One Potato, Two Potato...

I think I have potato on the brain. I've been doing low-carb for so long and thinking that potatoes are "bad" that I've not been eating very many. I've been feeling deprived. I've been under a lot of business stress lately and, when I am, I think my Irish heritage kicks in and the potato cravings ratchet up. How can I tell? I looked back and in the last few weeks (this week and two weeks ago) I've given you two potato recipes. Pretty clear, isn't it? I've been a bit lax on the side dishes so I guess it's okay. This kind of fills out that part of the web site offerings a bit more.

This dish pretty much qualifies as comfort food--food for a weekday family meal or for when you're feeling stressed, like me. This weekend I'm playing "celebrity chef" again and doing a Hospice charity dinner. It'll be another many-course affair with lots of fancy food. I bet it will prompt a fancy dish I'll be offering for you next week. So stand by. . . .

In the meantime, fire up the grill and put on a piece of chicken or some sausages--something simple--and toss this potato casserole in the oven. A simple salad on the side and you're ready for your comfort food meal.

Oh, by the way, cool story . . . .

About the onions. The onions I used in the recipe I bought at our local farmer's market. It was the debut of the market in our Chicago neighborhood. The market is going to take place every Sunday from now until mid-October. You can bet I'll be there often. The park setting is beautiful. It's called Wicker Park. If you're up for a movie you can go to your local movie rental place and rent the movie called "Wicker Park." It takes place in that same park. Then you can imagine yourself strolling along at the farmer's market on Sunday! Enjoy!

Cheesy Spring Onion Potato Casserole

Serves 6 too 8

3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups early summer onions (or green onions) sliced thinly. (I used a mixture of red and white onions. Mine were bulbs about one and a half inches in diameter. You can use just about any onions. This is more of a theme thing.)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp grated fresh pepper
3 Tbl flour
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese or cheese mix
1-1/2 cups milk
4 Tbl cold butter cut into chunks

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13-inch casserole with butter spray. Put in your first layer of potato slices. Layer on a scattering of onion slices with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the flour and half of the cheese mixture. Now layer on the rest of the potatoes, onions, salt and pepper. Put the last of the cheese on top. Pour the milk over the whole casserole, distributing it evenly. Scatter the chunks of butter on top. Put in your oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes uncovered until tender and browned on top to your liking. Check to make sure the potatoes are done by sticking in a sharp knife. If the knife slides through easily, the potatoes are cooked. This is a shallow dish so everyone gets plenty of the favorite crispy top. Because it's a shallow dish, though, this casserole doesn't take as long to bake as some potato casseroles, so keep an eye on it toward the end. If you like your potatoes even browner, you can leave it in a few more minutes.

Let stand outside the oven to cool a few minutes before serving so you don't burn your mouth--and the potatoes will actually taste better.