Potato Casserole Revisited

by Sheila Connolly

Some years ago when we visited one of my husband’s sisters, who lives in Indiana, she served us a potato casserole that our daughter fell in love with.  She requested it often while she still lived at home, and even now and then when she visits.

It’s one of those quick and easy recipes that everyone seems to have come across at some point—my sister (in Kentucky) knew of it, and one of our guest bloggers offered it up here a couple of years ago.

The ingredients are few: a bag of frozen hash brown potatoes, canned cream of chicken soup, chopped onion, sour cream, a bag of shredded cheese, salt and pepper and margarine, topped with crushed corn flakes. 

A good family side-dish, but then I started thinking . . . it’s just the two of us at home now, and I’m not in any hurry to get dinner on the table. Plus I enjoy cooking, after a day spent staring at my computer screen.  So I wondered:  what if I deconstruct the recipe and make it high-end? Just a bit more elegant?  So I gave it a try. 

You can give it a fancy name if you like, such as Gratin de Pommes de Terre

 

One pound waxy potatoes, shredded
2 Tblsp butter
2 shallots, chopped
2 Tblsp flour
1 1/2 cups liquid: milk/cream and chicken stock, combined
5 oz. cheese, shredded (cheddar is simplest, but you can be creative or use whatever you have)
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread/panko crumbs for topping (about 1 cup?), plus additional butter if you want

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a casserole dish.

Potatoes, shredded

 

You can shred the potatoes by hand or use the shredding blade of a food processor. The shreds should be fairly fine. The same for the cheese.

Cheddar cheese, shredded

 

To make the sauce:  melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat and saute the shallots until they are soft.  Add the flour and mix, then let cook for a minute or so. Pour in the milk/cream combined with chicken stock, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth.  Cook over low heat just until it begins to thicken.

Shallots in butter

...with flour added...

and sauce, completed

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, the sauce, the shredded cheese, and salt and pepper, and mix well.  Spoon into the casserole dish and sprinkle the top with dry bread crumbs or panko (depending on how much crunch you want). Dot with additional butter if you wish.

Ready for the oven (with a bit of
melted butter drizzled on top

 

Bake for one hour in the preheated oven, until the crust is golden.

Golden brown and crunchy!

Serves four as a side dish, but can easily be doubled for a larger crowd.

And nice and creamy inside

By the way, there's this new book coming out next Tuesday (along with a lot of other great ones, including some of my fellow authors here at MLK). There are potatoes in this dish, so I guess that qualifies it as an Irish recipe, right?

Or I could call it Mhias Prátaí le cáis.

The "Lucy Burdette" Daiquiri, Courtesy of @SusanMacNeal

Hemingway Polydactyl Looking Over Murder with Ganache

LUCY BURDETTE: As you've already heard, four of us writers here on MLK have books coming out next week--Avery Aames with DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT, Meg London with A FATAL SLIP, Sheila Connolly with SCANDAL IN SKIBBEREEN, and me, Lucy, with MURDER WITH GANACHE. You have some fun reading ahead during the cold, gray February days!

The weeks right before a book launch are exciting but exhausting. We're furiously writing blogs, and planning for book parties, and doing interviews, and sending out press releases--not to mention working on the next book so we don't fall too far behind! (And in my case, taking pictures of cats with books:)

I have to admit I haven't cooked much for the last few weeks, so I was worried about a new recipe for today's post.

 

 But luckily for me, a girlfriend over on Jungle Red Writers, Susan Elia MacNeal, came through with a fabulous idea--a cocktail called the "Lucy Burdette." And so today I'm sharing that with you!

"The Lucy Burdette"

(A Key Lime Daiquiri to toast the new Key West-based book! Surely Papa Hemingway would approve...)

2 parts white rum

1 part freshly sqeezed key lime juice

1/2 part simple sugar syrup (or to taste)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of key lime.

Come--pour yourself a glass and join me to toast the new books. Put your feet up, tip your face toward the sun, and we'll read a couple pages aloud....

"Faster than a speeding Kitchenaid mixer, I scraped the freshly-squeezed lime juice and zested lime peel into the bowl and beat the batter to a creamy pale green. Inside the oven, the first set of cupcakes rose gracefully, releasing their sweet and sour citrus fragrance into the tiny galley of our houseboat."

From MURDER WITH GANACHE by Lucy Burdette, available for pre-order wherever books are  sold!

 To keep up with all the Key West news, follow Lucy on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter! 

Book Giveaway Winner from @AveryAames

And the winner of the Avery Aames book giveaway is:

Antonette!!!

Congratulations!

I'll be contacting you.  And for all who didn't win, check back next week, and the next…

Happy reading.

