Tuesday, January 17, 2012

scalloped potatoes - yummeh!

potatoes! yummeh! i posted on our other blog that we had finally harvested the last of our potatoes yesterday. we got about 140lbs this year. not bad, considering the awful growing season we had. anyway, if you love potatoes then you must grow your own! once you have eaten a home-grown potatoe - you will never be able to purchase another one. not even from the farmer's market. if you love potatoes - and we really do - you must grow your own. if anyone wants to know how to grow them - let me know. i will teach you an easy and very foolproof way.

we eat potatoes baked, smashed (baked potatoes that you mash), roasted, etc. but we love scalloped potatoes and i have the perfect recipe. see below.

you start with your beautiful home-grown goldrush potatoes. we used the big ones pictured below and saved the babies for roasting.



fry up some bacon pieces. drain on a paper towel and set aside (bacon-soaked paper towel makes a great fire starter!).



next, chop up some locally-grown mushrooms. fry them in a pan with a ton of butter, sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper.



add two cups of heavy cream to a saucepan, add the mushrooms (and the butter drippings), bacon and some fresh-picked chives.



slice up your beautiful potatoes and lay them in a layer in a deep baking dish.



pour the cream sauce over them. add a sprinkle of parmesan and a good few handfuls of mozzarella.



keep layering potatoes, parmesan and mozzarella until you run out. top with more fresh chives. add salt and pepper.



put in the oven and cook for about 30 mins at 400F. you'll know when the potatoes are done - they have that certain "je ne sais quoi" look about them.

prepare a strawberry, spinach, asparagus and toasted sesame seed salad.



when the potatoes are bubbling, browned and looking just right - take them out of the oven.



serve immediately with salad. what a great supper! and vegetarian too!



these potatoes are to die for!