Browned Butter Sweet Potato Casserole

I'm not a huge casserole fan but this is the best sweet potato thing I've ever eaten! It's time for dinner and I would rather just skip the dinner meal and have a heaping plate of this in its place. I would be happy if this were the only thing I had to eat for the thanksgiving feast =). 
Growing up I never cared for sweet potato anything but that has definitely changed. Now I say it's a Thanksgiving must! It's basically a dessert that passes for a side, so how could you not love it? 
This recipe is a pretty basic recipe. I chose not to add in any spices, cream, citrus or even vanilla because I didn't want to drown out any of that incredible browned butter flavor. Some of you may be thinking this girl puts browned butter in everything. And I say, well why not? My motto: if it's going to have butter it may as well be browned. There are some exceptions to that but not many. Browned butter enhances everything that's lucky enough to contain it's goodness. When it's added to something along with brown sugar it seems to give it a caramel-y flavor. Another highlight of make this recipe is that you won't need to light any scented candles for the holiday =). To me browned butter is basically the best scent in the world. I want to cook it sometimes just so my home can be filled with it's captivating, delightfully fragrant, nutty, caramel-like smell. Does it come in perfume?
The other thing I chose to do with this recipe is yo use two toppings. Why stick with just one? That way it gives people two options to choose from, the marshmallow or crunchy pecan corn flake topping. I always take a scoop that has half of each because I love them both. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Browned Butter Sweet Potato Casserole
Yields about 12 servings

Ingredients:
5 lbs sweet potatoes
1/2 cup salted butter, diced into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1/3 cup milk

Topping:
2 1/4 cups crushed corn flakes (begin with about 5 cups and crush to about 2 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used pre-chopped pecan chips to save time)
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup salted butter, diced into 1-inch pieces
3 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork and transfer to a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake about 1 hour, or until very tender when pierced with a fork. Meanwhile brown 1/2 cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally (for stages of browning butter see notes below).
Remove potatoes from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350. Cut each in half and scoop out flesh into a large mixing bowl. Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Pour in 1/2 cup browned butter, using a rubber spatula to scrape excess butter from pan, add granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light-brown sugar and salt then using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together until well combine. Add in eggs and mix until well blended, then pour in milk and mix until well blended. Pour mixture into a buttered 13 x 9 baking dish and spread into an even layer. 
Brown remaining 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan. Pour crushed cornflakes into a mixing bowl, along with chopped pecans and 1/4 cup light-brown sugar and mix to combine. Pour browned butter over mixture and toss to evenly coat. Spread mixture into diagonal rows over mashed sweet potato mixture leaving about a 1 1/2-inch gap between rows. Bake in preheated oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and spread marshmallows between rows of corn flake topping. Return to oven and bake until marshmallows are lightly golden about 8 - 12 minutes (I didn't brown mine much because I like the contrast of color between the white of the marshmallow and golden brown of the corn flake topping). Serve warm. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Stages of browning butter: butter will first melt, it will become lemony yellow and after a minute or two it will begin to splatter a bit, then it will foam and begin to smell nutty, then little brown specks will begin to appear in the center of the golden foamy bubbles - this is when you remove it from heat. I wait just a few seconds for a generous amount of specs maybe a 2-inch circle before removing from heat. Color wise it should go from a yellow, to golden tan, to an orange-y toasty golden brown. I personally like to push it to the limit before removing from heat to get a really nice browned flavor, be sure you don't take it off too early while also not waiting too long.

Note that if you are making this in advance to refrigerate then bake the following day, don't add the corn flake topping until baking or it will become stale. Also I'd recommend placing cold casserole in cool oven and let it preheat with oven. 

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Mom's Mashed Potatoes

With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away I'm so excited to start the month off right and be a part of such a fun virtual progressive dinner! So I want to say thank you to Mother Huddle for asking me to be part of such a great event!

Now regarding this recipe, I need to begin by saying, Mom, you were right. Didn't want to admit it but you are. Cooking the potatoes in the smallest amount of water possible yields better results then covering them entirely with water when cooking them. I know we've had our separate opinions on this but I'd have to say I think the "Food Network" may not always be right :). 

