Fall Vegetable Hash

This recipe is one that I found in a magazine at a doctor’s office and was scrambling to write it all down to try. I think it was an issue of Woman’s Day, but I’m not solid on that. The original recipe didn’t include white potatoes, but I wanted them and added them. At any rate, this recipe looked absolutely delicious, and it certainly turned out to be that! It’s great through the winter too. Hey, it’s a hash, which I love, and it has bacon in it. Need I say more? ;)

So, let’s get cooking!

Sauté the bacon in a skillet. When done (I like mine medium soft, not crispy), set the bacon aside on a plate, but leave 2 Tbl bacon drippings in the pan. When the bacon is cool enough, chop up finely.

While the bacon is cooking, get your vegetables ready. Dice the Vidalia onion, and slice the cloves of garlic thinly.

Peel and dice the rutabaga, sweet potato, and white potatoes, into about 3/4” chunks...

                            ...and quarter the Brussels sprouts.

In the same skillet with the bacon drippings, sauté the onions, garlic, and rutabaga, for about 10 minutes, medium heat. Stir several times during the entire cooking process.

Add the sweet potatoes and cook for 10 more minutes.

Now add the white potatoes, cooking for 10 minutes.

Stir in the quartered Brussels sprouts and sauté about 8 more minutes or so.

If you want to brown it a little more, turn up the heat just a touch while the Brussels sprouts are cooking, but keep stirring the hash. Add the chopped bacon and mix in.





Serve and enjoy! ~TMMF

Fall Vegetable Hash

8 oz bacon
1 sm rutabaga
1 lg sweet potato
2 md white potatoes
12 oz Brussels sprouts
½ Vidalia onion
3 lg cloves garlic

Crash Hot Potatoes

I found the recipe for Crash Hot Potatoes on the internet, but I have no idea who created it. This recipe is so easy to make, and one that the kids might like to help with, especially when it comes to using a potato masher to mash down the spuds on the sheet pan. And they are SO good!! I love potatoes, but there is something about potatoes that are somewhat crispy on the outside and soft inside, and bursting with flavor! Who cares about carbs; these are delicious!

So, the first thing you need to do is boil the little potatoes until they are just tender. Poke them with a fork or sharp knife in the middle to tell. Drain and set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, you can grate the Parmesan or Asiago cheese and gather together the olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and fresh or dried herbs of your choice. I chose rosemary, which is wonderful on potatoes.

When the potatoes are ready, place on a greased sheet pan and smash down halfway with a potato masher, going one way once and the other way once, much like how you criss-cross peanut butter cookies with a fork.

Drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle on the herbs you have chosen.

Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Asiago. I used Asiago on these, but when I make this recipe in the future, I am going to use both, and more. I love cheese! ;)





Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. They should be lightly browned on the edges and top, and the cheese nicely melted. Serve with sour cream if desired. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Crash Hot Potatoes

Baby potatoes
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Herbs of your choice
   (rosemary is great with these!)
Fresh Parmesan and/or Asiago cheese

Rosemary Potatoes

Rosemary Potatoes are another childhood favorite of mine that my mom often made at home. I’m not sure if other children would have turned up their noses at this fragrant side dish, but my siblings and I loved it. I hope your family will too!

Scrub the potatoes well if you’re leaving the peels on them. You can peel them if you’d like; I can’t, therefore I leave them on for extra nutrition and fiber, as well as saving time. Slice them into wedges (cut in half, then each half into sixths or so) and rinse well to remove the excess starch.

Melt the butter in a small bowl using the microwave. Add the oil to it and mix.

Place the drained potato wedges in a large bowl. Drizzle the butter/oil mixture on the wedges and mix well to coat. It may solidify, but that’s okay. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Add the rosemary leaves, rubbing through your hands before releasing them into the bowl, and mix.

