Scalloped Potato Pie; Recipe

Okay folks, last night I tried something new and fabulous. A few weeks back a friend of mine made a dish called “Potato Flan”; it was very good and I couldn’t wait to try it. Sorry for no pictures but I was in full cooking mode yesterday and did not have time. In any event, this is a must try recipe and can be done in many different ways using different cheeses and accompanying ingredients. I look forward to trying this with Smoked Bacon and Cheddar.

Enjoy!!!!

Ingredients

3 Pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes sliced very thin (Yukon Gold is must)

3 Tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 Cups heavy cream

1/4 lb Gruyere cheese shedded

1/4 Lb Fontina Cheese shredded

1/4 Lb Gouda Cheese shredded

3 XL eggs

1/4 Tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 Tsp Cracked black pepper

1/2 Tbsp Kosher salt

Pam or non-stick cooking spray

Special Equipment

8″ x 8″ baking pan or similar.

Mandolin slicer.

Parchment paper or foil.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Lay the potatoes in overlapping rows to cover the pan. Sprinkle with cheese and garlic. Repeat layering until you reach the top of the pan utilizing all of the cheese and garlic. If your pan is not quite the right size, it’s not that big a deal! Improvise!!!

In a large bowl whisk heavy cream, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg together very well. Pour mixture over potatoes slowly and at the sides until all liquid is used. Lightly press down on potatoes to distribute the mixture.

Tip: Let your cream and eggs come to room temperature before whisking together.

Lightly cover the dish with parchment or foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours or longer depending on the depth of your baking dish. Remove cover for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking to brown the top.

Allow the dish to rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting or serving onto a plate. The resting will allow the dish to set and become somewhat firm.

I was amazed how easy and rewarding this dish was. Try substituting Cheddar for the cheese and add cooked smoked bacon while omitting the nutmeg. I have not tried this yet but I’m sure it will work quite well.

Enjoy!

Hot Potato Salad AKA Heart Attack Potatoes AKA Elvis Potato Salad; Recipe

This is simply; delicious, extremely unhealthy, bacony goodness!

 

8 medium potatoes (I always use Idaho potatoes), cooked, cooled, peeled & diced (I peel and dice the potatoes and then cook them to save time)

1 cup  real mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s)

1/2 cup chopped onion (white}

1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

1 lb bacon, fried & crumbled

1/4 cup chopped olives

1/2 tsp salt

 

Combine potatoes, cheese, onion, mayo & salt in baking dish.  Sprinkle bacon & olives over top & bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole;Recipe

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

I made this for Thanksgiving by special request. I did some research reviewing recipes by James Beard, Jeff Smith and the Food Network. James Beard’s recipe called for Cognac but I wanted to use Bourbon. So I did! It’s important not to use too much liquid allowing the eggs to set up the casserole.

Ingredients

5 large sweet potatoes

Ingredients

3-4 eggs beaten with fork

1/2 cup softened butter

1/4 cup Bourbon

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp nutmeg; I use fresh grated

1/2 tsp ground mace

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

For the topping

Chopped pecans

1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Poke holes the sweep potatoes with a fork 3 or 4 times. Place sweet potatoes on a foil or parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for at least an hour. When the sweet potatoes are soft let cool and remove skin. Turn oven down to 350 degrees. The smell of baking sweet potatoes is intoxicating and makes me think of the holidays.

In a mixing bowl mash the sweet potatoes and butter with a hand masher until butter is melted. Add remaining ingredients except for the eggs. Mix by using the hand masher or electric mixer. Add eggs and stir into mixture until incorporated. Pour mixture into a casserole dish. Top with brown sugar and enough pecans to generously cover. Bake for 40-60 minutes considering the depth of the casserole dish. My dish was deeper so I cooked for an hour. Use your judgement on cooking time. Test with a knife inserting it into the middle of the casserole to test for temperature. The casserole should be very hot in the middle.

This is a great holiday side dish to turkey and most notably baked ham!

4 Cheese Macaconi & Cheese

Mac & Cheese My Way

This dish is inspired by Pina Lollino & Ristorante Italia. Pina’s Pasta Quatro Fromage ( 4 cheese pasta) was one of my favorite all time dishes. I’ve mixed her recipe with a basic Macaroni and Cheese to get this. This recipe is very rich and satisfying.

1/2 pound elbow large macaroni

4 ounces each of Fontina, Gorgonzola Dolce, Parmigiano Regiano, Mozzarella cheeses

1/2 cup white onion finely diced

3 cups milk

3 tbsps flour

4 tbsp butter

1 egg beaten then tempered

1/ cup panko or regular bread crumbs

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg freshly grated is best.

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large sauce pan melt 4 tbsps butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour continuously for five mines. Add milk, salt, onion and nutmeg. Simmer for ten minutes over medium low heat. Pull about a cup of   liquid out of the pan for tempering the egg. Beat the egg in a large bowl; quickly whisk in hot liquid a little at a time while whisking.

Cook 1/2 pound of macaroni in salted water until al dente.

Tip: Tempering eggs is done by gradually adding hot liquid while whisking. this allows the egg to thicken with out hardening. If you were to add the egg into the hot liquid; it would cook quickly and solidify.

Add the tempered egg mixture and cheese stirring constantly until cheese is well incorporated. Add in your cooked macaroni and incorporate into sauce. The mixture will seem too loose (too much liquid). Trust the recipe! Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs and grates Parmegiano Regiano. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and let stand for five minute.

Enjoy!