Sunday, November 21, 2010

Oven Cookin'

The potato gods really smiled on us this past summer and gave us some wonderfully flavorful potatoes. I'm not sure how long the supply will last but we sure are enjoying the potatoes while we have them.

This potato dish is pretty basic and easy to put together while at the same time being more than just plain old potatoes. Next time you have the oven going, you might want to give it a try. The aroma while it's baking will make stomachs growl!

EASY POTATO CASSEROLE

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup grated cheddar or Colby cheese (more if desired)
Salt and pepper

Layer the potatoes and onions in a greased 8" or 9" square baking dish. Generously sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper. Pour melted butter over the top.

Here the casserole is ready to go into the oven.

Bake covered in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle grated cheese over top and return to oven until cheese is melted and/or browned to your liking. You can leave the cheese off entirely, if you wish. Return the uncovered casserole to the oven until the top layer of potatoes is browned and slightly crispy.

This is the dish when I pulled it out of the oven last night. I usually like the top to be a little more browned and crispy, but the rest of the meal was ready to go on the table so I didn't want to wait for this to brown more. (Coordination of a meal is hard, isn't it? Someday I'm gonna get the hang of it. ;o])

If you're serving a big group, double all the ingredients and bake in a 9" x 13" pan. (It's a good dish to take to a potluck because, if wrapped for the trip, it holds the heat well.)

Leftovers are great for breakfast. I warm the potatoes in a skillet, crack an egg for each serving on top of the potatoes, cover and cook over a low heat until the eggs are done.

I make these potatoes often just so we can have the leftovers for breakfast for a couple of mornings. And that's just what I'm going to go make right now. A super breakfast for this wintry-looking morning. We got about an inch of new snow overnight but, drat and blast, the temp is back up into the low thirties which will make the roads bad again today.

14 comments:

Sue said...

Cheese? Butter??
Whats not to love???
Me thinks hubby is starting to fall in love with you!
:D
Have a great day, Mama Pea!

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

My Grandmother used to make a dish just like this for Christmas Dinner. I always loved it and never could duplicate that recipe. Seeing those potatoes really reminded me of her.

Kelly said...

Any potato dish along those lines is welcomed in my house. I have bacon in the oven, and some waffles warming that I made yesterday. Nothing like a good breakfast on a cold morning- I will try those potatoes for breakfast leftovers soon!

Mama Pea said...

Sue - I'll take all the love I can get. (Whadda ya say we say to heck with everything and take the whole day off??) Oh, who am I kidding? I'm washing kitchen cupboards today. With Christmas carols blaring on the stereo. And maybe a little egg nog.

Jane - It's my grandma's beef hash made every time she had meat left over from a pot roast that I can't duplicate. Wouldn't ya think they could get the recipe to us some way if they really wanted to??

Kelly - Oh, waffles! I haven't made them in ever so long. I like them so much better than pancakes. Must get out the waffle iron soon.

Erin said...

That looks fantastic, especially the breakfast egg combo! Speaking of recipes... can I make that cranberry almond cake the day before or should I do it the morning of Thanksgiving? :)

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Smell it? I'm hungry just looking at the picture! And did someone mention bacon?? The perfect complement to potatoes and cheese!

Mama Pea said...

Erin - The cake should be fine made the day before. Sounds like a good plan. After it's cooled completely (and iced) I'd cover it with a cake dome or big bowl and store it in a cool part of the house. (Away from boys and dogs!)

Jen - Like, is there anyone who DOESN'T like bacon? Bring it on!

mtnchild said...

I have a recipe almost exactly like that; I add some cream soup and sour cream, but I never added grated cheese - I'll have to remember to try that.
Reminds me that I haven't made it in a long time. Today seems just about right. We got 5-6 inches of snow overnight and a nice warm potato dish will stick to the bones and nourish well!
Yvette

Dirt Lover said...

Oh my, cheese, potatoes, butter, bacon, waffles???? I could die a happy woman! Thanks for the recipe. I make something like this every Christmas Eve to go along with ham, only it's got more steps, and takes longer. I'll save your recipe and try it in the next few weeks. Sounds great!
~~Lori

Faye said...

Oh mama pea THIS is going to lure me into the kitchen to turn on that big square box that heats up and (allegedly, lol) produces things that are good to eat!

This recipe of yours is double tempting considering it covers dinner and breakfast - excellent!

And is there anything bad - ever - about something that involves potato? I think not....

Thanks for the recipe :-)

Faye

becky3086 said...

This would make a really good meal if you added a meat as well, hamburger, bacon or ham maybe. Don't be surprised if you see a new recipe on my blog now that you have given me the idea.

Mama Pea said...

Yvette - Lucky you with your snow! Our crazy temp has gone back up to 34 and we've had rain since early this afternoon . . . on top of 3+" of new snow. Ish!

Lori - When I was growing up my mom always made Scalloped Potatoes with ham. Much like these potatoes but with an added cream sauce.

Faye - You're very welcome. You know, so many people avoid potatoes 'cause they think they're just one big carbohydrate but they actually have a lot of vitamins in them. And we all need our vitamins, right? :o)

Becky - Ham. Oh yes, ham! Left over chunks of ham would be WONDERFUL in this casserole! Go for it . . . and I think I will, too, the next time I have some left over.harvest

The Apple Pie Gal said...

Woman, you are gonna make us all FAT!

Mama Pea said...

APG - Bwah-ha-ha! Dat ees my plan, dahlinks!