Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

I needed something other than cheesy potatoes to go with Easter Virgil dinner, so tried my first cheesy scalloped potatoes!!  These were AMAZE-BALLS!!  We all loved them!!  Have to make this again soon!!!

Ingredients

• 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 3 pounds Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 cups heavy/whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350F and move the rack to the middle position.
• Meanwhile, grate the cheeses and prepare the potatoes by peeling them and using a mandoline slicer to cut them into 1/8" (3 mm) slices.
• Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and once it's melted, add the garlic and cook it for about 30 seconds. Add in the cream, salt, and some pepper. Let it warm through, stirring occasionally. As it reaches a boil, take it off the heat.
• Arrange half of the potatoes on the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish (overlap the potatoes but don't worry about arranging them perfectly). Pour half the cream mixture over top, and then add half of each cheese. Repeat the process for the second layer, finishing up with a layer of cheese on top.
• Bake, covered with foil, for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick slides into the potatoes without much resistance. Ovens vary, so check for doneness earlier than suggested if your oven runs hot.
• Let the potatoes sit for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

Notes

• Serves anywhere from 6-10 depending on serving size/what else you serve these with.
• I highly recommend using a mandoline slicer to cut the potatoes into uniform slices quickly and without hassle. I always use a protective glove with my mandoline.
• You may want to place the baking dish on a baking sheet just so any splatter/spills don't end up in your oven (especially if your baking dish is a bit shallow).
• See blog post for more tips including how to make these ahead and step-by-step photos that show how to layer them.

JoJo Potatoes

 I was asking friends for go to meals this spring cause I felt we were in a rut -- got this from my neighbor Tiffany and it was SO YUMMY!!!   Evan loves potatoes so anything I can do to make them different is key -- hahaha.  These were great!!

Camp Garlic Fries

Rossy made the menu since we were Mother's Day camping and these garlic fries were DELICIOUS!!!!  I don't want to make regular fries ever again -- SO YUMMY!!!!

Ingredients:

16oz bag frozen french fries

olive oil

salt and pepper

3 clove minced garlic

1 cup shredded cheddar and Monterey jack mixture

2 green onions, sliced

Heat coals over campfire, or preheat grill to medium-high.

Tear aluminum foil to make 4 large rectangles.  On each foil piece, spread out about 1/4 of the fries.  Drizzle each serving with olive oil and toss with salt and pepper.  Fold each foil piece in half crosswise and seal the edges to make the packets.

When coals (or grill) are hot, add the foil packets.  Cook (tossing occassionally to avoid burning) until heated through and golden, about 20 minutes.  Open packets and add garlic to each.  Toss and let the fries crisp over coals, uncovered, about 1 minute more.  Top each serving with cheese and cook until cheese is melty.

Top with sliced green onions

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

I needed a salt fix so I gave these a try -- they were SO great and SO easy!!  Ever looking for a variation of sweet potato fries, these were great!!

4 Servings: 1 yellow

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/8 inch thick

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, preferably sea salt

1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in center and lower positions. Divide sweet potatoes between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil, toss, and spread them in a single layer on sheets. Bake, flipping once, until centers are soft and edges are crisp, 22 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, and serve with lime wedges.

Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips

You can't really go wrong with potatoes, cheese, and bacon...I would eat each on their own every day, all day :)  This was really easy to make too!!  The sauce was YUMMY but it does have a kick - so if you don't like spicy, then maybe cut out chili powder!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 large, uniformly-shaped russet potato, scrubbed well and sliced into 1/8" rounds

cooking spray

2 ¼ cups shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese

salt & pepper to taste

6 tablespoons crumbled bacon (about 6 slices) - I used real bacon bits

chopped parsley or chives, for garnish (optional)

Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce

3 tablespoons ranch dressing

9 tablespoons sour cream

3/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

2/3 teaspoon cayenne (adjust more or less depending on how spicy you want).

2/3 teaspoon salt

2/3 teaspoon garlic powder

Place all ingredients in a small bowl, and stir to combine.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bring sliced potatoes to a boil in cold, salted water to cover for 5 minutes.  Carefully drain, and transfer slices to a paper-towel lined countertop or cutting board.  Pat to dry.

Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, and lay out potato slices so they are overlapping on it.  Spray lightly with additional cooking spray, then sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese & bacon.  Bake 12-14 minutes in preheated oven until cheese is melted & bubbly.  Serve with chipotle ranch sauce. 

Mashed Potatoes

I was making Hamburger Steak with Onion Mushroom tonight, so thought I would make up a twist to the typcial Mashed Potatoes I normally make....I got really fancy and did up some Roasted Garlic too....this was amazing!!

