Italian Potato Skins

It is that time of the month again.  No, not that time of the month!!  Secret Recipe Club time!  :)

This month, I had the pleasure of making something from Donna's blog - The Slow Roasted Italian.  What a wonderfully appetizing blog she has going on! Between the Banana Bread Pancakes with Toasted Pecans, Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Cake, and the Italian Potato Skins - I was salivating!  
In the end, I decided to make the Italian Potato Skins - just because they seemed so different than what I was used to as far as potato skins go. Although, I totally still plan on making the pancakes and cake!  

I was really happy with how the potato skins turned out.  I decided to make them as a light dinner for my family because of they are stuffed with meat.  It turned out to be a wise decision because they are quite hearty and filling. And tasty.  Very, very tasty.

I followed her recipe for the most part, but did modify it just a bit.  I doubled the cheese, because I'm secretly having a love affair with cheese.  Ok, so maybe it's not so secret.  Luckily my husband seems fine with it.  I used a 12oz package of Johnsonville 3 Cheese Italian Chicken Sausage, that I diced in small bits - because that's what I had on hand, and it turned out delicious.  I also added a little onion & garlic.  You can view Donna's original recipe here.

I am so thankful to have found this recipe, and I will definitely be making it again.  I strongly suggest serving it with marinara sauce & sour cream.  It's seriously like pizza on a potato.  It's a rock star!

Italian Potato Skinsadapted from The Slow Roasted Italian

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Ingredients:

• 6 medium russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups Italian cheese blend, divided
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
• 12oz Johnsonville 3-Cheese Italian Chicken Sausage, diced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 6 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
• Sour Cream, to serve on the side
• Marinara, to serve on the side

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash the potatoes.  Prick a few holes with a fork in the potato, wrap in aluminum foil, & place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Remove the tin foil.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  
Combine the garlic & oil in a bowl & microwave for 30 seconds with a paper towel on top.  Set aside.
Cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise - and scoop out the insides, leaving a thin rim around the outside for structure/support.  Remove the minced garlic from the oil with a slotted spoon, and reserve.  Brush the garlic infused oil onto the insides of the potatoes.  Bake for 12 minutes.
In a skillet, saute the sausage & onion until nicely browned.  Stir in the reserved minced garlic (from the oil) and cook 1-2 additional minutes.  Turn off the heat.  Mix in half of the cheese & the sun dried tomatoes.
Divide the mixture evenly between the potato skins.  Sprinkle on the remaining cheese & bake in the oven for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with basil leaves & serve with sour cream and marinara sauce.









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Pesto Filled Potatoes (Secret Recipe Club)

Pesto has been a newer fascination of mine.  It all began with a pesto & asparagus pasta salad sample that I had at the grocery store a few months ago.  I just loved it.  I have not yet graduated to the step of making my own because the stuff made in the deli at the grocery store is oh so fabulous.

This month in Secret Recipe Club I was assigned the rather intriguing Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  Her recipes were a whole new world for this southern gal & I read about all sorts of foods & techniques that I never would have thought of trying out.  Because of my recent fascination with pesto, when I came across the Pesto Filled Potatoes, I knew I had found 'the one'.  

Camilla made her own pesto, and you can read how she did hers over on her blog.  Like I said earlier, I haven't progressed to that step yet since I am so addicted to the deli stuff.  So, I used the prepared pesto that I already had on hand.  Also, Camilla used small potatoes for an appetizer, while I used russet potatoes for a side to our dinner.

Pesto Filled Potatoes

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Ingredients:

• potatoes (doesn't matter what kind, whatever your choice is)
• prepared pesto (or make your own)

Instructions:


Wrap the potatoes in tinfoil, and bake at 350 degrees for an hour, or until tender.  Refrigerate until cool.  Scoop out some of the insides & fill with pesto. Salt & pepper if desired.  Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese.  Refrigerate until time to serve.

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Great Granny Brown's Mashed Potatoes

We all have family members that passed away before we were born, but have heard stories about our entire lives.  My Great Granny Brown was one of those for me.  She was my mother's only grandmother & passed away when Mama was 13.  Out of all her family members, her Granny Brown was the one she talked about the most.  
It's funny how memories & food can sometimes go hand in hand.  Food just triggers things like that - and recipes that were originally from family members that have passed on take on a whole new meaning than just a simple dish.  It's like a piece of our loved ones that lives on.

These mashed potatoes live on from my Great Granny Brown.  They are so simple, and sometimes simple recipes like this end up being the best ones we've ever tasted.  These are definitely nothing fancy, but they sure are special - and delicious.

Great Granny Brown's Mashed Potatoes

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Ingredients:

• 3.5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled & sliced
• 4 cups water
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Boil potatoes for 20 minutes in the water, drain.  Add evaporated milk & butter to warm pan.  Add potatoes & mash.  Salt & pepper to taste.