I made potatoes on Sunday, covering them entirely with water to cook, as I usually do because that's what I've always seen them do on Food Network and read in the directions of countless recipes, so I just assume that's the right method. If you ask me, there is no right and wrong way of cooking. They are all just opinions, but yes some methods yield better results then others. Well, my Sunday potatoes were much more "water logged" as my mom calls it, than this batch of mashed potatoes I made today cooking them in a smaller amount of water. My mom always said, cooking them in a small amount of water (basically creating a steam bath) will give you better mashed potatoes. I think it's true and it makes sense too. If you cover them entirely with water I think you are basically boiling off many of the starches and flavors and filling them with water. The key is to use just a few cups of water while keeping an eye on the water level as they cook to make sure you water doesn't completely evaporate, or yes they will burn. 

My Grandpa was a potato farmer so I hope my family knows a thing or two about cooking potatoes :). Growing up, we rarely missed a Sunday of meat and potatoes. My mom always made a Sunday roast and served mashed potatoes with gravy alongside it. And as far as instant potatoes go, I didn't even know that they existed until my late teens because my mom didn't believe in them. 

I've adapted what my mom taught me about making mashed potatoes to go along with a few ideas of my own, to create what I believe are the perfect mashed potatoes. This was always one of those recipes of my mom's that was a bit of this and a little of that until the consistency was where she wanted. She didn't ever heat the milk and cream but I like to so the potatoes don't cool off so quickly. I also decided to add the butter first, while mashing and before the liquids are added because it seems to give them a silkier and creamier texture. The butter seems to adhere to the potatoes. These are the potatoes you are going to want to serve this Thanksgiving, covered with that homemade Turkey gravy. I'm telling you my mom has always made the best potatoes! They are amazingly creamy, silky, fluffy and smooth, with just the right amount of richness and an incredibly delicious flavor. They are Heavenly. Enjoy! 

Mom's Mashed Potatoes
Yields about 8 servings

4 lbs Russet Potatoes (about 8 medium potatoes)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk, preferably 2% or whole
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt, then to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Peel, rinse and dice potatoes into large chunks (I diced my medium potatoes into 6 pieces total). Fill an 8 quart saucepan with 2 2/3 cups cold water (pan should have about 1/2-inch of water). Add diced potatoes to cold water. Heat potatoes over high heat, stirring occasionally, until water begins to boil. As soon as water begins to boil, reduce heat to medium high and cover pan with lid and cook about 20 - 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking and keeping a close eye on the water level (2 2/3 cups was the perfect amount for me, but if your pan doesn't have a fairly tight fitting lid then a lot of water may evaporate and escape so you may need to add about 1/2 cup more hot tap water to prevent potatoes from burning), until potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork. During the last few minutes of cooking potatoes, heat heavy cream, milk and sour cream in a small saucepan over medium high heat until very warm, whisking occasionally.
Remove cooked potatoes from heat and strain any excess water from potatoes. Pour strained potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Pour melted butter over potatoes and mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth, about 2 - 3 minutes (I wouldn't recommend using a wire type potato masher). Pour 3/4 of the very warm cream mixture over mashed potatoes, season with 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste then using and electric hand mixer on low speed blend until well combine (adding more salt as desired). Then increase speed to medium-high speed and whip for about 2 - 3 minutes, adding remaining cream mixture as desired to reach desired consistency (if you like thick mashed potatoes you may not want to add it, and if you like them thin you can add a little more milk to thin as desired), until potatoes are fluffy and smooth. Serve warm topped with gravy or butter if desired.

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It wouldn't be a party without a door prize now would it?  Using the rafflecopter below put your name in the "hat" for a $200 gift card to 1 store of your choice: Target, Kroger, or Walmart - to cover your Thanksgiving dinner.  That's right, we're going to pay for someone's Thanksgiving dinner! To enter just pin this page to Pinterest.  For a couple more entries you can follow the new Pinterest board Simple And Delicious Weeknight Meals, and follow the newSimple and Delicious Weeknight Meals Facebook Page.  Won't these be handy for the busy Holiday weeknights?

