Recipe of the Day: Three Cheese Potatoes *Camping Recipe*

Three-Cheese Potatoes

Ingredients
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced chives
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup crumbled cooked Wright® Brand Bacon
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Transfer to a double thickness of greased heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Dot with butter.

Fold foil around potato mixture and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 15-18 minutes on each side or until potatoes are tender.

Carefully open foil. Sprinkle the bacon cheeses over potato mixture. Grill 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Recipe found here: Three Cheese Potatoes

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Day: Potato Salad

Potato Salad

Ingredients
2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes (you can leave the peel on if you want), cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons of mustard (your favorite, yellow, Dijon, stone ground)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 dill pickles, chopped into 1/4 in cubes (about 3/4 cup)
6 slices of bacon, cooked* and finely chopped
Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
*To cook the bacon, heat a frying pan on medium low. Lay out the strips of bacon in a single layer. Gently cook, turning over occasionally with tongs, until lightly browned, and much of the fat rendered out. Place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess fat. Do not pour any fat from the pan down the drain, it will clog it. Instead, pour it into a jar, or sop up with paper towels and discard.

Directions
1 In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. (If you want, add some pickle juice to the drained, still slightly warm potatoes. The potatoes will absorb some of the juices, making them even tastier!)

2 In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, and mustard. Add a little salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and use a rubber spatula to gently combine. Add the rest of the ingredients, again gently combining. (Include a couple tablespoons of the pickle juice for good measure.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yield: Serves 4-6.

Recipe found here: Potato Salad

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Day: Loaded Potato Casserole *National Loaded Potato Month*

Loaded Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
3 1/2 – 4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 slices bacon, cooked, chopped, divided
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced

Preparation:
Place potatoes in saucepan, and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Cook until tender, then drain well.

Preheat oven to 375° degrees F.

Transfer potatoes back to the saucepan. Masher with a potato masher until almost smooth. Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Continue mashing until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and half the bacon. Spoon mixture evenly into a lightly oiled 3-quart casserole dish. Use a spatula or fork to make an irregular surface (see photo).

Bake for 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese, bacon and green onions. Bake for 5 more minutes to melt cheese. Serve immediately.
Makes 8 Servings of Loaded Potato Casserole

Recipe found here: Loaded Potato Casserole

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Day: Crockpot Bacon Cheese Potatoes

Crockpot Bacon Cheese Potatoes

Ingredients:
1/4 pound bacon, diced – I bake it first in the oven so that it is “done” and browned then I dice it and place in the crock pot.
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced (or if you use a new potato then halve)
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, thinly sliced (shredded is fine)
salt and pepper
Butter (*not margarine!)
Green Onions (optional)

Instructions:
Line crockpot with foil, leaving enough to cover the potatoes when finished – this will help it to not stick and to steam the potatoes. Layer half each of the bacon, onions, potatoes and cheese in crockpot. Season to taste with salt and pepper and dot with (real) butter. Repeat layers of bacon, onions, potatoes and cheese. Dot with butter and cover with remaining foil….

Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours (*serves 6)

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Day: Stuffed Potato Skins *National Potato Lovers Month*

Stuffed Potato Skins

Ingredients
6 medium baking potatoes (6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, divided
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 large sweet red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

Directions
Scrub and pierce potatoes. Bake at 400° for 40-50 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly; cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a thin shell (save pulp for another use). Place potato shells on an ungreased baking sheet.

Combine butter and 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce; brush over shells. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 5 minutes or until edges are crispy and butter is bubbly. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the onions, red pepper, broccoli, 3/4 cup cheese and remaining hot pepper sauce; spoon into potato skins. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Broil 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 12 servings.

Recipe found here: Stuffed Potato Skins

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Day: Smoky Potato Skillet *National Potato Lovers Month*

Smoky Potato Skillet

Ingredients
1 package (16 ounces) smoked sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups hot water
2/3 cup 2% milk
1 package (4.9 ounces) au gratin potatoes

Directions
In a large skillet, saute the sausage, celery and onion in butter until vegetables are tender. Stir in the water, milk and contents of sauce mix from potatoes.

Bring to a boil. Stir in potatoes. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring once. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Recipe found here: Smoky Potato Skillet

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Day: “Everything” Mashed Potato Casserole *National Potato Lovers Day*

“Everything” Mashed Potato Casserole

Ingredients
3 pounds potatoes (about 9 medium), peeled and quartered
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 tablespoon minced chives

Directions
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain.

In a large bowl, mash potatoes. Beat in the cream cheese, butter, milk, salt and pepper until fluffy. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Spread sour cream over the top.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese, bacon and chives. Bake 5 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 12 servings.

Recipe found here: “Everything” Mashed Potato Casserole

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Day: Baked Potato Soup *National Potato Lovers Month*

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients
2 medium potatoes, baked and cooled
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon crumbled cooked bacon or bacon bits
1 green onion, sliced

Directions
Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-in. cubes; place half in a blender. Add broth; cover and process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan. Stir in sour cream, pepper and remaining potatoes. Cook over low heat until heated through (do not boil). Garnish with cheese, bacon and onion.

Yield: 2 servings.

Recipe found here: Baked Potato Soup

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Day: Swiss Potato Soup *National Soup Month*

Swiss Potato Soup

Ingredients
5 bacon strips, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

Directions
In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings.
Saute onion in drippings until tender. Add water, potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Combine flour and milk until smooth; gradually stir in potato mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Sprinkle with bacon. Yield: 4 servings.

Recipe found here: Swiss Potato Soup

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Day: Homemade Pittsburgh Pierogies with Sour Cream

Homemade Pittsburgh Pierogies with Sour Cream

Ingredients:
2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
butter and onions for sauteing
ingredients for filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)
Preparation:

Pierogi Dough
To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size.

Prepare the Pierogies
Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8″ thick. Cut circles of dough (2″ for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2″ for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.

Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.

Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy. Serve with a side of sour cream for a true Pittsburgh pierogi meal.

Homemade Pierogi Tips:

If you are having a hard time getting the edges to stick together, you may have too much flour in the dough. Add a little water to help get a good seal.

If you don’t want to cook all of the pierogies right away, you can refrigerate them (uncooked) for several days or freeze them for up to several months.

You can fill pierogies with pretty much anything you want, though potato and cheese is the most common (recipe below). Sweet pierogies are often filled with a prune mixture.

Potato, Cheese & Onion Filling: Peel and boil 5 large potatoes until soft. Red potatoes are especially good for this. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop 1 large onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. Mash the potatoes with the sauted onions and 4-8oz of grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want your pierogies), adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some fresh parsley, bacon bits, chives, or other enhancements if you desire. Let the potato mixture cool and then form into 1″ balls.

Recipe found here: Homemade Pittsburgh Pierogies with Sour Cream

Read Full Post »