Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

This recipe is an adaptation from a recipe at allrecipes.com, one of my favorite go-to sites. It is perfect for potlucks, family dinners and with a bit of tweaking (see below), is just right for large gatherings (2 pans). This is the perfect dish to prepare the night before and bake the following day. And yes, I had to taste it for "quality control" <koff koff>.

Ingredients

• 2 large baking potatoes (or 6 regular)
• 1/2 pound lean bacon (or Real Bacon Bits)
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 3/4 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
2. Poke a few holes into each potato using a toothpick.
3. Bake potatoes in the preheated oven until fully cooked, about 1 hour. Cool for about 15 minutes.
4. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels and crumble.
5. Cut a thin slice from one side of each potato; carefully scoop out the flesh and transfer to a bowl. Discard skins. Mix 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, butter, chives, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder with potatoes. Spread potato mixture into the prepared casserole dish; top with 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until just bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
7. 
   

*Let the 'tweaking' begin. I baked 5 lbs of potatoes and, after letting them cool slightly, I scraped the contents into a big bowl and chopped them up with my spoon. I added a full bag (8 oz) of sharp cheddar, 1 1/2 c of sour cream, 2 tbsp of dried chives, half bag of Kroger 'real bacon bits', ground pepper and salt (didn't measure, just poured some on my hand and then into the bowl). I didn't use garlic salt because the chives provided sufficient seasoning). I used about a cup of milk and about 4 tbsp of butter. The potatoes were still hot enough to melt the butter when mixed in. I folded everything together, put it in one larger foil lasagna pan and one smaller, more shallow aluminum foil cake pan (about 8.5" by 12.5") for us. I used another half bag of shredded sharp cheddar to top the two pans and sprinkled liberally with dried chives and about half the pack of bacon bits. The casserole was moist, not wet, before baking and because I like my casseroles well cooked, the small one took about 25 minutes to warm through with bubbly cheese. I will probably cook the large one for about 30-40 minutes. Turned out tasty, slightly puffy and smelled delicious!*

Scalloped Potatoes (Escalloped Potatoes) au Gratin

Here's a dish that seems to be French in nature but American/Canadian in flavor. It's just right for those cool fall and winter evenings, when you are craving something warm and comforting. Perfect with everything from roast to ham, and great for a special dinner or potluck. You can't beat a good scalloped potato dish as a crowd- or family-pleaser. (p.s. 'au gratin' means 'with cheese,' for those who may not know). Hint: You will want enough milk to cover the potatoes/onions before baking. As you can see, it evaporates slightly and puffs up the sides to create the tasty golden crust.

Scalloped potatoes au gratin

Ingredients

• 4-6 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4- 1/2 stick of butter or margarine
• 2 tbsp corn starch or flour
• 1 1/2 to 2 c scalded milk
• 1/2 pkg (6 oz or so) grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix potatoes and onions and place in greased 8c casserole
3. Dot with little pieces of butter or margarine and sprinkle with corn starch or flour
4. Heat milk until scalded (steaming but not boiling)
5. Pour over the potatoes and onions; ensure they are totally covered
6. Sprinkle with grated cheese
7. Bake in 350 F oven, on middle rack, for approximately 45 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden and puffy.

Shepherd's (Sheppard's) Pie

I always had a romantic vision of this dish: probably after watching "Heidi" when I was young. I envisioned shepherds sitting it their little huts eating this dish after a long, hard stint on the hills. Maybe that's not so far-fetched, but lately I have been seeing it written as "Sheppard's Pie," not "Shepherd's Pie." I think I like my lonely shepherd version more :)

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

• 4 oz green beans, chopped in 1 inch pieces
• 2 each yellow corn cobs (cut corn from the cobs) or use 1 can corn
• 4 each Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1/2 sweet onion, sliced and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground beef or chicken (I prefer beef)
• 1 c turkey gravy (the original recipe called for beef gravy)
• 1/4 c water
• 4 oz (1/2 an 8-oz pkg) Neufchatel or soft cream cheese)
• 1 c milk, divided
• 4 -5 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed,boiled and drained
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Blanch green beans and cut corn in salted boiling water. Drain and set aside
2. Brown meat with garlic and onion. Pour off the excess fat. Stir in gravy, vegetables and water; simmer for 5 minutes or heated through, stirring occasionally. 
3. Microwave cream cheese and 1/4 c milk in medium microwavable bowl on HIGH for 30 seconds; beat with whisk until blended.
4. Mash potatoes with cream cheese mixture to make a creamy texture (not runny)
5. Spoon meat mixture into bottom of a large, greased casserole (I used "Pam"). Top with mashed potato mixture, spreading to edge of casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan, swirling it gently into the potato mixture to give it a bit of texture and taste. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 min. It gives the potatoes a nice golden edge and combines the flavors. 
7. Let sit for 10 minutes before spooning out of the dish. Serve with a green salad or your choice of side dish. It's literally a meal in a casserole.

Note from The Little Cook: The original recipe called for potato flakes. I prefer the 'real deal' to commercial. It also had the potatoes spooned on top of the meat combination to look like little ghosts, with pea eyes. Cute, but with just the 2 of us, we prefer it as a casserole. I have discovered that Neufchatel is much creamier for dishes such as this and tastes every bit as good with half the calories. I actually enjoyed cutting the corn from the cob, but some folks prefer canned or frozen corn. Whatever suits you best, or even better, whatever you have in the house to save you a bit of cash! Also, I think beef gravy would be very strong. I deliberately used turkey gravy (commercial) and we preferred the taste.