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Creamy Gouda & Garlic Potatoes Au Gratin

I love starch.

I love cheese.

I love garlic.

And, I LOVE these potatoes.  I CRAVE these potatoes. Creamy, cheesy, garlic-y perfection.

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Make Ahead Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Make ahead foods are very close, dear friends of mine.  When those make-ahead foods involve potatoes, cheese, & bacon -  I'm all over it!  The only thing is though, the rest of my family is all over 'em too.  Even the baby! 

These are so good that I have dreams about them.  I always make extra too, cus mashed 'taters for breakfast is the best.

Make-Ahead Loaded Mashed Potatoes

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Ingredients:

• 3 pounds potatoes, peeled & cubed
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup of milk
• 10oz Italian Cheese & Herbs Cooking Creme (or 8oz cream cheese, softened & double the spices)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• salt & pepper to taste
• 12oz-16oz of bacon, cooked to a crisp - broken into small pieces
• 2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 bunch green onions, diced

Instructions:


Cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling water until fork tender.  Drain.

Beat the potatoes with the butter, milk, cooking creme (or cream cheese), sour cream, & spices until creamy.

Scoop the potatoes into a baking dish, and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with the cheese, bacon, & green onions.

Cover & refrigerate up to 36 hours.  Set it on the counter about 30 minutes prior to baking.  When you are ready to eat, bake uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes.

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Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Is it getting cold where you live?  It sure is starting to get chilly here.  As someone who lives in the South, I consider anything below 60 degrees COLD!  Once Winter comes & it gets super cold, I like to go into hibernation.  


To help warm up my bones - and because I plum just love any & all potato dishes, I decided to make a bit pot of Loaded Baked Potato Soup.  I came up with the one a few years ago with ingredients that I had on hand, and it just stuck.  It is husband & kid approved, and I really enjoy it myself :)~


Here is what you need:

 

Go ahead & scoop out the potatoes from the skins.  Reserve the skins for later use...or make potato skins to go along with the soup like I do.

In a large pot, fry up the pound of bacon until it's nice & crispy.  I fried up 2 pounds of bacon instead of just one because I decided to make potato skins too.  Plus, my family has a way of stealing the bacon off the plate!

Now, don't throw away all the bacon grease that has collected in the bottom of the pot!!  That is going to help flavor the soup!  You will need to keep a couple tablespoons in the pot.  Add a stick of butter to it & melt.

Stir in the flour to make a roux.  Let it cook for a minute or two.

Slowly pour in the milk, a cup at a time, whisking to combine until all the milk is in & it has thickened nicely.

 

  

My youngest daughter, Madison, came running at the opportunity to whisk the soup!  

Add the potatoes to the soup.

Then the green onions...

And the bacon, salt, & pepper...

Then the cheese!

 

Stir in the sour cream.

Serve immediately.

 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

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Ingredients:

• 8 medium to large baked potatoes
• 1/2 cup - 2/3 cup bacon grease (from frying bacon)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups milk
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1 pound cooked bacon, crumbled (reserving 2 tablespoons bacon grease!)
• 1 stick butter
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 heaping cup sour cream

Instructions:

1. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and set aside. Reserve the skins for another recipe or discard.
2. Stir the flour into the bacon grease to make a roux. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring until all the milk has been added. Bring heat to medium and keep stirring until the soup mixture starts to get thick.
3. Add the potatoes, green onions, salt, ground black pepper, bacon, cheese, & sour cream.. Stir well .  Serve immediately.

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No Recipe Friday - Fried Okra, Potatoes & Onions

My mother does a lot of things with her church, and one of those things is having lunch with a group of ladies that call themselves the 'Joyful Pioneers'.  Each time she has gone, she always raves about a dish that one of the ladies brings...a concoction of fried okra & potatoes.  I had just bought a bunch of fresh okra & potatoes at the farmers market on Thursday & decided to try my hand at making something similar to what I've heard my mother talk about. 


This dish is really quite simple - and it is really, really good!  My husband couldn't even wait til  I set the completed dish down at the dinner table before he had already started nibbling at it.  I'm not sure if I can get away with plain ol' fried okra anymore because he just loved this so much more.  And, that's saying a lot if you know my husband & his infatuation with fried okra!!

You will need some sliced okra, sliced onions, & diced potatoes (small dices!) - along with some cornmeal.  Pour your cornmeal into your veggie mixture & toss to coat evenly.

Heat some oil on medium-high in a deep skillet.  Cook your okra mixture in batches until nicely browned.

Transfer your cooked okra, potatoes, & onions onto a large plate covered with a paper towel & salt to your tastes.  I prefer a good bit of salt.  

Boy - is this GOOD!

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