Ingredients:

4 potatoes (1 fist size potato per person)

4-8 teaspoons butter

buttermilk or milk

extras: Roasted Garlic, bacon, shredded cheese, chives, green onions

Peel potatoes....cut into little cubes.  Boil in salt water for 30 min.  Drain; don't rinse.

Put into mixer - then mash it up (the whisk attachment is the best).  Add 1-2  teaspoons of butter (per potato) and continue to mix.

Then add buttermilk or milk to desired "fluffiness" - and add in any "extras" from above.  DONE!!

Garlic Steak Fries

Fries in the house!  ahh can't go wrong with fries!!  This dipping sauce is like tongue candy :)  Do it up!  Had these with Chicken Fingers - soo good!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 medium russet potatoes, washed

Fry Sauce:
1/4 cup real mayo (no miracle whip!)
1/4 cup ketchup
2-3 teaspoons dill pickle relish

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix spices in a medium bowl.  Add olive oil and combine well.

Cut the potatoes into lovely fry-shape wedges .  Add potato wedge to seasonings and toss to coat.

Lightly crumble some foil and place it on a baking sheet.  Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray and then arrange potato wedges on foil.  This makes clean up easy because your potatoes won't stick, and it also ensures that they're cooked evenly.

Bake for about 40 minutes.  Then whisk fry sauce ingredients together and serve with fries.

Tater Tot Bake

Had the rents over for dindin tonight, since we thought we were going to be at the cabin snowmobiling....what's up Mother Earth?!  You give us snow - and then you make it like 40 degrees out and melt it all :(

Anyways, we made up these AMAZING potatoes with Babyback Ribs - and um....HELLO!!....SO GOOD!! I didn't think life got much better than Cheesy Hashbrowns, but this was a close first!!  This was a twist on your typical cheesy potato recipe - used tater tots instead of hash browns...and rice puff cereal instead of corn flakes and YUM!  It's not healthy at all.....but totally worth the lbs :)

Recipe / day

Ingredients:
2 lb package frozen tater tots
8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
2 (10.7) cans cream of chicken soup
2 cup puffed rice cereal
8 oz sour cream
2 sticks butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 1 stick of butter in 9x13 glass pan and add package of frozen tater tots.  Mix butter and potatoes well.

Mix together cream of chicken soup and sour cream - and pour over the tater tots.  Sprinkle 4 oz of cheese on the top of that.

Mix 1 melted stick of butter with puffed rice cereal and spread over mixture.  Top with 4 oz of cheddar cheese.

Bake 30-34 minutes or until bubbling and brown.

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Masters are coming over tonight for some dindin tonight - so Miss Meghan brought over the Garlic Artichoke Dip - and I made up this mean dip, fries and Dressed Up Sloppy Joes !!  Dip is super yummy!!  Ross and I had it again with Saturday nights dinner with some hashbrowns - worked great!!

My recipes.com

Ingredients:
2.1-oz package fully cooked bacon slices
16-oz container sour cream
2 cups (8 oz.) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1/3 cup sliced fresh chives

2 teaspoons hot sauce

Garnishes: cooked, crumbled bacon; sliced fresh chives; freshly cracked pepper

Serve with: waffle fries

Microwave bacon according to package directions until crisp; drain on paper towels. Cool 10 minutes; crumble. Stir together bacon and next 4 ingredients. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours before serving. Garnish, if desired. Serve with crispy, warm waffle fries. Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 7 days.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Because Ross's REAL birthday was on Turkey Day - he requested that we make his favorite Thanksgiving dish....his grandmas sweet potato recipe!  I was up for the challenge....Bestemor lives in Duluth so I called her to get the recipe - and she said she would mail it to me....I paused for a second....mail...not email....haha.  But I got the recipe in time - and now I have a cutie recipe card from her!

I was instructed to NOT get yams....DON'T GET YAMs!!  I wanted this to be perfect cause I was following some big shoes - but I didn't have time to run to the grocery store, so sir Rossy went for me.  When it came time to cook the sweet potatoes I noticed those bad boys weren't ORANGE.....uh oh....He had gotten YAMS!!!  hahahahahah  To be fair - the "grocery store" messed up cause the bins were labeled incorrectly....heheheh.  We decided to make them anyways - and let me tell you....THEY WERE AMAZING!!  We got TONS of compliments on them - so if yams aren't as good as sweet potatoes, I'm sure you could win some rewards with this recipe!!  It was super tasty!!

