#107 :: Red Potato Salad with Bacon

This is another recipe that I created myself. I looked at so many potato salad recipes, and none of them had everything I was looking for. So again, I chose the things I wanted and created my own. It turned out like a cross between a southern potato salad and a German potato salad.....and it was very good!

Ingredients

• 6 cups cubed red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• Salt
• 2 ounces bacon (2 or 3 strips)
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper (any color, we used green)
• 1 ear of grilled sweet corn
  
• 1/4 cup minced sweet onion
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Put the potatoes in a large pot; add water just to cover and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels and finely chop. Add the bacon back to the pan with the onion and cook until the onion is soft. (You can omit this step if you like crunchy raw onions instead - I don't!)

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and bell pepper. Toss in the onions and bacon. Cut the grilled corn off the cob and add the kernels to the potatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the potato mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate or serve at room temperature.

Makes 4-6 servings

Recipe from Amy

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

#81 :: Grilled Potatoes

I've always loved these! They were definitely a favorite when I was a kid. I just can't seem to get them exactly the same way my mom used to.....but I continue to try!

Ingredients

• Usually 1 or 1/2 potatoes per person (you can make your own decision as to how large you want your portions to be)
• Butter
• Parmesan cheese
  

Directions

Slice your potatoes fairly thin (I like to use russet or Yukon gold) and pile them up on a large square of aluminum foil. Gather the sides up around the potatoes, making a bowl. Add 2-3 pats of butter and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and close them up. Grill them on a rack, not directly on the grill or directly over the coals - the bottoms will burn that way. Grill them over med-high heat for 30-45 mins. Cooking time will vary depending on your grill heat. You can open the top of the foil to check the potatoes...when a fork is inserted easily and the edges are beginning to brown, they are done.

#78 :: Sweet Potato Fries

Recently I bought a bag of sweet potatoes. We're eating a lot of vegetables lately (potatoes included) and I just wanted to try something a little different. We've done Sweet Potato Chips, which turned out half and half - half came out perfect, the other half burned beyond recognition! Now we're trying Sweet Potato Fries. I still have a few sweet potatoes left too....maybe next time mashed?

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 to 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch batons
• Salt, to taste
• Essence, to taste, recipe follows

Directions

Heat the vegetable oil in a very large, deep pot or heat an electric fryer to 360 degrees F. Fry the sweet potatoes, in batches, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and Essence, to taste, and serve hot.

Makes 4-6 servings

Recipe from Emeril Live on Food Network

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#74 :: Ricotta Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes really are one of my favorites, but I get bored with them sometimes. This recipe uses Ricotta cheese, which isn't something I would normally put in potatoes but WOW is it fabulous. I didn't have the little crocks to put the potatoes in, so we skipped the final broiling stage (which I'm sure is delicious)...but short of throwing the whole pot in there I couldn't do it. It was still yummy with our Sage Butter Chicken, which we've made before and loved!

Ingredients

• 2 pound(s) Yukon Gold potatoes
• 2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 1/2 cup(s) fresh ricotta
• 1/2 cup(s) whole milk
• 3 tablespoon(s) butter
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to broiler setting. Peel and cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Place potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue to cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes more. Drain and return all but 1 cup of potatoes to the pot.
2. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Stir in the ricotta, milk, butter, remaining salt, and pepper to blend. Add the reserved potatoes and mash just until combined. Spoon 1/2 cup potatoes into 10 six-ounce ramekins and set on a baking pan. Place under broiler until browned. Serve hot.

Makes 8 servings

Recipe from Country Living

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5

#70 :: Pacific Salmon Potato Skins

We've had some salmon fillets in the freezer for a while now, and last night I decided it was time to use them up. All the salmon recipes I had sounded bland and common, so I set out to find something different. I definitely found it! We were a little skeptical about this one, but it was surprisingly wonderful and we ate every morsel!