Avery aka Daryl

Maple Cheese Scones

ONE WEEK TO GO!!

From Avery aka Daryl:

In anticipation of next week’s debut of the fifth Cheese Shop Mystery: DAYS OFWINE AND ROQUEFORT, I’ve been sampling more cheese. It’s a given, right? When I’m wearing my “Avery” hat, I eat cheese, I cook with cheese, I sample cheese. 

In fact, recently I had the distinct pleasure of meeting my “cheese maven” Marcella Wright for the first time. Marcella and I met online…well, actually her cat and my fictional cat met online, and then  I learned she was a big shot in the world of cheese!



Marcella, who lives in Washington, came to Studio City, California to open a Murray’s cheese shop section, this time in the Ralph’s grocery store. Delicious cheese. We had a wonderful time.

Marcella & me at Murray's in Ralph's Supermarket

But back to this week’s post and why. In anticipation of the debut of another Cheese Shop Mystery, I was browsing cookbooks and magazines looking for cheese-y breakfast items. I found the most delightful scone recipe made with cheddar and maple syrup. I found the recipe in Culture Cheese magazine, but it was made with regular flour. I needed to make it gluten-free, so I tweaked the recipe.

 I fell in love. My husband adored them, too!!

By the way…three of my blogmates, Meg/Peg, Sheila, Lucy and I are having a giveaway on Facebook with books and more in anticipation of all of our releases next week. The contest runs through January 31^st. Click the photo below to check it out.

Also, I’m having a giveaway today!!  See details at the end of the recipe!

MAPLE-CHEDDAR SCONES

GLUTEN-FREE

(tweaked from recipe from Culture Cheese Magazine)

Ingredients:

(serves 6-8)

2 1/4  cups gluten-free four

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 tablespoon whey powder

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2  teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, diced

1 cup coarsely grated cheddar

1/2 cup chopped pecans, if desired

3/4  cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat with oil.

In a large bowl, combine gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, whey powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. With a blender or large fork, cut in butter until mixture is coarse and crumbly.

Stir cheddar  (and pecans, if desired) into GF flour mixture. Combine buttermilk and maple extract. Gradually add that to dry ingredients while tossing mixture with a fork. It will form a soft dough. (Note: you want to moisten the dry ingredients but NOT stir too vigorously, which stiffens the dough.)

Gather dough together. Press gently to combine. Transfer to a lightly gluten-free floured surface and pat out to 1-inch-thick round.

Cut with a serrated knife into 6-8 wedges. Arrange wedges on the baking sheet.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch.

In the recipe in the magazine, it says “Dough can also be patted out and cut into 2-inch square scones, which will bake in 12-15 minutes.”

* By the way, if you want to make these using regular flour, just switch out the  GF flour with regular flour and omit the xanthan gum.

** Whey powder seems to add a ton of moisture to gluten-free baked items. I add a tablespoon now every time I bake something. It substitutes for 1 tablespoon of the GF flour.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Giveaway: Leave a comment with your email in order to enter the giveaway! REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL so I might notify you. AND if you tweet or share on Facebook, tell me in your  comment and you'll be entered TWICE.

I'm giving away your choice of one of the first four Cheese Shop mysteries or FINAL SENTENCE, the first in the Cookbook Nook mysteries. Plus some fun swag!

* * * * * * * * *

ALSO, remember to sign up for my mailing list/newsletter. 

There's going to be a launch giveaway on February 3rd!

******************

Friend Daryl on Facebook

Friend Avery on Facebook

Follow Daryl on Twitter

Follow Avery on Twitter

Follow both of us on Pinterest

Check out our website.

Next up: 

Days of Wine and Roquefort 
Feb 2014, preorder here

                    Inherit the Word 
                     March 2014, preorder here

If you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list 

so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests! 

Frito Shepherd’s Pie and Super Bowl Boulevard from Cleo Coyle #glutenfree recipe

"Shockingly tasty…" That’s what Chef Anthony Bourdain called the famous Frito Pie, and Marc and I agree. Our version of this beloved pie makes a wonderful (gluten free) one-dish dinner that can be made fresh or with leftovers. And the best part…

It’s relatively healthy!

Yes, I said it. We make ours with lean ground meat and black beans and whip up our mashed potatoes with the skins on. The next day, we zap a leftover slice in the microwave for an instant taco salad.

What about those Fritos? Aren’t they junk food? 

Let’s take a look…

Fritos have exactly three ingredients: Corn, Corn Oil, and Salt. That’s it. No preservatives, no gluten, no MSG, and zero trans fat.

