Garlic Butter Accordion Potatoes (Hasselback Potatoes)

A number of teenagers in my neighborhood sold potatoes as a fundraiser for some school function or another, so this fall, I ended up with 75+ pounds of potatoes to use fairly quickly.  Needless to say, we tried out many new potato recipes!  The shape of these potatoes was kind of fun for my kids.  And, it was a delicious way to try something different!

Garlic Butter Accordian Potatoes

adapted slightly from: delish.com

1 1/2 pounds small potatoes

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/4 c. oil

1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tinfoil, and spray the foil with cooking spray.  Wash and dry each potato, and then make thin slits in each, like an accordion.  Be careful not to cut all the way through (sometimes I accidentally did, and it is not that big of a deal, they are just more fun when they are a whole potato with accordion slits!).  In a small bowl, stir together the butter, oil and garlic.  Using a basting brush, spread the butter mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake them for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes the potatoes will begin to fan out (you may have to gently help them with this).  Brush them with the butter mixture again, and sprinkle them with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.  Bake them again for 25-30 minutes, or until they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  Serve warm and enjoy!  

Creamy Potato Soup in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

My hubby gave me an Instant Pot pressure cooker for Christmas.  I stared at the box for 2 weeks before I even opened it because I didn't know what to do with it.  All I really needed to do was look online because when I did, I found tons of recipes to make using my pressure cooker.  And then I started finding friends who swear that it is the only way they cook now.  This recipe came from one of those friends.  The soup was incredibly flavorful, which is one of the things that people say about cooking with a pressure cooker.  I would be curious to try it in a slow cooker, or on the stove to see if it had as good of a flavor.  My entire family ate it and liked it!  Winner!

Creamy Potato Soup
adapted from: instantpot.com

1 onion, diced
2 slices bacon
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp. oil
1 c. chicken broth
2 1/2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes (I guessed on the amount)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
a dash of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. heavy cream (or use evaporated milk)
salt and pepper to taste

I am going to give the instructions just as my friend gave them to me.  If you make this using a slow cooker or on the stove, I'm sure you can figure it out.
1.  Press Saute on Instant Pot.  Add onion, bacon, garlic and oil.  Stir while sauteing for 3-4 minutes.  Do not walk away or this will burn.
2.  Add 1 c. of chicken broth, potatoes, carrots, celery, parsley, red pepper flakes, and Italian Seasoning.  Stir.  Place the lid on the pot, press Steam button and set minutes to 10.  (It takes about 10 minutes to come to pressure and then cooks for 10 minutes)
3.  When it beeps, do a quick pressure release.  Remove the bacon and discard (I didn't discard it. We just cut it into bite-sized pieces, then put it back in at the end).  Add 2 cups of chicken broth and the heavy cream.  Insert a handheld blender and run it on short bursts until it has a creamy consistency that you like, but make sure to leave chunks of potatoes.  Don't puree it all.  Add salt and pepper to taste, stirring gently to incorporate.

Creamy New Potato Soup

This is the time of year when soup and vegetables from my garden sound so appealing.  The other night I was really wanting something.  I just wasn't sure what.  So I let my taste buds lead the way, and I ended up with this soup.  It was delicious, and Fall-y, and worked for a sick neighbor, too!

Creamy New Potato Soup
by: Carolyn

4 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. onion powder
small potatoes, or larger ones, cut into chunks (I used all my little "new" potatoes from my garden)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 c. milk
1 bag of frozen peas
fresh ground pepper
ham, cut into small pieces

In a large pot, bring the chicken broth, onion powder and salt to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook until they are tender.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, whisk together the butter and flour over medium-high heat.  Slowly pour in the evaporated milk, stirring constantly.  Continue stirring until it begins to thicken.  Add this mixture to your pot with the potatoes and stir it gently.  Stir in your frozen peas (I added about 3/4 of the bag, but you can add more or less, according to what you like).  Add your sliced ham and milk, and bring it to a low boil, then turn the heat down and cook it until your peas are tender.  

Mashed Potatoes and Ham Casserole

Tonight I needed to come up with a quick dinner without a trip to the store.  I had ham in the freezer & some packages of mashed potatoes to use, and I found this recipe online.  I've already lost the link but it was so easy I actually remember how to make it.  It actually turned out quite delicious.

Mashed Potatoes and Ham Casserole

4 cups mashed potatoes (I used instant potato pearls)
1 1/2 cups diced ham
1/2 onion
2 Tbsp butter (used separately)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup crushed cornflakes

Dice the onion very fine (I so love my Pampered Chef chopper) and place it in a bowl with 1 Tbsp butter. Microwave the onion and butter, uncovered, for 2 minutes (stirring after one minute)
Prepare your mashed potatoes, and add the onion, ham, salt, pepper and garlic powder (you could use minced garlic instead or leave it out and I'm sure it would be fine).
Grease the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart baking dish, and pour the potato mixture into it.
Sprinkle the grated cheese on top, layer that with the crushed corn flakes, and cut up your remaining 1 Tbsp butter over the top.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Russian Potato Soup

I absolutely loved this soup.  I wasn't sure what to think about dill, and I'd never cooked a leek before, so I was a little unsure, but it turned out so delicious.  I will definitely be making it again.