Toppings: Flaked grilled salmon, sauteed wild mushrooms, and chopped parsley and chives

**To cook our salmon fillets, we seasoned them with a squeeze of fresh lemon, salt & pepper and grilled them for a few minutes on each side. Then we flaked them apart to top the potato skins. We didn't have mushrooms, so we re-vamped the toppings a bit -- on half of the skins our toppings consisted of sour cream, butter, parsley and a squeeze of lemon. On the other half we used some of the blue cheese butter we had leftover from our steak meal last night, and it went amazingly well with the salmon!

Directions

How to Make Classic Potato Skins:

Pierce 4 large russet potatoes with a fork. Bake directly on the oven rack at 350 degrees until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool, then quarter lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Brush both sides with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake, skin-side up, at 450 degrees until crisp, about 15 minutes. Add your favorite team toppings. (For cheesy skins, flip the baked shells over before topping, sprinkle with 1 cup grated cheddar cheese and bake an extra 5 minutes.)

Blue Cheese Butter & Parsley


Sour Cream, Butter, Parsley & Lemon


Recipe from Food Network Magazine

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#64 :: Pot Roast

Ahhh comfort food. This is a simple crock pot roast recipe. Over the past couple months I've discovered that I love cooking....but I also love how easy a crock pot night is! :) Today was a busy work day for me, so a crock pot dinner really helped! Unfortunately, I was so tired and worn out that I completely forgot to get a photo of all this before we ate it. Photo or not....try it, it was delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen onions

• 1 (8-ounce) bag frozen baby carrots

• 1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms

• 1/2 pound small new potatoes, halved

• 4 pounds beef chuck roast, rinsed and patted dry

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

• 1 packet onion soup mix

• 1 cup low-sodium beef broth

• 1/4 cup steak sauce

Directions

Into a slow cooker, put the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes.

Season the roast with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat on all sides in oil. When it is browned, put it in the slow cooker on top of the vegetables.

In a small bowl, stir together the cream of celery soup, onion soup mix, beef broth, and steak sauce. Pour over top of roast. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 4 hours or low for 8 to 9 hours.

Makes 8 servings

Recipe from Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee on Food Network

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#63 :: Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This was a great twist on an ordinary dish. We ate the entire pot of soup this week (which is why we didn't cook much else!).

Ingredients

• 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 quarts water
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, split
• 1 tablespoon bouillon flavoring
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 small white onion, diced (1/4 cup)
• 2 stalks celery (1/2 cup), diced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 store-bought pie crust

Directions

Add diced potatoes to a large bowl filled with cold water. Set aside.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat to a simmer and allow to poach; about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Continue to simmer the broth, adding the bouillon until reduced by half, about 10 more minutes. Dice the chicken when cooled.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the celery cooking until translucent, 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and whisk until it forms a roux. Add the Italian seasoning and pepper; cook for 3 more minutes.

Whisk the roux into the broth and bring back up to a boil. Drain the potatoes. Add the potatoes and the chicken to the broth over low heat. Stir in the frozen vegetables. Place a lid on top and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in cream and a pinch of sea salt and cook for 5 more minutes.

Preheat the oven as directed on the pie crust package.

Lay the pie crust on a baking sheet and place into the oven. Cook according to package instructions, or until the pie crust is golden brown. When the crust has cooled, break up into pieces.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the pie crust.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Recipe from Big Daddy's House on Food Network.

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

#61 :: Shepherd's Pie

Paula Deen made this on her show about Pub grub from England. I remember eating Shepherd's Pie as a kid. My mom made it quite a bit, but I remember hers having green beans {we used corn today, and Paula says traditional English pies use carrots & peas}. Whichever veggie you choose, this makes an easy meal in one pan and it's a great comfort food dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables or niblet corn, prepared
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 to 10 medium red new potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 12 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups instant biscuit mix
• Scallions for garnish, chopped
  

Directions

Beef Layer: Saute onions in 2 tablespoons butter. Add ground beef. After beef is browned, add tomato sauce; Mix in vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Potato Layer: Peel and slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick. Cook in boiling water for approximately 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Whip potatoes with electric mixer; mix until moderately smooth. Don't over beat them; a few lumps are nice. Add 1/2 cup heated milk, 1/2 cup butter, and sour cream. Salt and pepper, to taste. Whip until mixed. Adjust thickness by adding more milk, if desired.