Compare that to your typical grocery store taco shell ingredient list and you’ll be shocked. It includes things like partially hydrogenated oils. And Doritos have a number of not-so-healthy ingredients, including MSG and preservatives.

Cleo Coyle, author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries,
has a partner in crime writing:
her husband, Marc. Learn
about their books here.

As I mentioned above, for added health here you can make sure your taco meat is lean or use a mix of ground beef and ground turkey. You can include a generous portion of healthy black beans or another nutrition-packed legume and top it with healthy guacamole, jalapeno, and/or salsa (tomatoes, peppers, and onions).

May you eat with joy on Game Day (and in good health)! 

~ Cleo

Billionaire Blend is a
culinary murder mystery.
To see its Recipe Guide,
click here.

Cleo Coyle’s
Frito Shepherd’s Pie

Our readers may recognize this pie from our latest culinary mystery, Billionaire Blend. In the book, Detective Mike Quinn tells the story of solving a homicide with members of the NYPD Bomb Squad (historically known as the Italian Squad). 

When the case is done, members of the squad take Quinn to a pub for a night of Frito Shepherd’s Pies and Irish Car Bombs (the kind you drink). Well this is the very pie that Detective Quinn enjoyed.

The recipe is deceptively simple. Yes, you start with a basic Frito Pie and top it with a Shepherd’s Pie crust of mashed potatoes. But here’s the trick to keeping the flavors balanced and avoiding a big mouth full of potatoes. We make our mashed potato crust very thin and mix it with a secret ingredient—sour cream.

Sour cream is a classic topping for Mexican dishes, but it’s also fantastic with potatoes, so it adds the perfect flavor note to the recipe, and turns our Frito Pie into a delicious cross between a tasty taco and a pan of loaded potato skins.

So if you’re tired of pizza (or looking for a gluten-free indulgence), consider this wonderful one-dish dinner. It’s easy to make and tastes fantastic with an ice cold beer, which puts it smack on our game day menu for this weekend’s Super Bowl. (FYI - For suggestions on gluten-free beers, click here.)

~ Cleo

To download this recipe in a free PDF document 

you can print, save, or share, click here.

For the free PDF
of this recipe, click here.

Cleo Coyle's
Frito Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups mashed potatoes
          (*see recipe at end or use leftovers)

1/2 cup sour cream

1-3/4 cups whole Fritos Corn Chips + 1/4 cup crushed Frito chips for garnish

1 to 1-1/2 pounds ground meat made into chili or taco meat filling

8 ounces Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or taco cheese mix, shredded

1 jalapeno pepper, cut into rings (optional)

Prep Step—Make your mash: Re-warm leftover mashed potatoes in a microwave or on stovetop. Whisk in sour cream. To make mashed potatoes from scratch, see the directions at the end of this recipe. Set finished mashed potatoes aside.

Build Pie with...

Layer 1—Fritos: Line the bottom of a 10-inch oven-proof skillet or cast iron pan (or casserole dish or deep dish pie pan) with a single layer of whole Fritos corn chips (about 1-3/4 cups).

Layer 2—Meat: Heat your chili or taco meat until it’s nice and hot, and then evenly spoon it over the layer of corn chips in the pan, covering the chips completely. 

Layer 3—Cheese: Sprinkle a little over half of the shredded cheese on top of the meat. 

Layer 4—Taters: Now dollop the warm mashed potatoes and sour cream from Prep Step over the meat and cheese. Use the back of the spoon to carefully smooth it into a thin, even layer. This is a thin layer so take your time and do it gently.

Layer 5—Garnish: Sprinkle the top of the pie with the rest of the shredded cheese and the final 1/4 cup of crushed Fritos corn chips.

Broil: Finish the pie for a few minutes under a preheated broiler. Watch for the cheese to melt and the potatoes to become lightly browned on their edges. This will take anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes, depending on your broiler. (Check often because broilers can burn things very easily!). Cut into slices and serve immediately. You can further garnish with jalapeno rings, salsa, guacamole, hot sauce, olives, or other favorite toppings you might use for tacos or nachos.

Leftovers: This pie reheats like a dream. A slice of it also makes a great instant taco salad. Warm up a slice in the microwave and break it up over a fresh bowl of lettuce. Throw on some slices of avocado and olives or a fresh dollop of guacamole, and you’re set for a quick, healthy lunch.

TO MAKE FRESH MASHED POTATOES: Start with 3 large (or 6 small) white potatoes, about 1-½ pounds. Wash and cut into thick slices, leaving skins on for better nutrition, and boil for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft when fork tested. Drain well. Follow recipe as directed, mixing potatoes first with sour cream, and continuing. 