Russian Potato Soup
allrecipes.com

5 Tbsp butter, divided
1-2 leeks, chopped*
3 large carrots, sliced
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced (original recipe called for 2 lbs)
6 cups chicken broth
2 tsp dried dill weed
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 lb fresh sliced mushrooms (next time I make this I am going to try canned, since I like them better)
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup flour
fresh dill weed, for garnish (optional, I didn't use this)

First, chop your vegetables.  *Now, the leek... I didn't even know what a leek was prior to making this recipe, let alone how to chop it, so I googled it and found instructions on cutting a leek.  Except, I wasn't paying close attention, and I chopped up the long leaves, too.  Apparently those usually get thrown away.  I've read up on it since, and apparently some people don't like the texture.  I thought it was delicious the way I made it though, so if I do it again I'll prepare it the same way.  The original recipe called for 2 leeks but they were huge so I just bought one.

Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a large pot over medium heat, and cook your carrots and leeks for 5 minutes.

Pour in your broth, and add the seasonings (dill, salt, pepper and bay leaf).
Add the potatoes and cook covered for 20 minutes.
Saute the mushrooms in the remaining 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes, and add to the soup.
Mix the half and half and flour in a small bowl, and then add to the soup.

Creamy Potato Crock Pot Soup

There is something about a month of below freezing temperatures that makes me want to eat homemade soup.  One of the great things about doing it in a crock pot is that my house smells delicious all day long.  I made this on a day that we were having a blizzard.  I couldn't go to the store and this recipe didn't require very many ingredients.  It is flavorful as is, but it would also be great with ground up sausage, or bits of bacon in it.  But if all you have is potatoes and celery (like I did), you still won't be disappointed with this soup!

Creamy Potato Soup
adapted from: allrecipes.com

8 c. diced potatoes (I didn't even peel mine)
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 c. chopped onion
3 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth (I used chicken bouillon and water)
4 cubes of beef bouillon
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour

In the slow cooker, add the potatoes, celery, onion, chicken broth, beef bouillon and pepper.  Cook it on high for 3 hours.  After three hours, in a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the flour and stir it together to make a paste.  Slowly pour in the milk and whisk it constantly until it begins to boil and thicken.  Pour it in to the slow cooker and gently stir it to combine.  Cook it for one more hour on high.

The Best Funeral Potatoes I've Ever Eaten

Last month I made some potatoes for a funeral at our church.  My sweet, 86 year old neighbor gave me her recipe, and I must say, they were the best funeral potatoes I've ever eaten.  Dustin concurred.  There are a couple of tricks that I'm convinced must be what made the difference. One is to sprinkle the cheese on the potatoes before pouring the soup mixture on.  The second was to mix the cornflakes with melted butter before sprinkling them on the top.  No soggy topping!

Funeral Potatoes
by: Donna 

32 oz. frozen hash browns (the cubed kind)
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. chopped onion (I used my dehydrated onions and they worked great)
2 - 2 1/2 c. cornflakes
1/4 c. melted butter

Pour your hash browns into a 9X13 pan.  Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the potatoes.  In a bowl, mix together the onions, butter (not melted), sour cream and cream of chicken soup and spread it over the top of the cheese.  Crush the cornflakes and mix it with the melted butter and sprinkle that over the top (I ended up adding a little more cornflakes so it went farther).  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until it is bubbly.    

Lazy Sunday Casserole

This was a delicious meal that we just happened to make on... Sunday.  It was easy, the only real time-consuming part was chopping up all of the vegetables.  It was the first time I've cooked with, or eaten for that matter, fennel.  It's a very interesting vegetable, it has almost a black licorice flavor (which I actually don't like, but eaten as a bite with all of the other vegetables combined it wasn't bad).  My husband liked the flavor of it combined as well.  My sister-in-law informed me that fennel is an ingredient in a lot of Italian sausages (which may be a clue as to why I don't like Italian sausage that much) so it complimented the flavors of the dish well.  

After all of my fennel talk, it was just a small part of the dish and the overall flavor was well balanced and delicious!  The vegetables were moist and it had just the right amount of seasoning.  This is one of our new favorites for sure.  I got it from Kayotic Kitchen, a new blog that I found via Pinterest, and was so happy to find it.  As she suggested, we used vegetables we had on hand, so my slight adaptations are from the vegetables we needed to use up which included mushrooms. My husband was very happy that I finally chose a recipe that used sausage, his favorite.  And I liked it just as much as he did!