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Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Potatoes (A One Pot Hassle Free Meal)

There's nothing like a fall apart tender roast that's cooked low and slow along with some fresh veggies and a seasonings to highlight all of it's delicious flavors. This meal is one of the easiest meals you'll ever make. Yes there are countless ways to prepare a pot roast. You can be professional and brown the roast in some olive oil prior to slow cooking, as well as sauteing some sliced onions and freshly minced garlic. To me though, a slow cook meal is a hassle free meal. One that you can toss in and go. A busy day one pot meal. So, I created this recipe to be just that, no browning or sauteing required. The hardest part of this meal is dicing the potatoes, yes that's just how easy it is. Anyone can make this and everyone will utterly and completely enjoy it! Flavorful, unbelievably simple and amazingly delicious.
If you want you can throw it all in from the beginning (roast first then veggies on top), I just prefer that my veggies don't turn to mush. That's why I prepared it as listed but just do what works for you. Also, if you'd like you can also use red potatoes in place of the Russet potatoes. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Yields about 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs chuck roast
1 1/4 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 3/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 medium Russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed then diced into chunks about 3/4" - 1"
12 oz. baby carrots

Directions:
Place chuck roast in a slow cooker. Pour beef broth over roast, and drizzle with Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder then season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW heat 7 hours. 
Remove roast to a large plate or cutting board, reserving broth in slow cooker (it should be fall apart tender so it will likely break apart when you lift it out). Add diced potatoes and baby carrots to slow cooker in broth (the broth should cover the veggies), return roast to slow cooker placing on top of vegetables. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, or until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Plate and ladle with broth in slow cooker.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potato Soup

I didn't know traditional creamy potato soup could get any better! I love a warm bowl of homestyle potato soup, which is why I decided to give it an upgrade. I grew up eating a lot of meat and potato meals. I don't think my mom ever missed a Sunday dinner of roast beef and mashed potatoes (and NEVER the instant potatoes, I didn't even know they existed growing up). So, basically potatoes are one food I could never part with. One of my favorite dinner sides is Twice Baked Potatoes. 
The inspiration for this soup came from those incredibly delicious Twice Baked Potatoes, those dreamy, creamy potatoes that are loaded with Cheddar cheese, sprinkled with browned crispy bacon and chopped green onions then they're finished off with a generous drizzling of creamy Ranch dressing. Yeah, all of that in soup form and this soup better be good right? It's definitely my new favorite potato soup, I'm not sure if I'll be able to eat the traditional plain old potato soup anymore. This stuff is just too flavorful and cheesily delicious to look back to that soup again =). 
This recipe may seem a little different, I didn't make a roux to add the flour, rather I whisked it into the milk. I didn't want to add butter because the mayonnaise already replaced the fat and creaminess of what butter would do. I also chose to use sharp cheddar cheese because in my opinion when you use sharp you can use less cheese (then if you were to use mild or medium) and therefor you're adding less calories (don't get me wrong this isn't a low calorie soup, I just try to lightly reduce calories where I can). I decided to leave the carrot and celery out of this recipe so it's more like a loaded or twice baked potato but if you really wanted to you could add them.
If you want even more of a ranch flavor you could drizzle the top of the soup with additional ranch, made according to the directions on the package. I hope you love this soup as much as I do and make it often this upcoming fall and winter season! There's nothing like a perfect bowl of soup to warm a cold fall evening. Enjoy! 

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potato Soup
Yields about 6 servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix

3 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into about 3/4-1" cubes (about 8 medium potatoes)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth*
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, divided (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 oz. finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (or crumbled if you like it extra crispy)
3 green onions, chopped

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup milk and ranch seasoning mix. Cover bowl and refrigerate. 
Heat olive oil a large cast iron dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and saute about 4 minutes until golden, add garlic and saute 1 more minute. Add chicken broth and diced potatoes and bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover pot and cook 15 - 20 minutes until potatoes are very tender. 
In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups milk with 1/4 cup flour (whisk very well to break up flour) and pour mixture into soup. Increase temperature to medium high heat, and bring mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly (stirring constantly will help break down the potatoes a bit). Once mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to low, add ranch dressing mixture from refrigerator, 1 cup (4 oz) grated Cheddar cheese, grated Parmesan cheese and season with black pepper to taste. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently (note, if you want smaller potato chunks in the soup you can simply mash the soup with a potato masher to break them down a bit more). Serve warm, sprinkle each serving with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and chopped green onions. 