Biscuit Layer: Combine biscuit mix and 1 cup milk. The mix should be thinner than normal biscuit mix but not runny.

Potato Layer

Meat Layer

Biscuit Layer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 9 by 2-inch pan, or any similar casserole dish. Layer half way up with the mashed potatoes. Next, spread a layer of mixed vegetables or niblet corn on top of potatoes. Then add a layer of the meat. Pour biscuit mix over meat. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over top. Bake for approximately 35 to 45 minutes until top is golden brown.

Note: Leftovers make this dish easy to put together. So if you have leftover pork roast or beef roast with gravy and mashed potatoes from Sunday dinner then this is an easy mid- week meal that will take only a few minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings

Recipe from Paula's Home Cooking on Food Network

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#57 :: Sauteed Potatoes with Chorizo

Mmmm Mmmm good stuff! I think anything with chorizo is good, and red potatoes are no exception. It makes a great taco filling! Jamie thought it made a good breakfast today, too. :)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 10 ounces Mexican pork chorizo, casings removed*
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 pound red skinned new potatoes, cut into small (1/4-inch) dice, and boiled
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking up the clumps, until dry and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to a paper lined plate to absorb any additional oil. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan and heat the pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and boiled potatoes and saute until brown, about 12 minutes. Stir in the cooked chorizo and season with just a little salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

*Cook's Note: Mexican chorizo is an uncooked sausage, made with fresh ground pork and well seasoned with smoked red chiles. Since it's fresh, you will need to remove the casing before cooking it. They can be found at most supermarkets. Also, some chorizos are very salty so watch the seasoning!

A great filling for soft tacos, just add shredded cheese, beans or your favorite taco filling!

Makes 4-6 servings {or 3 cups}

Recipe from Mexican Made Easy on Food Network

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#39 :: Cacio e Pepe Potatoes

I'm learning so many new ways to make potatoes! Before there was fried, baked or mashed. That's it. Now I have options! There are red potatoes, gold potatoes, baking potatoes, sweet potatoes.....I'm incorporating flavors like bacon, garlic, cheese, pepper, or onions.... We might never eat a potato the same way again!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or milk
• 1 tub grated Pecorino Romano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Quarter baby potatoes and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil then salt water and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.

When the potatoes are tender, drain and return to the hot pot to dry them out a little. Mash the potatoes with 1/2 cup stock or milk, 1/2 to 2/3 cup grated Romano cheese, a few generous handfuls, lots of black pepper and a little salt.



Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from 30 Minute Meals on Food Network.

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

#35 :: Garlic Hasselback Potatoes w/ Herbed Sour Cream

If you like garlic, you'll love these potatoes. They were perfectly cooked...crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. It was the perfect side dish to compliment the chicken!

Ingredients

• 16 ounces red new potatoes
• 3 to 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Herbed Sour Cream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a wooden spoon as a cradle, place each potato in the spoon and make several parallel slits into each potato top making sure not to slice completely through. Place 3 garlic slices between slits at the crown of each potato. Toss in a medium bowl with butter and olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake until tops are crispy and potatoes are cooked through, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter and top with Herbed Sour Cream.

Herbed Sour Cream:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Season, to taste, and refrigerate until use.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from Cooking for Real on Food Network.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#20 :: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This was the easy part of the dinner last night. No chaos like with the tenderloin. :)

Ingredients

• 3 medium baking potatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon (or more) whole milk, at room temperature or warmed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium saucepan, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan.

