Thursday, December 10, 2009

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Other Recipes I recommend!

Is that Title long enough for ya?

LOL!

Is everyone beginning to think of your Christmas dinner menu like me?

Well let me share a few things I LOVE along with my Cheesy Scalloped Potato recipe!

First, the potatoes!


Start by making a white sauce.  Put about a half stick of butter in a sauce pot over medium heat.  Once that is melted, add all purpose flour a spoon at a time, mixing after each addition.  Keep adding until this forms a soft dough that will immediately spread out and start to bubble as soon as you stop stirring.  It should take about equal amounts of butter and flour.  Let this cook for just a few minutes to cook out the raw taste.  This cook time will also bring out a nutty flavor that will really add depth later! 
After a few minutes add in some heavy cream that you have brought to room temp.  I used a pint.  Whisk this all together until smooth.  Having the heavy cream at room temp makes this WAY easier.  If it is cold, it will cause the butter to stiffen up and you will have to fight clumps!
Now add Milk.  I used 2%, but you can use whatever you like.  How much depends on how much sauce you need.  I used about 4 cups, sorry didn't measure!  Add salt and pepper to taste.
Let this simmer, slowly, until nice and thickened.
While that is simmering, slice up your potatoes into thin slices.  You can use a knife or a Mandolin.  
I also chopped up 6 Green Onions.
Once the sauce has thickened taste it!  Add more salt and pepper if it needs it.  Keep in mind that the potatoes will suck up alot of that salt while baking, so be sure that the sauce is nicely seasoned.

Next comes assembly...
Start with a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan.
Top this with a layer of potatoes.
Drizzle sauce over the potatoes.

Then Add the cheese!  I used Colby Jack, for it's melty-ness!

Sprikle on some green onions...


And repeat until full!

Cover with foil and bake at 375 until a knife inserted in the middle slides into the potatoes easily.  This took about an hour.  When it's close to done, take the foil off and add a bit more cheese.  This will brown and become a nice crust!


This was SOOOOO GOOD!!!


Now, here's the rest of what we had!


From closest to farthest:
PW's Stuffing
Good 'ol Green Bean Casserole
Mom's Lasagna (to die for!)
PW's Sweet Potato Casserole
...lets change angles for the last two.


Fresh Corn Casserole
And my Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes!

I wanted to try out some new recipes and loved them all, so here they are for your tummy's enjoyment!
(click the name for the recipe)

Noticing a trend?  This woman has AWESOME recipes!!!

Enjoy!
Christy

8 comments:

Cheryl said...

Sounds and looks delish! I love cheesy potatoes.

Brooke said...

OOOOOOHHHH, this looks yummy to my tummy! My mom makes these kind of potatoes I wonder how close your recipes are. (I would totally have to add some bacon to these though!!, lol)

Stiletto said...

ooOOOooo Brooke! Great idea! Bacon would ROCK!

L said...

Goodness! That looks good. Pioneer Woman is a staple in this house. I have her cookbook and use it every week.

Paige said...

mmmmm....I love scalloped potatoes, those look delish!

1xellus1 said...

i've been looking 4 a good cheesy potato recipe for a while now! can't wait to try this! thanks for sharing! YUM

Ilanka Verhoeven said...

Looks yummie!
Happy holidays!
X, fashionnerdic.

Imo said...

I wish I was there this looks incredible!