Hashbrown Casserole

You may not know this about my husband... but the man can cook. He doesn't really LIKE to, but when push comes to shove he does alright by me in the kitchen. He has been dying for a hash brown casserole for years but I've never made one [I know, bad wife]. It's always seemed like so much food to make for just the two of us [heaven forbid I cut the recipe in half]. As Easter approached this year and I was still stuck on bed rest and nine months pregnant, the cooking was left up to him. I had pinned about ten versions of this recipe on Pinterest and he found one in the paper that sounded good so they all kind of got smooshed together into one pan of deliciousness. Ten points for the husband today... and not only did he make this casserole, he made me angel food cake as well. I married a good man.

Ingredients:

1 (32 oz.) shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
16 oz. sour cream
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups corn flakes, crushed
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix sour cream, soup, and salt and pepper together. Add in cheese and hash browns and mix well. Spoon into 9x13 baking dish.

Melt butter and add to corn flakes; mix. Spread cornflakes over top of hash brown mixture.

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Smashed New Potatoes

Tonight was a night inspired by The Pioneer Women and these turned out to be fabulous. The original recipe can be found here. Be careful when smashing these, I squished the first one too much and it ended up looking more like mashed potatoes - just press down until they pop open. These are wonderful because they turn out crispy and full of flavor... definitely one I'll be going back to again! Enjoy!!

Ingredients: 

12 whole new potatoes
3 Tablespoons olive oil 
Kosher salt to taste 
Black pepper to taste 
Rosemary (or other herbs of choice) to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Rosemary-Crusted Potatoes

1 1/2 lb. small red or gold potatoes, quartered
2 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp. dried rosemary)
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray (I use my stone wear instead).

Partially cook potatoes in boiling salted water to cover, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Mix rosemary, mustard, and oil in a bowl. Add potatoes; toss to coat. Sprinkle with panko, salt, and pepper. Place potatoes in prepared dish. Roast them 30 minutes, then stir gently. Bake until potatoes are golden brown.

Skillet Potatoes with Bacon and Cheddar

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 tbsp. sour cream
Chopped chives (optional)

Preparation:

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon, reserving 3 tbsp. of the drippings. Drain bacon on a paper towel.

Add onions to skillet, cook 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes; cover and cook on medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.

Top with cheese and bacon; cook 1 minute or until cheese is melted.

Serve topped with sour cream (and chives if desired).

One Pan Pork Roast with Parmesan Fries

¼ cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 egg white, beaten
1 tsp. garlic salt, divided
1-¼ lb. Yukon gold or russet potatoes (about 4), cut into thin wedges
1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.)
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1 Tbsp. honey

HEAT oven to 425°F. Mix cheese, egg white and ¾ tsp. garlic salt in large bowl. Add potatoes; toss to coat. Spread onto greased large baking sheet.

BAKE 15 min. Place meat on same baking sheet next to potatoes; sprinkle with remaining ¼ tsp. garlic salt.

BAKE 20 min. Combine dressing and honey; brush onto meat. Continue baking 10 to 15 min. or until meat is cooked through (160°F) and potatoes are tender, brushing meat occasionally with any remaining dressing mixture.

Time to make: 1 hr