Lazy Sunday Casserole

slightly adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

Ingredients

4 sausages (beef or pork)

3 large potatoes

3-4 large carrots

1 red bell pepper

1 large onion

1 fennel bulb

5-6 mushrooms

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp oil

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs

1/2 cup chicken broth

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut each potato into large cubes. Chop carrots into large pieces and slice mushrooms.  Chop onion into wedges. Remove the base and stalks of the fennel and slice it into wedges as well. Slice bell pepper into strips and put everything in a big roasting tray.

2. Use a big bowl to combine the oil with the Italian herbs, grated or chopped garlic, and chicken broth and pour it over the vegetables. Toss them around to make sure the broth gets everywhere. Season with a generous amount of salt and black pepper.

3. Cover the tray with aluminum foil and pop it in a preheated oven. Bake at 450F (225C) for 45 minutes.

3. While the vegetables are cooking, lightly brown the sausages and slice each sausage in half. (Sausages do not need to be cooked through.)

4. After 45 minutes the potatoes and vegetables should be fork tender. If they’re not, cover the tray with the foil and pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes. If they are fork tender, place the sausages in there and pour the balsamic vinegar all over. Place the tray back in the oven, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes. Take it out after 15 minutes, flip over those sausages and ladle some of the juices lurking at the bottom all over the vegetables and sausages. Put it back in the oven for the remaining time, until everything is nice and brown.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Potatoes

Is it gross how I tend to post pictures of my half eaten food?  Just know-it is a good sign because it means that it was so yummy that I forgot to take a picture until it was almost too late!  That was definitely the case with this meal.  This is an easy twist on a regular pork chop slow cooker meal.  It had more zing than your usual cream of mushroom soup pork chops and I may never go back to the old way.  It was also nice to have the potatoes in with the pork.  Not only did they taste amazing, but it was a one pot meal.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Potatoes
adapted slightly from:  allrecipes.com

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. water
1 onion, sliced
1 can sliced mushrooms
4 potatoes, cut into chunks
4 pork chops

In your crock pot, mix together the mushroom soup, onion soup mix, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and water.  Add the onion, mushrooms and potatoes.  Then add the pork chops and stir it all together.  Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Casserole

I know I'm a little late, but I figured I should get this posted so I can use it the next time I randomly have a hankering for a Thanksgiving dish.  When we were preparing the dishes for Thanksgiving this year, I forgot all about the sweet potatoes until it was too late to bake them.  I decided to mix a few recipes together and made a stove top sweet potato casserole.  And if I may say, there were some at the Thanksgiving feast who don't normally like sweet potatoes and had second helpings.  So if you're looking for a quick and delicious sweet potato dish at your... next Thanksgiving meal, try this one.

Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Casserole

3-4 large sweet potatoes

3-4 tbsp. butter

1/3 c. brown sugar

cinnamon

3/4 c. pecans

Peel sweet potatoes and microwave on a plate with a little water for 5-8 minutes until soft when stuck with a fork.  When done, chop roughly.  Melt butter and sugar in dutch oven skillet.  Toss pecans in and stir on med/low heat until coated and starting to caramelize (about 3-5 minutes).  Toss in sweet potatoes and stir with spatula until well coated.  Sprinkle cinnamon to coat and continue to sauté potatoes around until ingredients are mixed in.  Sweet potatoes will mash slightly.  Pour into a glass baking dish and throw a few small marshmallows on the top (I mostly put them on because you can’t have Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes oozing with extra sugar).  I wanted to make sure everything stayed moist so I decided to shave tiny pieces of butter off of the stick and distribute them across the potatoes. Stick in oven on broil until marshmallows are slightly browned and melty.  (Do you like that word?)

Crock Pot Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

Crock Pot Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

Adapted from Potato Patch Recipes

Ingredients:

2 ½  c. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

3 c. butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes

1 c. carrots, peeled and chopped

½ cup onion, chopped

1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth, divided

5-6 tbsp. butter, crumbled

1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk

½ tsp. ground cumin

¼-½  tsp. ground red pepper, to taste

1 ¼ tsp. of salt, or more to taste

Directions:

1.  Combine the sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, onion, butter, and half of chicken broth in your slow cooker.

2.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or until vegetables are tender.

3.  Puree until smooth in a blender one cup at a time, returning batches to the slow cooker. (I usually leave a little unblended to add a little texture.)

4.  Stir in the remaining broth, coconut milk, ground cumin, ground red pepper and salt.

5.  Cook on high 15 minutes or until heated through.

This recipe is the perfect comfort soup for this time of year.  It is thick and creamy, sweet with just a hint of heat from the red pepper that makes it all the more comforting.  It’s the perfect soup-in-a-bread-bowl recipe.