From Bestemor: Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
3-4 New Jersey sweet potatoes (about 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes)
1 cup sugar)
1stick butter (1/2 cup); soft
1/2 cup evaporated milk (carnation blend)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup frosted flakes (crushed)
1/2 cup brown sugar
 1/2 cup chopped pecans/walnuts

Bake sweet potatoes in oven for about 1 hour - until fork tender (I did this the night before).  I basically just peeled off skin - chopped them in half - threw on a pan - topped with some olive oil - and cooked on 350 until they were done.  Then mash them up.

Blend potatoes, sugar, 1/2 stick butter, evaporated milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together in mixer.  Put into greased 9x13 pan.

 Melt 1/2 stick butter, add brown sugar, and stir in frosted flakes and nuts.  Spread on top of sweet potato mixture.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Stuffed Red Bliss Potatoes

Potatoes....one of my favorite things to eat!!  It was hard to come up with a new recipe - but I found one!!!  AND it looked super cute in my new serving dish with my turkey!!!  For real - Von Maur, you have a customer for life!!!  This was super tasty - but took a little bit of time to make :)  (Thanks Mo for your patience!)  It just took some time to scoop out the insides of each potato - while keeping the shell intact...but it is so worth it when you are done!!  They were great!!

Makes 4 servings: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Ingredients:

10 oz (8 small) red bliss potatoes, about 2" diameter

1 tablespoon light Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fat free sour cream

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons fresh thyme (or rosemary)

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan or asagio cheese

salt and pepper to taste

paprika

In a medium pot , cover potatoes in water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until soft (about 12minutes). Drain and run under cool water. Set aside.

While the potatoes cook, in a small pan, add oil and garlic and cook on very low heat, about 12 minutes, till

soft. Remove garlic and discard oil. Mash garlic.

In a medium bowl combine garlic, thyme, cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 350°. Using a teaspoon (or melon baller) scoop out potato leaving 1/4 inch shell. Mix the potato with the other ingredients and fill potato shells. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

 Hey girl - you hungry?!  This was amazing - but um, I must have been starving!!  Good work on the steak Ross - salad was leftover from Sunday (still amazing!) - and the potatoes hit the spot!!  I heart garlic and potatoes!!  :)  Such a great meal with my honey!!

Picky Palate - 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 recipe of : Roasted Garlic

2 ½ lbs russet potatoes
½ Cup whole milk
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 Cup sour cream
½ stick butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Follow the recipe for Roasted Garlic.

 

Peel and cube potatoes and boil for 15-18 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and transfer to a stand or electric mixer. Mix potatoes on low until combined. Add milk, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, salt, pepper and mashed roasted garlic. Top with a pad of butter or your favorite gravy. Enjoy!

Grilled Potatoes and Onion

Eh - I'm not impressed.....they were good - I just was shocked these could be in a cookbook.  The ones that come in the Sodahl staple meal are WAY better....so I'll be putting that into my own cookbook if I ever actually make one -- hehe.

OBB Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 potato per person (any kind of potatoes work; for the sake of sentimentality, I’m partial to Russetts, although red and Yukon Gold potatoes are so smooth and delicious)
1/2 small onion per person (the one pictured is a little large because I used some onions in the corn)
1 tablespoon butter per person, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt per person
Freshly-ground black pepper
Smoked paprika
Aluminum foil

Tear sheets (1 per person) of aluminum foil into about 16″ pieces. Fold each in half into a square-ish and set aside.

Preheat grill. Slice potatoes into pieces about 1/8-1/4″ thick.  Slice onions about 1/8″ thick.  Place 1 potato in the middle of each foil square and dot with butter pieces

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then sprinkle generously with smoked paprika. Remember, paprika is super mild, so it’s hard to add too much. Top each pile with onions

Fold edges in and secure tightly. It’s important to get a good seal because the moisture will cook the potatoes and onions and you want all those yummy juices, so if it seems like there’s not quite enough foil, wrap packet in another layer.

Turn heat on grill to low. Place each packet on the grill. Close lid for 15 minutes. Turn and allow to cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully open each packet.

These can also be cooked in the oven at 400 for about 15-20 minutes (just check on them to see how they’re doing) or in a panini press for about the same amount of time.

