Parmesan Potato Balls

I've mentioned before that my side dishes are often lacking in the creativity department. Rice, roasted potatoes, cheesy pasta - that's pretty much my repertoire. So when I spotted this recipe for Parmesan potato balls in the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet magazine (a really great purchase, by the way!) I knew I had to give them a try. I'm going to link to the original recipe here, but I made a lot of changes so I'm posting my modified version below. First off, I'm lazy when it comes to mashed potatoes. DH and I are both perfectly content with instant mashed potatoes so I just can't be bothered going through the process of boiling and mashing potatoes. Plus, while I had cornflakes in my pantry for the crust, I didn't feel like crushing them up (hey, it was Friday night, what can I say?) so I used breadcrumbs instead.

These potato balls were really good! They had a nice crunchy exterior with a warm, creamy interior - very comforting. Plus, they had great flavor from the onion soup mix and hot sauce. Joe and I both liked these and I'll definitely be adding them to my side dish rotation!

Parmesan Potato Balls

3 cups prepared mashed potatoes
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 1/2 teaspoons onion soup mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 dash pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese into the potatoes until smooth. Stir in Parmesan cheese, soup mix, salt, hot pepper sauce and pepper. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place the egg and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip potato balls in egg, then roll in crumbs. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.

Southwestern Potatoes

It's all too easy to get into a rut with side dishes. I find I make the same main dish accompaniments over and over again. This is not your same old side dish though! I found these little goodies on Melissa's blog and am officially in love with them. They're awesome! The flavor is fantastic thanks to the barbecue sauce and they're the perfect mix of slightly soft and crispy. Yum! The only change I made was to use less cheese then called for to make them less fattening. I just sprinkled a little bit of cheese on top and they were good to go. If you're in need of something different to spice up your dinner plate, these babies are it!

Southwestern Potatoes

2 unpeeled large potatoes, scrubbed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used more like 1/4 cup)
bacon bits
1/2 sour cream, optional (for dipping)

Line 2 large baking sheets with foil and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Toss the potatoes, olive oil, garlic salt and pepper in a big ziploc bag to coat the potatoes. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Brush with barbecue sauce, then top with the shredded cheese and bacon bits. Bake until the cheese melts, about 3-5 minutes. Top with sour cream, if desired.

Crash into me

Touch your lips just so I know, In your eyes love it glows so....

Sorry, sorry. Focus. Potatoes. Okay. These potatoes, known as Crash Hot Potatoes, come from The Pioneer Woman and have been circulating the blogosphere recently. In fact, so many people have made them that I felt I had no choice but to give them a try myself. They are super easy to make and taste good. (And despite what Joe may tell you, they look and taste nothing like a Chick-Fil-A waffle fries, but humor him and smile and nod, okay?) Maybe all the hype surrounding these ruined them for me though, because while they were good, they were really just baked potatoes. But who doesn't like potatoes?

Crash Hot Potatoes

New Potatoes

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

Olive Oil

Fresh chopped Rosemary (I used Italian seasoning)

Begin by bringing a salted pot of water to boil. Add washed potatoes and cook until they are fork tender. Meanwhile, generously drizzle olive oil over a cookie sheet or baking dish (suited to the number of potatoes you’re cooking). When potatoes are finished cooking, place them on the cooking sheet or in the baking dish a few inches apart. Take a potato masher and gently press down on the potato until is slightly mashes. Turn the masher 90 degrees and mash again, ever so slightly. Don’t completely flatten the potato, though. When all of the potatoes are mashed, drizzle or brush olive oil over each one. Then salt and pepper them, adding the chopped rosemary at the end. Broil them at 450 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, until browned and crispy!

Baked Pierogie Casserole

Even though I'm the Polish one, Joe is the pierogie lover in our house. I usually just saute them with some olive oil and onions, but when I saw this recipe for baked pierogie casserole on Mary Ellen's blog I thought it would be the perfect way to change things up a bit. Joe bought cheddar and jalapeno flavored pierogies at the store, so I used cheddar cheese in my sauce to compliment them, and I used 3/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup light cream in an attempt to keep the fat reasonable. I also reduced the amount of onion in the original recipe because it seemed like a lot to me. This was very good. Creamy and cheesy but also very spicy. I couldn't tell if the heat came from the pierogies themselves or the sauce, but with 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, my money's on the sauce. I may reduce that amount next time as it was too spicy for my tastes, but Joe really enjoyed it which was what mattered! I ate my pierogies with a grilled turkey sausage and grilled asparagus while Joe had a rare treat -a steak. For both of our dinners, these were a great side!

Baked Pierogie Casserole

1 package frozen pierogies (12 per package)
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp flour
1 c light cream or milk (I used 3/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup light cream)
Approximately 1 c shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

Preheat oven to 375.
Bring a pot of water to a boil; drop in pierogies and let cook for 3-4 minutes. Transfer 6 to a baking dish (so they cover the bottom), and keep the other 6 aside until you are ready to assemble the casserole. (I cooked six at a time and timed it so my second set of pierogies were done at the same time as my cheese sauce)
Make the cheese sauce: Heat olive oil in a pot. Add all onions and red pepper flakes; saute 2 minutes. Add flour and stir. Add cream/milk and bring to a simmer. Add cheeses, and stir until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour some of the cheese sauce over the first layer of pierogies. Add the rest of the pierogies and top with more cheese sauce. Top with breadcrumbs.
Bake on 375 for about 15 minutes or until bubbly. Turn on the broiler for 3 minutes at the end.

Halloween Hash Browns

Okay, this dish really has nothing to do with Halloween, other than the fact that I made it for dinner on Halloween, but the title stands. Honestly, I did not expect to like this casserole. I essentially made it for Joe - his mom makes a hash brown casserole that he loves and I wanted to try a new version for him. But I ended up really enjoying it! It's nice and creamy and has a great flavor. The recipe is from Cooking Light but it came to my attention on an article from All Recipes, 10 Casseroles Under 300 Calories. I prepared it the night before as suggested in the recipe and refrigerated it all day. Then I just popped it in the oven when I got home and I was free to answer the door for trick-or-treaters while it baked. I served it as a side dish to chicken breasts but it would be perfect for a brunch too.

Hash Brown Casserole with Bacon, Onions, and Cheese

Ingredients
6 bacon slices (I used turkey bacon)

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded Classic Melts Four Cheese blend, divided (I used shredded sharp cheddar)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed 30% reduced-sodium, 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

Cooking spray

Preparation

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and crumble. Discard drippings in pan. Add 1 cup onion and garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the potatoes; cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine crumbled bacon, 1/4 cup cheese, green onions, sour cream, salt, pepper, and soup in a large bowl. Add potato mixture; toss gently to combine. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Remove casserole from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Bake casserole, covered, at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly around edges and cheese begins to brown.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 293(31% from fat); FAT 10g (sat 4.8g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 12.2g; CHOLESTEROL 31mg; CALCIUM 214mg; SODIUM 720mg; FIBER 4.7g; IRON 0.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41.4g

Happy Halloween!