Hasselback Potatoes

Sometime last week, I made this delicious meal pictured above. Both were absolutely delicious. Today, you get the recipe for the potato.

Hasselback potatoes are delicious, although not at all healthy. I read the ingredient list and my heart kind of seized up a bit. But that's okay. Because every now and then, a little splurge is okay.

Besides, who doesn't want to know what a potato stuffed with 10 slices of butter and parmesan tastes like?

Tasty Kitchen has a beautiful photo tutorial if you are confused on any of the steps!

Hasselback Potatoes

Source: Tasty Kitchen

2 whole Russet potatoes

2 tbsp of stick butter

1 piece (about 2 inches long) Parmigiano-Reggiano, sliced thinly

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400º. Wash and scrub potatoes. Slice each potato into thin slices, but don't cut all the way through the potato. A trick to help you do this is to put the potato on a wooden spoon; it will stop the knife from cutting all the way through.

Slice the butter into thin pieces. Alternate the butter and parmesan, stuffing them in between the slices of potato. Season with garlic powder and salt. Drizzle the potato with olive oil.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle the heavy cream over the potatoes. Top with cheddar cheese. Place back in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove and serve. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken with Onions, Potatoes, Garlic and Thyme

This recipe came at the end of a week with very good meals. I was excited about it because it contained everything in one dish but I wasn't expecting it to be my favorite dish of the week!

I loved how all of the flavors mixed together. The lemon and thyme was my favorite combo but I liked how there was a bit of garlic and balsamic vinegar in every bite as well. This is definitely a make-again for us!

Baked Chicken with Onions, Potatoes, Garlic, and Thyme

Source: slightly adapted from Proceed with Caution

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lb red potatoes, quartered

1 large red onion, cut into eighths

1 head garlic, cloves separated and left unpeeled

6 sprigs thyme

1 lemon, quartered

1 lb baby carrots

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450º. Arrange chicken, potatoes, onion, carrots, garlic, thyme, an lemon in an 8x8 roasting pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar and drizzle over the chicken and vegetables. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 50 minutes.

Chicken and Potato Skillet

I got the idea for this meal from some crazy thing we cooked when I went to Yosemite. We had "Potato Surprise" for breakfast one morning. All I remember was it had potatoes, peppers, and some weird thing called "gluten bits." We had a vegan and a vegetarian on the trip with us and apparently gluten bits are a protein substitute because we had it to replace chicken.

Trips like these remind me why I love my major, not that I needed any reminder. I was required, for a class, to go spend 4 glorious days up at Yosemite National Park. We hiked over 15 miles in 2 days and ended the trip by getting up at 4am to drive to Glacier Point and watch the sunrise. Amazing. There's nothing like sitting in silence surrounded by the beauty that God has created and watching the sunrise. It makes you tear up with the wonderfulness of it. Going into the wilderness is like a mental and spiritual rejuvenation.

I'm always amazed by the amount of people who have never traveled farther than the next state over. Especially when they live less than a days drive from somewhere like this. Get out and go! Go explore. Go use the national parks that were created for your enjoyment and see all that the US has to offer.

Chicken and Potato Skillet

Source: Tyler's Taste Test Originals

3 boneless chicken breasts cubed (mine were on the small side so 2 may be good)

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 oz sharp cheddar, cubed

4 strips of bacon

1 red pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

Chop bacon into small pieces. Cook until done and set aside. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil, add potatoes, and boil for 8 minutes until potatoes are softened.

In a large skillet, cook chicken until cooked through. Drain any leftover oils and set chicken aside. Add olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes, until softened. Add bell peppers to onions and cook for another 2 minutes. Add potatoes to the mix and brown for about 3 minutes.

Add chicken and bacon to skillet and mix thoroughly. Top with cubed cheese. Cover and cook over low heat until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes

Last Easter I (GASP) used instant mashed potatoes. I know. That's about the worst thing a food blogger can admit to doing. Cooking a huge meal by yourself is hard. And my fridge wasn't big enough to peel all the potatoes and store the night before.

We went the more classy route this Thanksgiving and made real mashed potatoes. These were delicious. The basic recipe is below and then you just need to season them however you like. We just used salt, pepper, and garlic. If you are making these for Thanksgiving, you can peel and cube the potatoes the night before. Just store in water overnight.

Mashed Potatoes

Source: adapted from Allrecipes

6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup butter or margarine

salt and pepper and garlic salt to taste

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Cove and bring to a boil; cook for 25-25 minutes or until very tender. Drain well. Add milk, butter, salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste. Mash until light and fluffy.

A-1 Potatoes

When I blogged about the Peppery London Broil awhile back, I mentioned my love for A-1 sauce and the embarrassment my hubs suffers when I order it at restaurants. The above picture may not look very appetizing but there is some pure A-1 goodness on those potatoes. Normally, I do Worcestershire sauce but I decided to switch it up this time.

