Skip to main content

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Merry Christmas 2013!



We are going to my brother's house to celebrate Christmas later this afternoon.  He is making a ham and the rest of us are bringing the side dishes.  Daryl and I are going to bring potatoes and like I said in yesterdays post;  spinach balls.

This is the same recipe that we brought last year.  It was so good that I decided to make it again.   There are certain rules I like to follow when choosing a recipe that we are going to have to bring to some one's house.  It has to travel well. Preferably in a 9 X 13 casserole dish because we have a thermal carrier that works great for transporting food in a situation like this.

I'm sure like me, most of you like a creamy potato to go with ham - think a cheesy scalloped potato.  This recipe has a nice balance of cheese, cream, butter and potatoes.  One of our favorite side dishes as a family is my mom's creamed cabbage (recipe another time)  and that is very creamy so I try to make the potatoes a bit less decadent, however don't mistake them for health food.

This recipe is from Emeril Lagasse.  I made the full recipe last year for 13 people.  It filled two 9 X 13 casseroles one of which went untouched.  This year there will only be 10 us, so we decided to cut the recipe in half.


Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes
Yield: 12

Ingredients
10 large russet baking potatoes (about 7 pounds total)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 pound mild Cheddar, grated (3 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Scrub the potatoes well and rinse under cool running water. Pat dry with paper towels and prick the potatoes in several places with a fork. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.
Daryl scooping out the flesh with a spoon.
When the potatoes have cooled, cut each potato in half and, using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop the flesh out of the skins, leaving as little flesh as possible. Place the potato flesh in a large bowl and add 1 stick of the butter, the sour cream, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and mash until chunky-smooth. Add the bacon, cubed white Cheddar, half of the grated Cheddar, the green onions, and eggs and mix thoroughly.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole with the remaining tablespoon of butter and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Place the seasoned potato mixture in the prepared casserole and top with the remaining grated Cheddar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. Serve hot.
After the flesh has been removed, he mashes the potatoes using a ricer.
When I arrive at our destination I will put it in his oven to keep hot until it's time to eat.

Cooked and ready to transport!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coffee Rubbed Filet Mignon with Ancho Mushroom Sauce, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

It really was as good, or even better then it looks! Tonight's meal is all Daryl!  He asked me what I wanted and my response was something like, "Meat sounds good, clean, not a lot of cheese, cream etc..." and what he came up with was  Coffee Rubbed Filet Mignon with Ancho Mushroom Sauce, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts.   Did I marry a good man or what?!  I also thought another Cesar Salad sounded good so, you guessed it - we're having one!   We are huge fans of Bobby Flay and we chose his recipes a lot.  I have said before that his recipes can be pretty time consuming, but there are days when that can be fun, and this was one of those days.  Daryl enjoys the steps that he has in his recipes, it makes it interesting for him, and a it is a challenge.  I am grateful to Bobby because of him I get to eat awesome food! SMOKED RED PEPPER SAUCE Yields: 2 ½ cups 4 roasted red bell peppers, chopped ½ small red onion, coarsely ...
1 comment
Read more

Gorgonzola Pizza with Prosciutto and Dates

Tonight's meal is just for me.  Daryl is not a fan of the flavor profile of this pizza, but I love it. It's Friday night, and on Friday nights we do something fast and easy and this pizza is just that.  I was missing one ingredient;  prosciutto but luckily there is a great Italian deli, Buon Giorno , on my way home from work.  They have a variety of fresh Italian foods - today's goodies were, Prosciutto de Parma, Soppresetta Salami, 2 cooked pork shanks (Daryl loves them), and a tasty Asiago, dun-dried tomato cheese spread. The pizza can be either a main course, like I am using it for, or as an appetizer. Ingredients: 1 small store bought pizza crust/dough ( I used Boboli) 1 T. Olive Oil or more for pizza dough 4 oz (1 c.) Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled 2 oz (1/2 c.) fontina cheese, shredded 1/2 pitted dates, coarsely chopped Salt and pepper 4 oz prosciutto Brush the olive oil on the pizza dough.  Spread the cheeses on the dough, then the dates and l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai Green Curry with Seafood

Looks and sounds amazing, doesn't it?  This is one of my absolutely favorite meals!  Over the years we have tried many different types of curry and this recipe uses the best ingredients of each one.  You can use whatever seafood you would like.  I use halibut a lot in the summer, but today I was in the mood for a shellfish version. After all of the meat based meals we have had recently this meal was the perfect alternative.    It is still warm and hearty but has completely different flavor profile. The veggies and spices ready to go - or as Daryl likes to say "mies en place"! Ingredients: 2   tablespoons  peanut oil 5   green onions, finely chopped, dark green parts separated from white and pale green parts 3   tablespoons   minced fresh cilantro, divided 3   garlic cloves, minced 6 oz crimini mushrooms 1 T. Curry Powder 6   tablespoons   Thai green curry paste(we use Maesri green curry paste tha...
Post a Comment
Read more