SCALLOPED POTATOES

Welcome back to Around the Kitchen.

A complete INDEX to all of our recipes can be found HERE

Today, we're preparing a delightful dish of Scalloped Potatoes to accompany our Rib-eye steak on the grill.

We've cooked these previously, but today I'm eager to try a new recipe.

As you're aware, we diligently search the library's used book section for cookbooks to affordably expand our collection.

And last week we found this for $2.00

Here is the recipe as presented.

 1 CUP Chopped Onion

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

¼ CUP butter

¼ CUP A.P. Flour

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Black Pepper

2.5 CUPS Milk

8 Cups thinly sliced red, white, or yellow Potatoes (about 2.5 lbs)

For sauce: In a medium saucepan, cook the onion and garlic in hot 

butter until tender.

Stir in the flour salt & pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and sit

 over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat 

and set aside. Place half of the sliced potatoes in a greased 3 qt 

baking dish.

Top with half the sauce. Repeat the layer.

Bake, covered in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and 

bake another 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Let stand, 

uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.

For CHEESY scalloped potatoes. Prepare as above, except gradually 

adding 1 ½ CUPS (6ounces) shredded cheddar, or cheese of your 

choice to the sauce, stirring until cheese is melted.

So, let's pre heat the oven to 350, and get out our mandolin.

Set your mandolin thickness to your desired setting.

Peel your taters and VERY CAREFULLY slice them up. I put mine in a pan of water while I prepared the sauce.

For sauce: In a medium saucepan, cook the onion and garlic in hot 

butter until tender.

Stir in the flour salt & pepper. Add milk all at once.

Cook and sit over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove 

from heat and set aside. 

Since we wanted CHEESY taters, here is where I added the cheese

and stirred until it was melted.

Place half of the sliced potatoes in a greased 3 qt baking dish. We 

wanted to freeze half of this recipe, so I used two baking dishes.

Top with half the sauce. Repeat the layer.

Bake, covered in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. 

While we are waiting.....

Uncover and bake another 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 

Allow to stand uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.

(Note: Approximately 10 minutes before removing them from the

oven, I added another thin layer of cheese on top.)

While they sat for ten minutes, I took the opportunity to put the 

steaks on the grill.

Absolutely delicious! The sauce's silkiness was unbelievable, and the onions virtually melted away, complementing the steak perfectly.

This recipe will become our standard choice from now on.

That's all the time we have for today, friends. I look forward to seeing you soon on "Around the Kitchen."

Be sure to visit some of my other blogs:

FRESH'S WORKSHOP  - SEE WHAT I CREATE IN THE WORKSHOP AND GARDEN

BRIARWOOD - YOU CAN READ MY NOVELS

AUDIO CONSOLE - WHERE I AM BUILDING AN AUDIO MIXER

God Speed, Mother Nature

MEATY MACARONI BAKE

And Welcome back to Around the Kitchen.

A complete INDEX to all of our recipes can be found HERE

    

As you probably know, Penny and I like to visit the Friends of the

Library Book Store and look thru all the cookbooks that have been 

donated.

You can always pick up some bargains and get some good recipes.

Today's dinner comes from one of those bargains.

Tonight, we are making a Meaty Macaroni Bake.

Let's get into it.

2 lbs. Ground Beef (We used Brisket)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Garlic Clove, minced (we used 2)

1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce (we used homemade)

1 Cup of water

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper (we used ½ tsp)

2 eggs, beaten

¼ Cup Vegetable oil

1 package (7 ounces) elbow macaroni (cooked and drained)

2 cans (4 ounces each) mushroom stems and piece, drained

1 CUP (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ Cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Cup Soft Breadcrumbs (we used Panko)

Additional mozzarella cheese if needed (it was)

In addition, we ADDED

2 pucks of Pesto

1 TBL Italian herbs

3 Bay leaves

In a large skillet cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat

until meat is no longer pink.

Drain the grease. I like to use paper towels to soak up the grease. 

Much safer

Add the spaghetti sauce, water, tomato sauce, tomato paste

Add the rest of the spices.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, oil, cooked macaroni, mushrooms, 

cheeses and breadcrumbs.

Spoon into a 3 qt. baking dish. 

Top with the meat mixture.

I saved some and put it into another pan for freezing.

When it cools, I'll throw it in the freeze box.

Back to the main meal 

Bake uncovered (I covered ours) for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Hey kids, what time is it?

Sprinkle with additional cheese (I put cheese on the top before 

baking)

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

So, how was it you ask.

It was delicious! I could have made a better presentation, but it was late, and we were famished.

I loved what the Breadcrumbs added to the dish. It held everything together. I am also glad we added a few 'extra' spices. The pesto really made a difference.

So, I encourage you to give this a try.

You can thank me later.

That's it for this time around the kitchen. Hope to see you soon.

Be sure to visit some of my other blogs:

FRESH'S WORKSHOP  - SEE WHAT I AM BUILDING AND FIXING AROUND THE HOUSE 

BRIARWOOD - YOU CAN READ MY NOVELS

AUDIO CONSOLE - WHERE I AM BUILDING AN AUDIO MIXER

God Speed, Mother Nature