Oven Fresh Seasoned Potato Wedges

The case:
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into eighths

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Place Parmesan cheese, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, and potatoes into a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag, then shake to coat the potatoes with the seasoning. Spread the potatoes over a baking sheet. 
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.

The ruling:
These were very good, but I do think the wedges I made before were better.  (Easy Baked Potato Wedges)

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

I've been making these mashed potatoes since we got married.  They are my absolute favorite- and I've tried a lot of mashed potato recipes.  I can't believe I'm just not posting the recipe.  This recipe comes from Ina Garten.  I've never tried one of her recipes that I didn't like.  In fact, she just might be my culinary hero.  

The case:
Ingredients:

• 3 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled
• Kosher salt 
• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup sour cream 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place them in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water and add enough salt so the water tastes quite salty. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn't boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done. 
3. As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander. Place a food mill fitted with a small disc/blade over a glass bowl. Process the potatoes through the food mill, turning the handle back and forth to force the potatoes through the disc. 
4. As soon as the potatoes are mashed, slowly whisk in enough of the hot milk/butter mixture to make the potatoes very creamy. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the sour cream and pepper and whisk to combine. Taste for seasoning and serve hot.

Ranch Potatoes #24

This is simply another version of hash brown potato casserole.  I saw this on one of my favorite cooking blog's Plain Chicken.  One of the only things that could possibly make hash brown casserole is ranch!

The case:
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (1-ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix
2 (2.8oz) packages bacon pieces

1 (30-ounce) package frozen country-style hash-brown potatoes, thawed

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350˚. Lightly grease a 11/2-quart baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, dressing mix, and bacon. Add hash browns, stirring to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.
Bake 30 minutes; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly.

The ruling:
This was very tasty!  Michael especially liked it.  Very simple and quick!

Twice Baked Potatoes #98

My mom recently bought Trisha Yearwood's new cookbook, Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood.  Up until this point, I had no desire to even look at a Trisha Yearwood cookbook. She made a spicy corn dip for her Bunco party from the book.  I just had to try it.  Needless to say, it was delicious, so I  picked up and thumbed through the rest of the cookbook.  I discovered recipe after recipe that I wanted to try.  I decided to finish my 100 recipes today with three recipes from Trisha's cookbook:  Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole, Twice Baked Potatoes, and Cheese Garlic Muffins. 





The case:
6 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups sour cream
10 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
salt and pepper
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Diretions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Wash the potatoes and pierce them with a fork. Rub the potatoes with the olive oil and place them on a jellyroll pan or a large cookie sheet with a rim. Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes to an hour, or until done. Remove the potatoes from the oven and cut them in half lengthwise. Set aside. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 F.
3.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the potato flesh into a large electric mixing bowl. Add the milk, butter, sour cream, cheese, garlic salt, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until creamy.
4.  Divide the mixture evenly and spoon it back into potato shells. Return the potatoes to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with the bacon and green onion.

The ruling:
Michael says these are some of the best twice baked potatoes he's ever had.  I loved the bacon/cheese topping and the tangyness the sour cream added.  I used half and half instead of milk and actually used about twice as much as was called for.