side down on a baking dish. 

I had 4 to bake, plus 4 to freeze.  Not bad!

4.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with preferred condiments. 

Gooey, yummy deliciousness

*Now you really should thaw these overnight in the fridge and then bake as directed.  I'm terrible at the whole "thawing" thing though so if you're like me and grab one of these still frozen solid, let it sit out a while to take the frozen edge off.  Plan on baking it at least 40 minutes to fully heat through.  When you can smell it, it's probably ready to go.

Scalloped Potatoes

Taking you back for another childhood recipe!!  I just love this one... and really, what's not to love?  Thinly sliced potato, baked in a creamy sauce, topped with cheese.  My mom always called this Scalloped Potatoes, which is how I think of this cheesy dish.  Others may want to call this Au Gratin Potatoes.

Call this what you will, it's just plain comforting goodness. :)

I could eat this right out of the casserole dish.  Yup, not kidding.

Scalloped Potatoes
Recipe from my mom


5 russet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar, divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Melt butter medium-sized pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and saute for a few minutes, until softened. Whisk in the flour and let that cook for a few minutes.

I store extra chopped onion in little containers to save time.

2.  Whisk in the milk and let that slowly heat and thicken (yup, you're making a bechamel sauce).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Once thickened, remove sauce from heat and stir in the cheese.

3.  As the sauce thickens, thinly slice the potatoes.  If you're feeling particularly domestic, feel free to do this by hand, it doesn't really take that long actually .  If you're in a hurry though, I strongly recommend doing this in the food processor.  Layer half the sliced potatoes in the bottom of a greased 2-quart casserole dish.

THIN (well, thanks to my food processor)

4.  Pour half the sauce over the potatoes.  Repeat layers.*  Bake, COVERED, at 350 for 45 minutes, stirring once.  Remove cover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake an additional 30 minutes.

*If you were making this ahead of time you can at this point cool, cover, and freeze the dish to bake later on.  Since there are only not-quite-4 in my family, I split this in half as I made it and baked one right away, putting the other away in the freezer for another time.  I will thaw before baking and then follow the normal baking instructions.

Fully-Loaded Cheesey Potato Soup

Have you ever had one of those days where you get home and all you want is a big steamy bowl of That Soup.  So you go to your pantry, only to discover you don't have enough of That Star Ingredient to pull of That Soup?  Yeah, even with as much as I try to plan, this happens to me.  When it does, I figure I have two options:

1) Pick up your car keys and drive the 3 minutes to the grocery store, wait 10 minutes in line to check out and grumble to yourself about how you could have possibly miscalculated your ingredients for the week.

OR

2) Live on the edge.  Take a look at what else you've got in the house and see what other kind of soup you can make instead.

 Look what goodies I found!

Normally, I go with option 1.  I'm a planner and I have a set plan to make That Dish so I'm going to get the stuff for That Dish, like it or not.  However the other day I decided to throw caution to the wind and go with option 2.  I mean, really, how hard can it be, right?  I have butter/oil, onions, chicken stock, various frozen vegetables,...plenty of ingredients to come up with an alternative soup!  And so I quickly dug through my soup recipes and found one I'd filed away to try but have never gotten around to making.  Now was the time!

And boy, oh boy, I totally need to forget about ingredients more often!

Fully Loaded Cheesey Potato Soup
Recipe adapted from the Neely's

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
12 oz beer (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (about 8 ounces)
Dash hot sauce
Dash Worcestershire

1.  In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and saute in butter until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and continue to stir for 2 minutes to toast the flour. Add salt and pepper, to taste. 

2.  Gradually whisk in the stock, then the milk and the beer. Stir in the potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the potato is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Try not to drool too much at the AMAZING smells that will begin to permeate your house.

3.  Remove the pan from the heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. [Note: Don't have an immersion blender?  Ladle soup into a regular blender or food processor instead.  Return soup to pot when smooth.]  Return the soup to low heat. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring until melted and smooth after each addition (if you add it all at once, you get cheese glops; trust me on this one). Season the soup, to taste, with hot sauce, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper. 

 Have I mentioned before that we like cheese?  Because we do.

To make this "Fully Loaded" top with any fixings you like on your baked potato.  We agreed that crispy bacon and some fresh chives would be awesome on this.  I also liked it with just some extra hot sauce on top (I like spicy).