Cheesy Potato Casserole

This recipe is one of my family’s favorites! Cheesy potatoes are the perfect side dish with just about any entree!! It compliments steak, chicken or fish… and is so yummy too! It's sure to be a hit at your family’s table or holiday meal as well.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Yield: 6 - 8 servings … cut in half for smaller dinners

Ingredients:

6 - 8 medium potatoes, russets or Yukon gold
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 cups low fat milk, preferably non fat or 1%
1 cup light sour cream
3 ounces light cream cheese, softened
2 cups reduced fat shredded cheese, sharp cheddar or colby jack

Equipment needed:

Dry measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Liquid measuring cup, preferably large 4 cup but not essential
Chef knife
Paring knife
Cutting board
Wire whisk
Rubber spatula
Colander
8 x 8-inch baking pan or 2-quart casserole dish
Large pot ~ 3 quart with lid
Medium 2 quart saucepan

Preheat oven to 350 F.

This recipe has a few steps to it but nothing too complicated a beginner cook can't make successfully! Gather your ingredients and wash potatoes well. I don't ever peel potatoes unless I am making mashed potatoes and even then I leave some skins for meal appeal and texture. Skins also provide fiber and nutrients are often right below the skin in many vegetables. If you prefer white, peeled potatoes… be my guest and get the vegetable peeler out! Trim out black spots or eyes starting to sprout too.

First you will need to chop your onions, mince garlic and cube the potatoes. Cubing potatoes into roughly one inch pieces is best and not too big for your mouth either. Cutting them uniformly is also important for even cooking time. When cubing potatoes you don't need to get a ruler out, just slice potato lengthwise four times. Then divide potato in half and set on cutting board so you have it on a flat, safe surface. Cutting round vegetables can be challenging and dangerous. It is easier to slice three or four times lengthwise on each half than a wobbly whole potato. Then cut long tendrils of potato into ~ 1 inch cubes across, as shown above. Place cut potatoes into larger pot and add 1 tablespoon of salt. I learned along time ago that potatoes and rice taste better when you salt the water during cooking instead of after. Cover potatoes with water by about one inch and stir well. Cover pot with lid and bring to a boil. Stir again and simmer about 8 – 10 minutes or tender- crisp.

While the potatoes are cooking you will need to sauté onions and garlic and make the sauce. Here is where having vegetables cut and ready is helpful and makes the cooking process more efficient. Heat medium saucepan over medium heat for about 2 – 3 minutes. Slice butter into chunks and melt. Add onions & garlic to the melted butter. Turn the heat down if they sizzle as you don't want burnt vegetables and butter. Sauté and stir occasionally until onions are aromatic, translucent and yellow in color.

While onions are sautéing, ready milk and flour to make the slurry. If you don't have a 4 cup measuring cup, no worries, use a medium size bowl instead. Add flour, salt and pepper to milk and whisk until smooth. The slurry will act as the thickening agent for your white sauce. (Another option is to create a roux with the flour and buttery onion mixture, and then add the milk and whisk together until smooth. Either way will have the same end result.)

To create your white sauce, add milk slurry to sautéed mixture and stir well. Heat over medium heat while stirring occasionally until mixture thickens. This will take about 5-8 minutes or after mixture starts to steam. If milk mixture starts to boil, turn off the heat immediately. Low and slow is the dairy motto, otherwise you wind up with a scorched, burnt sauce. Patience is the key! While the sauce is heating, cube cream cheese into about 6 – 8 chunks and set aside.

When sauce is thickened, turn off heat and add cream cheese cubes and sour cream. Still well with rubber spatula until sour cream and cream cheese are no longer visible. Add 1 cup of the shredded cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for the topping. Stir well until combined.

While cheese sauce is cooking check the potatoes periodically and stir. After about 8 minutes test the potatoes for doneness. As mentioned before, they should be tender- crisp when ready for draining. They should not fall apart when pierced, otherwise you will have cheesy mashed potatoes. Not a bad side dish either… but we want cubed potatoes for the casserole. Sometimes tasting one is your best tester and should have a slight bite to them and not fall apart easily. Remember, they will be hot! When the potatoes are ready, drain in a large colander. Make sure all the water drains or your sauce will be watery. Place drained potatoes into greased baking pan and level to spread them out evenly.

** Generously grease baking dish by using butter, olive oil or vegetable spray and set aside.

Almost there! Pour sauce evenly over panned potatoes. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir potatoes and sauce to ensure even sauce distribution and baking pan is filled as shown. Sometimes I use two smaller Pyrex bowls for a double batch, especially if I am not baking them all or plan on saving some for later.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over surface of potatoes and sauce. If you like cheese, adding a little more on top is an option. At this point, you can wrap a casserole and refrigerate for baking later, thus the joy of being able to make stuff ahead and bake later. I do this often for larger family dinners as it makes the actual day less hectic. Bake casserole in preheated 350 F oven for about 30 -35 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Remove casserole and allow to stand for about 10 minutes. If the sauce seems a bit runny, it will tighten up as it cools. Often to reheat the next day, I add a few tablespoons of milk and stir, add more cheese on top and rebake… equally as good the second time around! Serve with your favorite grilled meat or holiday roast… Enjoy!!