Twice Baked Potatoes

Directions:
1. Clean large baking potatoes and poke with a fork to release the steam
2. Bake potatoes in oven (350 for about 1 hour) or microwave (on high for 5 minutes per potato
3. Cut in half and let cool
4. Scoop out insides leaving the crusts - scrap well to reduce amount of potato left, try not to rip skins
5. Mix potato meat in a bowl with salt, pepper, butter, sour cream, and cheese. Enough sour cream to make smooth like mashed potatoes.
6. Scoop back into potato crusts
7. Top with cheese, bacon or other toppings.

Bake in oven at 350 for 15 min (or until cheese is melted)

Stephanie notes:

For really crisp skins anytime you bake potatoes rub with lard (or Olive oil or butter) and sprinkle with rock salt. I think Sea Salt would also work but have not tried it. Bake in a hot oven, 375-400. They will take less than 1 hour depending on the size. Note: The skin will soften as they cool but will be crispier than not doing this.

You can top with lots of things. I like chives and blue cheese dressing. Real bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled is really good.

Red, White and Blue Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 pounds red new potatoes, quartered 
2 cloves garlic, smashed 
5 to 6 strips bacon 
1/4 pound Gorgonzola cheese, room temperature 
1/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature 
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Add potatoes and garlic to a medium pot and fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by an inch. Season with salt and bring water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, fry bacon in a skillet until crisp. Set aside on a paper towel to drain. Roughly chop and reserve. 

Drain potatoes and garlic and place them back in the pot with the cheese, heavy cream, butter and chopped bacon. Roughly mash, adding more cream if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Leslie's Hash Brown Casserole

Nick's mom's potato casserole. Tasty! (But not real healthy.)

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup melted butter
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups crushed cornflakes cereal
1/4 cup melted butter


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, combine hash browns, 1/2 cup melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chopped onion, Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Place mixture in a 3 quart casserole dish.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute cornflakes in 1/4 cup melted butter, and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole.
Bake covered in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Low-Fat Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
• Kosher salt
• 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-fat milk (1%), at room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup grated gruyere cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 3-quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the potatoes and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste puffs slightly, about 1 minute. Graduallywhisk in both milks and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the nutmeg. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and gently toss to coat.

Transfer the potato mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the gruyere. Bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Switch the oven to the broiler setting and broil the potatoes until browned on top, about 5 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Per serving: Calories 290; Fat 7 g (Saturated 4 g); Cholesterol 22 mg; Sodium 546 mg; Carbohydrate 46 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 10 g

A great choice for Scalloped Potatoes that are not so grease/calorie filled!