Delmonico Potatoes

I'll tell ya right now. This dish is a pain in the butt to make. It takes a number of ingredients and steps and attention. But, damn, is it worth it. Some of the best potatoes ever. Not overly cheesey, with a clean cream, chicken broth, and lemony taste with a hint of nutmeg.

Truly a great potato side-dish.

Recipe Source: adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2009 via My Kitchen Cafe

3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon grated zest and 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
5 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed and patted dry with paper towels
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions

 Heat oven to 450 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 2 cups cream, 1 cup broth, Yukon Golds, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are translucent at the edges and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes (the potatoes should not be cooked all the way through). Off the heat, stir in the lemon zest and juice.

Transfer the potato mixture to a 9X13-inch baking dish and bake until bubbling around the edges and the surface is just golden, about 20 minutes. While the potatoes are baking, melt the remaining butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the shredded potatoes until they are just beginning to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining cream, remaining broth, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons green onions. Remove the baking dish from the oven and top with the shredded potato mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and continue to bake until the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the potatoes cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining green onions and serve.

And I have to admit, as soon as I took these out of the oven, I just HAD to start nibbling at a corner. Ya know why? Watch this short video, and you'll see why....

Recipe - Potatoes Grande

The best cheese potato dish I've ever had. We fight over the leftovers the next day.

Now here's the deal. We ALL have cheesy potato recipes that our families love. And we tend to make them staples at our certain meals and never vary. Also called Scalloped Potatoes they generally have milk, and onions, or shallots, and/or garlic, or (ugh) condensed soup, etc. etc. etc.in addition to various types of cheeses.

And I bet what you make is good, and you are to be commended. But would you do me a favor? Please?

Try MY recipe one time. Just try it. And then let me know what you think. And tell me you and whoever didn't fight over the last scrap left in the baking dish.

I know it's rich, I know it's dense, and I know it doesn't necessarily look all that appetizing with all the browning on top. But let me tell you...... just don't make it that often.

I usually only make it once a year at Easter when I'm serving Dakin Farms Maple Glazed Spiral Sliced Ham.

OK, well maybe I make it a couple more times during the year.

OK, to be honest, when I make it, I also make little Grande Potato dishes in Pyrex dishes and freeze them, so when I need a quick "Grande" hit, I can just pop them in the oven.

And as for the unattractive "Brown" or "Burnt" crusting...... My God, THAT'S the best part!

Anyway, my blog is all about, good food, just post the recipe, and try to photograph adequately. I don't spend a lot of time talking about this and that, as some blogs do.

But, this a personal recipe I posted months ago, when I had zero readers, so I'm featuring it again....and all I ask is, try it, and see if it doesn't become a STAPLE in YOUR inventory.

Trust me on this one.

3½ hours | 30 min prep

SERVES 4 -6

• 3 medium russet potatoes
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream

Double all ingredients if you want to make more in a 13 x 9 dish.

1. Slice unpeeled potatoes thinly, not more than 1/4" thick.
2. In a casserole dish, (8 x 8)layer potatoes, salt, pepper, and a cup of cheese.
3. Repeat layers until all potatoes are used.
4. (Reserve 1/2 cup cheese for last layer) Pour entire contents of heavy cream over casserole.
5. Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 2 hours. It's a deliberate slow bake to steep all the ingredients. I sometimes let it go another hour as it gets crunchier and crunchier.
   
6. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Let it get as dark brown as you like, it only gets better.

Enjoy!

Recipe - Ron's Green Bean Casserole

Yes, we all have recipes for Green Bean Casserole, but THIS one is the best...Check it out and see if you don't agree. No milk, no cheese, no onions, no sour cream....just these four ingredients....I've been making this for 30 years and it is a staple. (psst.... the secret ingredient is the soy sauce.... try it before you dis it...)

1¼ hours | 10 min prep

SERVES 8

• 2 (8 ounce) cans green beans, drained
• 2 (8 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
• 3-5 tablespoons soy sauce (depending on individual taste)
• 1 (6 ounce) can French-fried onions

1. In a bowl combine all ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup of the onions.
2. Mix thoroughly and transfer to 8 x 8 casserole dish.
3. Sprinkle remaining onions over the top.

1. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 75 minutes or until golden brown. (Don't worry if you bake it longer)

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

I love breakfast casseroles. I like the fact they are prepared ahead, and just popped into the oven. I have grown kids who have a tendency to still come and visit the old man and expect me to cook/bake for them, which I admittedly willingly do. And always one breakfast is my morning casserole.