My parents came out a few weeks ago for a wonderful visit. We had green chile cheeseburgers one night and I made these potatoes to go along with it. I'm not the only A-1-aholic in my family-my older sister loves it as well. My parents aren't quite at the stage I'm at but they can definitely appreciate some A-1 sauce, especially on potatoes.

A-1 Potatoes

Source: Tyler's Taste Test Original

3 unpeeled potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thinly

3.5 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1/3 cup A-1 sauce

1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 450º. Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag. On a baking sheet lined with foil, arrange the potatoes in a single layer with as little overlapping as possible. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Brush the potatoes with A-1 sauce and then top with shredded cheese. Bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Enjoy!

Spiced Chicken with Potatoes

I love to cook but I usually stick to the recipe or make a few variations. I kind of put this dish together out of some of the stuff we had and when Neil told me it was blog worthy I got excited. I think I've blogged maybe one or two things that were original recipes and I'd like to create some more dishes. I'll just add it to the to-do list that is currently a mile long.

Spiced Chicken with Potatoes

Source: Tyler's Taste Test Original

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1 tbsp chile powder

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chicken stock

In a bowl, combine chile powder, 1/2 tsp salt, thyme, pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Add chicken and toss to coat. Allow to sit while you prep the veggies.

In a large bowl, combine 1/4 tsp salt, potatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss to combine.

Add chicken mixture to large skillet and brown for 2 minutes on each side. Add potato mixture to pan and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!

Balsamic Roasted Potatoes

Balsamic vinegar has become my new favorite ingredient. I've used it in two different chicken recipes (here and here), for bruschetta (and for bruschetta chicken-recipes to come), as salad dressing, and more! One of my favorite side dishes using balsamic vinegar is this recipe from Proceed With Caution. It was simple and delicious- my two favorite adjectives for food!

1.5 lbs new potatoes, quartered

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

8 garlic cloves, smashed

1.5 tbsp dried thyme

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425º. In a baking dish, combine potatoes, broth, vinegar, garlic, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until potatoes are tender and liquid has been reduced to a glaze, about 1.25 hours, tossing twice. Enjoy!

Spicy Potato Soup

With all the hours I'm taking this semester I've decided to start making freezer meals. That way, if I ever have a busy week with lots of tests, or just get tired of doing it all, I have a go-to meal in our fridge and we don't have to go out and get fast food for dinner. We do that quite a bit even with all the meal planning I do so one of our goals for 2011 is to cut out the fast food visits. This made quite a bit as a single batch so I was able to get two freezer meals out of the second batch.

This reminded me of something that I couldn't quite place. Maybe it's shepherd's pie because of the meat and potatoes. Regardless, of what it reminded me of, it was delicious. I upped the spiciness a bit and it was a great ending to a long day. Recipe from Cooking This and That.

1 lb ground beef

4 cups cubed peeled potatoes (1/2 inch cubes) or 4 cups hash browns, defrosted (I used hash browns)

1 small onion, chopped

24 oz tomato sauce

4 cups water

2 tsp salt

1.5 tsp pepper

1/2 to 1 tsp hot pepper sauce

In a dutch oven or large kettle, brown ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the potatoes, onion, and tomato sauce. Stir in the water, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for an hour or until potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened. Make sure to stir occasionally. Serve with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Pasties

These were delicious and not at all dry like I thought they would be. Apparently, pasties were a popular food for miners because they were portable and could be eaten without utensils. We sat at the kitchen table and I ate with utensils but the hubby choose to use his hands :) He recommends them if you need a meal on the go!

I forgot the egg wash, but even without it they were great! Recipe from Tiny Tyrants Kitchen.

2 pie crusts

1.5 lbs ground beef

2-3 potatos

1/2 white onion

1-2 tsps minced garlic

salt and pepper

1 egg

2-3 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 400º. Roll pie crust out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut crusts into 4 half circles.

Boil potatoes about 8-10 minutes until slightly soft, but still firm. Drain, peel and chop potatoes. Add potatoes to a bowl with ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix carefully with hands to form 4 balls. Place each ball on half of each of the half-circles of the crust. Fold over sides to cover meat and crimp edges. Poke a few holes on top to release steam.

