March 14th: Cheesy Roasted Potatoes

Halfway through March and I finally cook something new! March has been a good month for eating: out to the Wellington Gastropub for my birthday, Greg and I did a Mexican cooking class at The Urban Element, and with my parents in town for March Break, we ate out a few more times, at the Mill St. Brew Pub, Wellington Gastropub again, and Town. The one night we ate in, with my parents and Greg's in attendance, we cooked up the last of the steaks and sausages from our freezer, and accompanied them with salad and the following recipe, from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry.


Roasted Potato Casserole (AKA Darth Tater)


2 1/2 lbs (1.1 kg) unpeeled, thin-skinned potatoes (red or white)
1 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each freshly ground black pepper, paprika and dried thyme
1 can (10 oz/284 mL) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or parsley
1/2 cup packed shredded old cheddar cheese
1 green onion, chopped


Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks and place in a lightly oiled 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Add onions, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme and mix well. Roast potatoes for 3o minutes, stirring once, halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.


In a medium bowl, mix together soup, Parmesan cheese, and dill. Pour over potatoes. Mix well. Sprinkle grated cheddar on top, followed by green onion. Return potatoes to oven, and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and potatoes are golden brown around edges. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.


Makes 6-8 servings.*


*The cookbook tells you 10. I say otherwise.