I mess around with the ingredients from time to time, but generally stick close to the following.

One note however, and an important one. The base ingredient in my casserole is either hash browns or bread, either one. I like the hash brown one because a little ketchup on the side is ideal for the potatoes, but I must say my personal favorite is with the bread substituted for the hash browns. It's crunchier and absorbs the egg a bit better I think, and comes out fluffier, but YOU decide what's right for you.

1 pound of sausage. You can use any type but I, for some reason prefer the frozen pre-cooked links, especially the maple flavored.

2 tbl butter

2 shallots You can use onions but I think they tend to overpower the eggs.

1 large package of frozen hash browns.

1 package Jiffy muffin mix

6 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 bunch green onions

1 tsp dried mustard

salt and pepper to taste.

Put sausage links into saucepan and saute until brown on all sides.....you need to constantly break up the pieces until they are smaller and smaller.... (If you're using bulk sausage, the same principle applies, just don't overcook the sausage....you want to saute until the "pink" just disappears)

Mince shallots and add butter to the sausage in the saucepan. Add shallots and hashbrowns to pan and lightly saute until shallots are translucent and the hashbrowns just begin to brown.

Spoon into a lightly greased 13 x 9 casserole dish.

In a bowl, beat eggs, and then add mustard, and sour cream and milk and mix well. When well mixed, beat in Jiffy mix.

Pour contents evenly over the hashbrowns, sausage, onion mix.

Slice thinly or cut the green onion all over the mixture.

Cover with cheddar cheese, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour covered with tinfoil..... remove tinfoil and bake an additional 15 - 20 minutes until browned.

Let sit for 15 minutes and served immediately.

Freezes well.

Enjoy!

Note: Obviously, if you are using bread instead of hashbrowns, you don't saute the bread. Just saute the shallots and sausage. You should tear up into one inch size pieces about 10 slices of bread or 1 baguette. Just break into pieces and layer in the baking dish.

Broccoli Casserole

In looking my blog, since it's a new one, I noticed that I have started out with family recipes, comfort food and the like.

With the advent of fall and the upcoming Holiday Season, I can sense I'll switch modes to casseroles, side dishes, my FAMOUS apricot glazed Turkey, (well famous in my family and circle of friends) and a variety of soups and crock pot dishes that I've made over the years.

As a teaser for you, this weekend I'm making Guinness Irish Beef Stew and Irish Soda Bread. (I gotta make sure you want to come back and read my blog, right?)

But let's start with a casserole.

Here's a side dish that is delicious and so easy to make and tends to go well as an accompaniment to beef, chicken, turkey, pork, etc.

Ingredients:

1 large bag frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans broccoli cheese soup (salt free if available)
2 eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
pepper to taste (no salt necessary)
breadcrumbs

Preparation:

Place broccoli and onion into a large frying pan, add 1/2 cup of water. Bring water to a gentle
boil and steam the broccoli and onions for 15 to 20 minutes.

Discard excess water and transfer broccoli/onion mixture to a bowl.

Beat the eggs and add to bowl along with shredded cheddar cheese and soups and mix well.

Add pepper to taste and mix in.

Pour into 13 x 9 baking dish and liberally sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, until it is bubbly and the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

I know a lot of folks work carefully to set up their food photos. I do too, sometimes. But then again, every once in a while, a simple unorchestrated picture is JUST as good.

Spinach Souffle

I love spinach souffle as a sidedish to almost any meal. This is modeled after Stouffer's frozen spinach souffle but my own array of ingredients. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Ingredients:

1 package frozen chopped spinach
3 eggs (separated)
1/2 sweet onion (Vidalia or Walla Walla Sweet if available)
1 cup heavy cream (substitute milk if you'd like, but it's awfully good with cream)
2 tbl flour
3 tbl butter
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Defrost spinach and press out the liquid through a strainer

Add butter to pan on medium heat and saute onion until translucent and soft. (Finely diced or even through a food processor)

Meanwhile beat the three eggs reserving the whites

Combine the flour and milk and mix well. Add to eggs along with nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix well.

Run the drained spinach through the food processor and add to the milk mixture along with the sauteed onion and the parmesan cheese. Stir well.

(A note on the cheese, I switch from time to time from parmesan to gruyere or even cheddar/mozzarella mix. Find the one you like most....)

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and add cream of tartar and beat two minutes more.

Fold egg whites into the spinach mixture until all the white meringue disappears.

Pour into 8 x 8 buttered or greased casserole dish or baking dish of similar size.




Bake for one hour or until nicely browned all over.



Enjoy.