*you can use low sodium chicken broth if you prefer, for this recipe I just used regular and didn't add any salt to the soup. If you use low sodium you may want to add additional salt to the soup.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Perfect Breakfast Potatoes

If you've been following my blog you've probably noticed by now breakfast is kind of my thang. I love a delicious breakfast meal served up any time of day. I mentioned before how I've posted all these main entrees for breakfast but I've never posted the sides I serve with them. 
I've been making these potatoes for many years, so I'd hope I can say I've perfected the recipe. I've tried different cooking methods, different oils, played with seasonings and now here are the exact results I was looking for. Perfectly tender interior, with a gorgeously browned exterior, slightly moist, with just the right amount of flavor and seasoning. You can use plain old salt and pepper (if you want to be boring =) or you can add some pizzazz with the delicious seasoning blend listed. Below are a few things I wanted to list, that in my opinion, make the perfect breakfast potatoes:


1. Pre-bake the potatoes. If they are cooked halfway before you fry them then they don't end up under cooked in the middle.
7. Leave the skins on when dicing. Less work (no peeling necessary), more taste and more vitamins. With that said why wouldn't you?
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil was my favorite oil for frying. I've tried butter, bacon fat and vegetable oil and EVOO is where it's at. Not only do the potatoes taste better fried with EVOO but they are much better for you.
3. Season generously. I'm not saying over salt your potatoes, I'm saying a little flavor goes a long way. I love the flavors that garlic and onion powder add to these. Alternately if you love Potatoes O'Brian you could add diced onion, and diced green and red bell pepper.
4. Cover potatoes with a lid while frying, this helps the potatoes maintain some of the moisture as well as helping them evenly cook through.
5. Don't over-stir. If you stir too often you won't get the perfectly golden edges. Just think of flipping a pancake, you don't want to flip it before it's golden, it's the same with breakfast potatoes, you shouldn't "flip" them until they are golden.
6. Serve immediately. Potatoes get soggy after sitting too long after cooking. It's a silly thing but I always get frustrated when people are late for a breakfast meal I'm serving. Breakfast meals/sides aren't nearly as good cold or reheated. This includes breakfast potatoes.


All the above are my personal opinion. I'm not a professional chef (just wannabe =). They are tips I've found through personal experience through trial and error. I hope you love these potatoes and maybe even make them as often as I do (I make them at least once a week, sometimes even three).

Breakfast Potatoes
Yields about 5 servings 


Ingredients:
5 small Russet Potatoes (total weight should be about 1.5 lbs)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
1 1/2 - 2 tsp Herb Seasoning, to taste (recipe can be found here)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile rinse and scrub potatoes then pierce each potato several times with a fork. Bake potatoes in preheat oven for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool 30 minutes then chill overnight (alternately you could dice and cook potatoes immediately, I've just found it's more convenient to bake them ahead of time when I'm already making baked potatoes for dinner or baking another dish. Also, potatoes seem to cut cleaner if they've been chilled). 
Dice chilled potatoes into 1/2" cubes. Pour extra virgin olive oil into a 10" non-stick skillet and heat over medium high heat. Once oil barely begins to smoke, carefully pour diced potatoes into hot oil. Immediately sprinkle with Herb Seasoning then toss potatoes with a heat proof spatula. Cover pan with lid and cook potatoes, stirring every few minutes as they begin to lightly brown on bottom, about 8 - 12 minutes until potatoes have reached desired tenderness. Serve immediately. 
Note: sometimes I like to sprinkle them with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese after frying (cheese is good over nearly everything). Also, they are delish drizzled with ketchup, yep I'm all American with my side of Ketchup =). It's like french fries without ketchup, it just shouldn't be done.