Sweet Potato Fries

If I could give you one recipe, and one recipe only, it would probably be this one. I. love. these. fries. I could eat them every day (not just every week like I pretty much do now). They are delicious, sweet with a little spicy, and highly addictive. When I make these, I usually eat them with a salad so that I can have as many of them as I want, guilt-free. The original recipe gave suggestions of different spices to try and I chose this combination. I could not believe how much I loved them.

Sweet Potato Fries

(Adapted from Simply Recipes)

INGREDIENTS

2 large sweet potatoes

3 tbsp. olive or other vegetable oil

3-4 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1-2 tsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

Or if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, like me, use (I’m not exact with these):

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat oven to 450°F. (For more crispiness, preheat your oven to 500°F.)

2 Peel the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then, if they are very long, in half crosswise. Cut each piece into wedges. Alternately, you can slice the peeled sweet potato into disks either with a mandoline or a sharp knife.

3 Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the oil. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and spices. Mix well so all pieces are coated with oil and spices.

4 Lay a wire cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet. (This helps the fries cook evenly so there’s no need to flip half way through baking. It also helps the extra oil drip off so they’re not too greasy.)Spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on the cooling rack.

5 Bake for a total of 20-25 minutes, or until they are well browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

I found this recipe on The Sisters Cafe and because she raved about how yummy it was, and because I love sweet potatoes, I tried it. I was even confident enough in it to try it for the first time with 4 guests over for dinner. Luckily it was as yummy as she said. So now I will pass it on to you to whip up on one of our remaining wintry days this season.

Chicken Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

Indredients:

3 cups 2% milk

1 (8.5 oz) box Jiffy corn muffin mix

2 T. butter

1 onion, chopped fine

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 quarts chicken broth

2 small chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 " cubes

2 large sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

3 cups frozen corn (not thawed)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 Tb dried parsley)

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix milk and muffin mix in bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, chicken (raw) and sweet potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked and sweet potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens (can take up to 10 minutes although mine thickens immediately) Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

It's fast and delicious! Enjoy!

Chicken with Potatoes and Butternut Squash

I had half of my butternut squash left over the other night and tried to find a recipe that used it well (and truth be told, used it in a way that my husband might eat it). I found so many delicious-looking recipes that I now want to try, but this one seemed simple and yummy. I adapted it a little and we loved it! If you're a fan of butternut squash (or even if you aren't) this recipe is worth trying. It's easy enough to be a great weeknight recipe.

Chicken with Potatoes and Butternut Squash

adapted from myrecipes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces
• Cooking spray
• 4-6 potatoes, cut into wedges
• ½ butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tbsp. Olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine potatoes, squash, butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish, leaving space in the center for chicken. Bake uncovered at 400° for approximately 20 minutes before adding chicken to the center of the dish.

3. While vegetables are cooking, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic (or to your liking), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Add chicken and lime juice and stir to coat evenly. After 20 minutes, pull veggies out of oven and place chicken in the center of the dish. While adding chicken, lightly brush vegetables with olive oil. Cook an additional 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are soft.

Summertime Squash and Potatoes

Do you have a TON of these? Well, I do, thanks to my parents. My own garden is not a happy one this year, but if yours is, and you need to get rid of some of these, a very memorable summertime meal when I was growing up was Dad's Squash and Potatoes. He made it a lot when I lived at home and I know he still makes it (I saw the leftovers in the fridge the last time I was there). He has passed on his love of doctored up, buttered up garden veggies to me, so I thought I'd pass it on to you. And if you are a sibling, maybe this will remind you of nice summer nights at Home.

Squash and Potatoes

one large crookneck squash (zucchini would work as well, maybe others would, too)

2-3 potatoes

1 onion

4 Tbsp butter or margarine

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and cut up the squash, potatoes and onions into thin slices (maybe a quarter of an inch?). Try to get them all the same so they will cook equally.

In a large frying pan, melt the butter. Add veggie slices and salt and pepper. Now here is a tip on the salt and pepper. I didn't measure, but I added A LOT of both. In fact, I had three year old Soux-Chef Ryan helping me add the pepper and I got a little worried that he added way too much. But no, it was perfect. And it really seemed like too much pepper. By "a lot" I mean that pretty much your veggies will taste like butter, salt, pepper and a hint of vegetables by the time you are through. Mmmm.

Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. I served mine with cut up chicken in a mesquite spice with bread and homemade apricot jam. I love summer nights!

Crash Hot Potatoes

These potatoes were so good! They weren't as pretty as the Pioneer Woman's, I think it's because they weren't cooked quite long enough to smash as easily, but they were delicious! Matt wants these again soon.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste (I used Italian Seasoning and Rosemary)

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.