German Potato Salad

I am not really a fan of the store bought potato salad - so I was excited to give this a try.  As we started to make it I thought it looked really weird.  I was a little hesitant and kinda made excuses in case it didn't taste good - BUT it was amazing!!  It's different than your typical potato salad, but it was so so good!!  There were "no kisses goodbye" at this cookbook club - but the mosquito's were going to leave us alone for some time (due to the garlic)

OBB - 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 lbs. small baby potatoes (red, Yukon gold, etc.)
3 oz bacon (about 1/2 of a standard package)
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon Creole mustard (or a mild coarse-grain mustard, not a strong one in the stout little glass jars)
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/8 cup fresh dill or 1/2 tablespoon dry dill


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, quarter or slice the potatoes. When the water comes to a boil, add the potatoes and cook until you can pierce them with a fork but not to the point where they are mushy or falling apart. Drain the potatoes and run some cold water over them.


While the potatoes are cooking/cooling, cut 6 ounces of bacon into bite-sized pieces. Place the bacon in a cold skillet and then turn the heat up to medium and cook until the bacon is crispy. While the bacon is cooking, whisk together the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, pepper, and mustard. Set aside. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pan.


Add some minced onion and minced garlic and cook until fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add the vinegar/mustard mixture and turn the heat to high. Cook on high for about 3 minutes or until the dressing has reduced by about 1/3. Remove from heat and add the cooked potatoes. Gently toss the potatoes in the dressing and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Add the bacon and dill and gently toss again and then transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and serve immediately.

Diner-Style French Fries

Ross really wanted to make some fish tonight for dinner - so he requested "fish and chips", but the criteria was that the "chips" had to use the deep fryer also.  I found a recipe and it was amazing!!  Not healthy at all - but the fries were truly like you went out to eat at an old school diner!  The fry sauce was really good too - and super easy to make!!

Serves 8 - OBB

Equipment

High-quality (like stainless steel or cast iron) 8-quart kettle or pot OR a deep fryer with adjustable temperature settings.
2 paper towel-lined plates (plus extra paper towels)
A wide metal slotted spoon or spatula
A large mixing bowl of ice water
A very sharp chef’s knife

Ingredients
1 lb. Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean but not peeled (try to keep them small enough to fit in the palm of your hand to make sure they’re easy to cut)
Salt / lawrys salt
48 oz canola or peanut oil

Carefully cut potatoes vertically into 1/4″ slices.  Divide stack in half with the flat surface of the potato on the cutting board and carefully cut potatoes into 1/4″ fries (you may need to remove the round top slice and then cut that part later if you find it’s slipping while you’re trying to cut the potatoes).

Toss any pieces that are too skinny–they’ll just burn when you’re cooking–and trim down any extra-large pieces. Place cut potatoes into the bowl of ice water and repeat with remaining potatoes. When finished, pour the entire bottle of oil into the pot/kettle/deep fryer and bring to 325 over medium-high heat. When the oil is about 310-315 degrees, drain the potatoes so they’ll be ready to go into the oil as soon as it’s hot enough.

When oil reaches 325, turn the heat all the way up to “high.” Place 1/2 of the potatoes into the hot oil and stir frequently for 5-6 minutes, or just until they’re starting to show signs of being cooked. Remove from the hot oil and drain on one of the paper towel-lined plates.

Bring the oil back to 325 and then fry the second batch of potatoes. You know the drill–stir frequently, remove after 5-6 minutes, drain on paper towels.

Now…this is where things get fun. Bring the oil up to 375. When you’re there, add the first batch of fries back to the oil and fry for 1-2 minutes. They’ll get brown and crispy fast, and they’ll continue to brown a little after you remove them from the oil, so as soon as they start getting brown enough, get them out of the oil and drain them on the paper towels. As soon as they’re out, give them a very liberal sprinkling of salt while they’re still very, very hot.

Bring the oil back to 375 and fry the second batch of fries, following the same directions.

Fry Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip! Tried it once in a pinch and it was beyond horrible!)
2-3 teaspoon chopped dill pickle

Combine and serve with homemade fries or onion rings

Italian Fries

More fries....hehe....these weren't as awesome as some of the other fries I have made - BUT they were still really good.  I would recommend cutting them more french fry style cause then I think they will get more crispy!!  Go good with any burger or sandwich!!

Serves 6 - Mad Hungry

Ingredients:
6 potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3-inch-thick French fry-style strip, soaked in cold salted water
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) olive oil
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs (or combo of dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, and basil)
2 cups freshly grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter, cut into 6 cubes
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.  Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels.  Spread 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread out the potatoes.  Overlapping is fine.

Sprinkle the dried herbs evenly over the potatoes.  Liberally spread the cheese and parsley on top.  Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cheese.  Scatter the cubed butter around the pans.

Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, rotating the pans after 30 minutes, for 45 to 50 minutes total.  Use a spatula to lift off the potatoes with all the crusty cheese adhered to them.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot.