Beat egg and water together. Brush top of pasties with egg wash. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Foil Packet Italian Chicken

I haven't had a lot of posts lately because school has taken over my life. The end of the semester is nearing and with two 25+ page papers due as well as a huge project I've been working on over the entire semester to present, cooking an elaborate meal when I get home is the last thing on my mind. We've eaten an embarrassing amount of pizza and grilled cheeses lately so I knew I had to cook something blog-worthy... and something the husband would like :)

This meal was very easy to put together and even easier to clean up. I'm all about easy these days so it's definitely a keeper. Not to mention that it tasted delicious! The chicken was very juicy and the fact that I could cook chicken and a side in one little packet was perfect. If you have a busy weeknight schedule, you should definitely try this out! Recipe is from Amber's Delectable Delights.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

3 red potatoes

1/4 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup Italian cheese blend (Or just mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 400º. Lay 2 pieces of aluminum foil on a flat surface and spray the middle of each with a non-stick cooking spray. Wash and scrub potatoes and slice into very thin slices. Arrange the potatoes in an oval shape on the middle of the foil about the size of your piece of chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Mix all of the seasonings into a small bowl and sprinkle on both sides of the chicken. Place a chicken breast on top of each pile of potatoes. Top each chicken breast with 1/8 cup of marinara sauce and 1/8 cup of cheese.

Raise up the long sides of the foil and fold down twice. Do the same thing to the sides of the foil creating an air tight seal. Place the packets on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is 170º. Remove chicken from oven and let set a few minutes before poking a hole in the foil to release the steam before opening. Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

I’m one of those people who appreciate the plastic plates with dividers. Regardless of the fact that there aren’t nearly enough sections, I like being able to separate my food into 3 different areas on my plate. I sincerely dislike mixing my food. I love Thanksgiving but I find it so hard to separate all the many dishes and keep them from touching. So I usually end up just avoiding the edges where the foods have mixed. I might have a problem….

I’ve never had shepherd’s pie before for precisely this reason. I love mashed potatoes and I love ground beef in almost any dish but I don’t like to mix them. But the hubby requested it and it seemed like such a comfort food (we’ve been having some surprisingly cold weather) and the picture on Sing for Your Supper looked delicious!

This recipe is originally from For the Love of Cooking.

Mashed Potato Topping

5-6 large potat0es, peeled and cut into thirds

1/4 cup of milk

3 tbsp sour cream

2-3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Sea salt

Fresh cracked pepper

Boil a large pot of water. Boil your peeled and cut potatoes 10-12 minutes or until fork tender. Drain potatoes and place back into the pan. Add the milk, sour cream, butter, cheddar cheese, sea salt, and black pepper then mash with a masher or blend with a mixer until creamy and smooth. Cover with a lid and set aside.

Meat Filling and Sauce

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced

2 large carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced (I used garlic powder)

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (I used double this)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 1/4 cup beef broth (I used chicken)

While the potatoes are boiling, preheat the oven to 400º. HEat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery then cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the lean ground beef and cook thoroughly, draining as needed. Add the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Once the beef is done cooking, mix the peas into the mixture until well combined. Pour the beef filling into a large baking dish and set aside. In the same skillet, over medium heat, add the 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of flour. Mix thoroughly then slowly add the beef/chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper (I also added more Worcestershire). Pour the sauce over the beef mixture and mix thoroughly. Top the beef and vegetable mixture with the mashed potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Cheesy and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

I love mashed potatoes. They are probably my most favorite side dish. Unfortunately, I find it easier to just buy the instant kind that takes 5 minutes tops to completely prepare and I prefer the ease of instant to the hassle of peeling real potatoes and the time it takes to cook. But when I found this recipe on Allrecipes, I had to try it. I liked the idea of using evaporated milk. So when the hubby requested meatloaf, which is usually accompanied by instant potatoes, I tired it out and I have to say, I'm in love!

Sorry there's no picture! But mashed potatoes pretty much all look alike :)

2 lbs potatoes
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste

Optional add ins:
Crumbled, cooked bacon
Green onion
Extra cheese

Place potatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain. Return potatoes to saucepan and add evaporated milk and butter. Beat with handheld mixer until smooth. Stir in cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Add any additional toppings and enjoy!

Potato Salad

Neil was planning to cook hamburgers for us so I planned a traditional summer dish that I had yet to try: potato salad. Potato salad, like pasta salad, is another seemingly easy recipe that I knew the basics for but I wasn't sure what brought it all together. The easiest and most traditional recipe I found was on www.idahopotato.com. It was very easy to prepare and delicious. Next time, I might up the vinegar just a smidge and reduce the celery. Other than that, if you are looking for a traditional potato salad, this is it!

2 lbs Idaho Potatoes, peeled and diced (about 5 cups)

1/2 cup mayonnaise or light mayonnaise

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup finely diced celery

1/2 cup finely chopped onion or scallion (optional)

1/2 cup chopped hard-boiled egg (optional

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, chives or dill (optional)

Place potatoes in large pot and add enough water to cover potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook 13-15 minutes or until Potatoes are tender. Drain. In a large bowl, combine mayo, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add potatoes, celery and optional add-ins. Toss to coat thoroughly.

Enjoy!