Super Bowl Boulevard

While Marc and I will be watching the Super Bowl from the warmth of our Queens living room, we’re looking forward to bundling up and checking out the Super Bowl Boulevard. If you live in the NYC area or are visiting for the game, here’s the scoop.

New York is shutting down traffic on a 13-block stretch of Broadway that includes Times Square. This strip from 34th to 47th Streets will be converted into a massive fan zone complete with photo opportunities with the Lombardi Trophy, autograph sessions, live broadcast sets, and a Toboggan Run. (Which begs the question, with the polar vortex looming, do you really think they’ll have to manufacture snow?)

In celebration of the first “open-air, cold-weather Super Bowl,” 

New York is inviting the public to enjoy this “wintry ride”—a seven story slide that’s painted to look like the real thing. Tickets can be purchased for the ride, which will be located at 40th Street on “Super Bowl Boulevard” aka Broadway. 

More info here.

To watch a fun two-minute video about building Super Bowl Boulevard, click here. You can also click here or  here (for the fan guide) to learn more about the location, events, and hours. And enjoy the game, everyone!

To get today's recipe in
a free PDF document,
click here.

Eat with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice). 

Friend me on facebook here.

Follow me on twitter here. 

Visit my online coffeehouse here.

Coffeehouse Mystery

Free Title Checklist

(with mini plot summaries)

click here.

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling

works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark

Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the

13 titles includes the added bonus of recipes. 

* * * 

Haunted Bookshop
Free Title Checklist, 

click here.

The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure

Book #1 of The Haunted
Bookshop Mysteries, 
To learn more, click here.

Orange Chicken

What with friends coming and going, somehow I found myself with a considerable amount of orange juice left over. In my experience, it can be tricky cooking and baking with orange juice simply because the flavor fades. It's not that it's bad, the flavor just doesn't pop like I would like.

I love Orange Chicken. That nice glaze and sauce are yummy. But my efforts at recreating it have largely been edible flops. When I hit the Internet for recipe ideas, I found a lot of them called for using orange marmalade. Basically you coat the chicken with the orange marmalade and bake. I bet it's delicious but where's the sauce for the rice?

As I continued to peruse recipes, I found several that were what I had in mind. And they were all based on a recipe from one of my favorites - America's Test Kitchen. It was a dead giveaway each time because they all used 1 1/2 cups of orange juice. Of course, most of them gave credit to America's Test Kitchen, and then said they had modified the recipe to suit them. I never did find the original recipe, but the basics were the same, so I winged it with my own version.

I have to admit that it was great. I'll definitely be making it again. Next time I'll try adding a tablespoon of soy sauce for a little bit of saltiness. Otherwise, I wouldn't change much at all. The sauce turns into a lovely thick glaze that clings to the meat. Exactly how it should be. No cornstarch needed! The big plus is that it makes quite a bit of sauce. Too often I find I'm scraping the pan for a little bit more sauce. Not with this recipe! I started with 2 cups of orange juice and reduced it a little bit to boost the orange flavor.

I made this with the weird cut-up chicken available at my grocery store. Weird because it has two breasts (with the bones) and four legs. I'd like to see that chicken! You could make this with just about any chicken parts that you like, even boneless breasts, but watch the cooking time. I was surprised that it only took a little over 20 minutes for the legs to cook. Plan accordingly. Boneless breasts might be done quite fast depending on their thickness.

Orange Chicken

inspired by various bloggers and based on America's Test Kitchen recipe

2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (not powder)
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used balsamic but white would do)
2 tablespoons olive oil
flour (about 1/4 cup)
1 chicken cut up or 8 chicken thighs or legs (see note above)
3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 400.

Pour the orange juice into a pot and bring to a low boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook without a lid until reduced by one-fourth. Add the corn syrup, garlic, mustard and vinegar and whisk to combine. Simmer.

Heat the oil in an oven-safe pan just large enough to contain all your chicken. Dredge the chicken pieces through the flour and brown in the pan on both sides. Remove the browned chicken from the pan and pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Simmer the sauce until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Return the chicken to the pan. Slide the pan into the oven (uncovered). TIP: Hang kitchen mitt on the oven door so you won't be tempted to reach in and grab the pan without it. After 10 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over. Cook another 10 - 20 minutes depending on the cut and thickness of your chicken. (Note, I'm guessing that small boneless chicken breasts might only need 12-15 minutes TOTAL.)

Remove from oven. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest. Meanwhile, add remaining three tablespoons orange juice to the sauce and bring to a simmer for about four minutes. Plate the chicken and pour sauce over it.

Simmering sauce

Thickened sauce