Skirt Steak with Lemon and Chili-Roasted Potatoes

So the steak was "eh" - no flavor and I wouldn't "make" the steak again....however, the potatoes were super yummy!  I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on top of those - and it was perfect!  I would for sure make up the potatoes again - probably a different steak - with some actual marinade loveliness :)  I made this with Maple Glazed Spiced Carrots - perfect meal!!

Serves 4 - Real Simple Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb new potatoes, halved
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
8 springs fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1 1/2 lbs skirt steak
1 lemon, quartered

Heat oven to 425.  In a roasting pan, toss the potatoes, oil, chili powder, thyme, salt, pepper.  Roast, stirring once, until golden brown and crisp.  About 45 minutes - transfer to plates.

Heat broiler.  Wipe out the roasting pan.  Season steak with salt and pepper and place on roasting pan.  Broil the steak to the desired doneness, 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare.  Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.  Serve with the potatoes and lemon.

Oven Baked Steak Fries and Fry Sauce

So I'm on this "fry" kick - and these were um - amazing!!  It was seriously something like you get in the restaurant, only I MADE THEM!!  hehe  They still are potatoes BUT at least they are baked and not fried - so a little more healthy.  Yeah the fry sauce uses real mayo - but hey, it's all about "dipping moderation" :)  This goes good with any dish that teams with fries....we made this with Juicy Lucy's!

Serves 4-6 - Our Best Bites Cookbook

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 medium russet potatoes, washed

**or another variation of spices - substitute 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 2 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt, and 1/4 teaspoon parsley for the spices listed above**

Fry Sauce:
1/4 cup real mayo (no miracle whip!)
1/4 cup ketchup
2-3 teaspoons dill pickle relish

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix spices in a medium bowl.  Add olive oil and combine well.

Cut the potatoes into 8 wedges each.  Add potato wedge to seasonings and toss to coat.

Lightly crumble some foil and place it on a baking sheet.  Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray and then arrange potato wedges on foil.  This makes clean up easy because your potatoes won't stick, and it also ensures that they're cooked evenly.

Bake for about 40 minutes.  Then whisk fry sauce ingredients together and serve with fries.

Roasted Garlic-Rosemary Potatoes

So we all know that I'm a sucker for any sort of potato - so when I saw this recipe, I got excited!!  It was SOgood and SO easy - but look how fancy it looks too :)  You also can make these ahead of time too!!  After spreading the potatoes on the foil - cover with some plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.  When ready to cook just bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes instead!!

I made this with Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches and it was a tasty combo.  I think this would be good with some green beans and steak - or even a pork tenderloin (Roast Pork and Asparagus with Mustard Vinaigrette)!!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoon EVOO
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary (be sure and strip the needles from the stem before chopping them)
2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
pepper / salt
1 1/2 lb baby red, fingerling or small potatoes (washed - try to pick the potatoes that are bite size)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  While the water is heating, combine the olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary, mustard, and some black pepper.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 - line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

When the water is boiling, add the potatoes and boil for about 10 minutes - or until they are easily pierced with a fork.  Drain - and add the potatoes to the mustard mixture.  Toss to coat

Spread the potatoes out evenly over the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 10-15 or until the skins begin to brown and sizzle.

Stuffed Blue Cheese Potatoes

Um I just found my new favorite EVERYTHING!!  This entire meal was insane :-)  So yeah - best burger "BBQ Bacon Sliders with Blue Cheese" I've ever made FOR SURE....and in my top 10 I've actually eaten EVER!  and the twice baked potato - might not be Wildfire delicious, but it was close!!  SOOOO yummy!!  I can't wait to eat it for leftovers tomorrow.  For real - BEST dinner EVER!! 

Serves 8 - Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

4 medium baking potatoes
½ cup sour cream
1 oz (1/4 cup) crumbled blue cheese
¼ cup milk or buttermilk
4 Tbs real butter, cut into chunks
¾ tsp salt
Dash pepper
½ t garlic powder
8 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
Grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry potatoes. Rub them lightly with a bit of shortening or vegetable oil (helps crisp the skin) and place directly on oven rack, or a cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are done.

Remove potatoes and let cool just a bit. Cut each potato in half and hollow out each potato.  You may want to hold them with a potholder as they will still be hot!

Scoop out the insides and place in a bowl. Mash, and add butter, sour cream, blue cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic. Beat with a hand mixer until fluffy. Carefully spoon mixture back into potato shells. Place in a baking dish.  Return to hot oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove and sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese over each potato- bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.