Spread on a sheet pan evenly and bake in a preheated 400° oven for 30-45 minutes, until toasty browned. You can turn them in between if you’d like, but I never do and they come out just fine. These go very well with a chicken meal, and they’re so easy. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Rosemary Potatoes

4-5 large potatoes, any kind
2 Tbl butter
1 Tbl oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1-2 Tbl dried whole rosemary

Company Mashed Potatoes

This is a lovely recipe that my sister Susan used to make and shared with me. I will mention that I’ve tweaked it to my own taste. The first time I had these potatoes, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. ;) They are so very easy to make, and only add mere minutes to the prep and cooking time. They truly are a special recipe to make for when you have company over. Let’s get cooking!

Cut the potatoes into medium sized chunks. I stopped peeling potatoes over a decade ago. At first it was because I couldn’t peel them, due to a rare allergy, but a couple of years after that, I was thinking one day and realized that restaurants offer mashed potatoes with the skins and it’s considered “gourmet.” Thus, I stopped having someone peel them for me long ago.



Rinse well. And I do mean well. The key to making great mashed potatoes is to make sure you rinse all the starch off the potatoes prior to cooking. You can put them in a colander and spray with water for several minutes, turning them over and spraying to ensure complete rinsing. Or, like I do, place them in the pot you’re using to boil them in and add water, swish around, hold potatoes back while you dump the water out, and repeat several times.

If you have rinsed the potatoes well enough, the water in the pot should be clear of any starch; crystal clear. Boil the potatoes until a knife inserted into one of the largest chunks goes through easily. This can take anywhere from 30-45 minutes.

While the potatoes are boiling, you can shred the cheese. I love how the apple hardwood smoked cheddar cheese lends a hearty smoky flavor to this dish, but if you don’t have that, use extra sharp cheddar cheese. Mince the onion finely.





When done, drain the potatoes in a colander immediately. Never let the potatoes sit in the water when they’re done; this is another factor that can make for gluey mashed potatoes in the end.

While the potatoes are draining, add the butter to the pan. Place the potatoes back into the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste (½ tsp of each) and the evaporated milk. With a mixer, beat the potatoes until smooth.

Turn the heat on under the potatoes to medium. Add the smoked cheddar cheese and minced onion. The reason the onion needed to be minced finely is because you’re only going to cook it for 5-7 minutes or so, stirring every few seconds, until it’s somewhat tender and the cheese is melted. See? There’s a reason for why we do things the way we do in cooking and baking. ;)

When done, turn off the heat and serve.  I made this recipe with Rosemary Chicken and carrots. Company Mashed Potatoes is such an easy recipe, but so delicious it will wow your friends and family. Enjoy! ~TMMF





                                                        Company Mashed Potatoes
                                                              (serves 6-8)

                                                        5 large potatoes
                                                        ½ c. butter
                                                        ½ c. evaporated milk
                                                        ¼ to 1/3 c. minced onion
                                                        1 c. grated apple hardwood smoked cheddar cheese
                                                              (or extra sharp cheddar cheese)

Cheesy Scalloped Ham and Potatoes

What’s on the menu today? Cheesy Scalloped Ham and Potatoes! If it involves cheese, I’m in! This dish does require a little more time to prepare, but it’s very easy and well worth the effort.

Chop the onions and set them in a skillet with a little butter to sauté on medium heat until tender and browned.

While the onions are cooking, dice the ham. I like mine somewhat small because I can use less and still make sure every bite has plenty of ham in it.

After you've washed the potatoes, slice them into about 1/8” wide slices.

Grate the cheddar cheese and set aside.

Spray a 9 X 13” baking pan with cooking spray. Layer half the potato slices in the baking pan, and sprinkle half the ham and half the sautéed onions.

Layer the Swiss cheese and sprinkle half the cheddar cheese on top. Sprinkle salt and pepper if you’d like.





Begin again, layering the potatoes, ham, sautéed onions, and then lastly, the rest of the cheddar cheese. The Swiss cheese is only placed in the middle of this casserole.

Open the evaporated milk and pour evenly over the entire casserole.

Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes. Let set 5-10 minutes and serve.

Cheesy Scalloped Ham and Potatoes
     (serves 6-8)

6 large potatoes
1 medium Vidalia onion
1-1 ½ c. ham
6-8 slices Swiss cheese
1 ½ c. extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 cans evaporated milk