Add the butter, sour cream and garlic. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or the back of a fork until the ingredients are blended. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes are the desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Recipe from Paula's Best Dishes on Food Network.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#10 :: Potato Bacon Torte

This was the hardest thing yet to prepare. But I think it was because I had a bad day in the kitchen. First I didn't have a pie pan {Jamie came to the rescue and went to Wal-Mart to grab one for me}. Then I cut my finger in the food processor making the crust. I almost took a picture of my finger for the blog, but decided it against it. Not very appetizing!

When we finally ate it, it was good. But it wasn't the most tasty thing I've ever had. But I didn't fail...with all that happened yesterday, I still finished dinner....and Jamie had seconds.....so I have that to be grateful for! And my home made crust turned out GREAT!

Ingredients

• 4 strips bacon
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 Pie Crusts, recipe follows
• 3 medium baking potatoes, peeled
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
  
• 1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside. Crumble the bacon when cool to the touch.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the thyme and cream over low heat to a bare simmer. Turn off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.

Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then finely slice the potatoes. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the crumbled bacon. Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. Top with an even layer of the cheese and gently pour cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices. (You may not use all the cream.)

Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes.

If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Pie Crust:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients. Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts

Serves 6 (or 4 servings plus leftovers)

Recipe from Ten Dollar Meals with Melissa d'Arabian on Food Network.

Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

#8 :: Yukon Gold Potatos : Jacques Pepin Style

One of the first things I learned during this project is that chicken stock only stays good for 7 days in the refrigerator. To make sure it didn't go to waste, I looked for a side dish recipe I could use it on today. Since I had extra Yukon gold's left from the chicken hash, this recipe was perfect.

This recipe took me a LOT longer than Rachael Ray said it would. :) I used medium heat, and now I'm thinking maybe I should have cooked it on high? They just seemed like a lot of work, but it was a much healthier side dish for a burger instead of fries. Anyway, the taste was good, they just weren't done cooking until half an hour after our burgers..... so we had a 2 course lunch.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt
  
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves

Directions

Place the potatoes in a deep skillet and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cover potatoes halfway with chicken stock, about 3 cups, add the butter and cover skillet with a lid. Cook the potatoes in the stock until almost tender, about 5 to 8 minutes, depending upon the size of the potatoes. Remove the lid and allow the stock to evaporate, about another 5 minutes. Once the stock has evaporated pop each potato using a ladle or large spoon, creating a small crack in each, but do not smash. Allow the potatoes to brown on each side, another 5 minutes, and re-season with salt and pepper, if necessary or desired. Remove the browned potatoes from the skillet and place onto a serving platter, garnished with the parsley.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe from Rachel Ray's Holiday Feast on Food Network.

Star Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

#5 :: Savory Chicken Hash

First I saw it on Barefoot Contessa. She was having a black & white dinner party and serving chicken hash just like Capote did at his black & white ball. Then on Big Daddy's House I saw chicken hash again. After seeing it twice and both ways looking very tasty, I chose one of them and added it to the week's menu.

This Chicken Hash was a lot spicer than I ever imagined Chicken Hash could be. But, to my surprise, it wasn't the"mouth-on-fire" hot that I don't like. I really liked this a lot. Very spicy and savory.

Ingredients

• 4 Yukon potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon salt
  
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1 (3-pound) store-bought *rotisserie chicken, meat removed and diced
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

* We used a 3 lb. bag of frozen chicken leg quarters instead of a rotisserie chicken. We cooked them at 375 in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes before shredding it for the hash.

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Bring a large pot or water to a boil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 12 to 14 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter. Add the onions, bell peppers and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add the cayenne, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and oregano. Stir in the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until chicken is warmed through. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Stir in the chicken stock to add some moisture, along with the parsley and lemon juice. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add the cooked potatoes and put into the oven until the potatoes are crunchy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving bowl.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Recipe from Big Daddy's House on Food Network.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars