Scalloped Potatoes (with Ham)

I have had some good and bad luck with these.  They always have great flavor but I recently changed the baking time because so often they would take an extra 40 minutes over what it called for.  Because this is such a great comfort food, it is one of my go-to’s when I am transporting a meal for a friend or shut-in and when I’m on a schedule like that the extra cooking time just doesn’t work.  My options: be late or serve chewy potatoes.  Believe me, nobody wants to crunch their way through scalloped potatoes, so my advice to you is slice the potatoes as thinly as possible and don’t rely solely on the baking time:  test them before removing from the oven.

This makes a great accompaniment to roasted meats but I usually add cooked, chopped ham and prepare this as a one dish main dish.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 T butter
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 dash salt
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 3 medium potatoes
• chopped, cooked ham (optional)

Grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole; set aside. For sauce, in a small saucepan cook onion and garlic in margarine till tender but not brown. Stir in flour, pepper and salt. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat till thickened and bubbly.

Thinly slice potatoes. Place half the sliced potatoes in the prepared casserole. Cover with half the sauce. Repeat potato and sauce layers.

Bake, covered, in a 350F oven for at least 1 1/4 hours.  Uncover and bake about 30 minutes more or till potatoes are tender. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

 

Recipe from unknown

Photo from gourmetrecipe.com

Runza casserole

If you’re not from the midwest, you may not be familiar with runzas.  They are dough pockets that are stuffed and baked with ground beef, cabbage, onion and your choice of other ingredients, including cheese, mushrooms, you name it.  Well, I am not blessed with the gift of pastry making nor endowed with the time to prepare each individual pocket, so I rely on the casserole equivalent.  Mmm, yum.  This is definitely one of Derek’s favorite meals and I try to surprise him with it every now and again.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cups shredded green cabbage
• salt and pepper
• 2 tubes crescent rolls
• 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, shredded or thinly sliced

Brown beef and onion.  Drain.  Put cabbage on meat and steam until tender, approximately 20 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Spread one tube rolls on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan.  Spread meat mixture on rolls, layer cheese slices and put the second tube of rolls on top of cheese.  Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.  Cover the last 10 minutes to soften the crust.

Recipe from Zipcode Cooking, Ainsworth, NE, 2001

Photo by knorrbuzz

Cheesy Hashbrown Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This dish is a staple for the Knorr-Buoy campouts at the Calamus.  It is a great, hearty dish for feeding the multitudes and, prepared in a disposable, aluminum casserole dish, clean up is a cinch.

Ingredients

2 lb. package frozen au gratin potatoes

2 lb. breakfast sausage

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 bell pepper, diced

1 jar alfredo sauce

10 eggs, beaten

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook sausage, onion and bell pepper in a medium skillet; drain excess fat.  Combine potatoes, sausage mixture, alfredo sauce and about 1/3 of the shredded cheese in a large bowl then transfer to a 9×13 pan.  Layer eggs evenly atop potato mixture and top with remaining shredded cheese.  Bake for 40-50 minutes at 350, or until eggs are set.

Recipe from Daunitta Buoy