Skip's Scalloped Potato Recipe
About Your Comments
Last week I removed a comment for good reason and I appreciate the support shown by readers. But I think we owe an explanation of our comment policy. Your comments are what make this blog work—If you didn't care enough to comment, the blog would die. Your comments are life giving; they share valued information and guide my research. And they have taught me something: women are different from men, even more than I had appreciated. (After all these years, still learning.) Not too many guys write comments, but when they do it is usually to argue some point. When women write they don't argue, rather they focus on areas of agreement and build consensus.
In the last thousand or so comments, I have only deleted three or four. One was from somebody selling something—this is a noncommercial blog. Two were from guys (including my best friend growing up, now a dentist); they were trying to help but by introducing contention. This isn't about thought control, or group-think; rather it's about survival of our shared cause. If we are united we can make a difference as our force builds; if we aruge with each other, our energy is dissipated and wasted. So we work to build areas of agreement about what matters most to your health, and try to be tolerant. That's our policy.
Second Request: Last week we asked you to share dishes that your men enjoyed, that used a minimum of meat. We didn't get any comments so we repeat the request. Please share your guy favorite recipes. Here is one of mine:
Skip's Scalloped Potatoes (Serves up to 12, adults and kids; use a 9” x 13” dish.)
I promised to share a recipe that used meat for seasoning, so here is my version of scalloped potatoes. This makes a nice Sunday meal when family or guests come and you have time to cook and visit. It’s pretty healthy, not too expensive, and just a little labor intensive (any husband can be trained to make this). I’ve made scalloped potatoes as my contribution to dinner for years; I used to start with a can of mushroom soup until a food writer made fun of cooks relying on canned soups. Cured me. Typically, recipes use either a milk-based sauce or chicken broth; I tried both together and liked the taste.
In retrospect, I see that scalloped potatoes are a good recipe for using any milk, broth, cheese, onions or potatoes going bad. Just toss in the odds and ends. As I’m not the fastest cook, I start 3 hrs. before dinner. I serve the scalloped potatoes with my homemade applesauce (Martha Stewart has it posted here, if you can believe), which I make while the scalloped potatoes are baking. Last time, one daughter brought a spinach salad and another daughter brought a tasty fruit tort made in a spring-form pan. We enjoyed a great meal that was pretty healthy and had leftovers for another night. After dinner we usually take the grandchildren for a walk down to the park or the beach. If we’re lucky we catch the sunset. Maybe we should call this “recipe for a perfect Sunday”.
Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
salt, pepper, and maybe a little rosemary, or crushed chilies, whatever.
6-8 oz of chopped pork (bacon, ham slice, or even a pork chop)
6-8 oz mushrooms, sliced
6 large russet potatoes (I keep an extra potato handy in case it’s needed to finish off the dish.
1 large yellow onion, or 2 if you’re an onion lover.
3 cups of grated cheese (I usually use Tillamook Cheddar, but on this day the refrigerator offered three: sharp cheddar, pepper jack, and Dubliner Irish cheese, and everyone liked the mixture.)
Directions:
1. In a saucepan make a roux by adding flour to heated butter. Stir in the milk and then the chicken broth and simmer a few minutes to thicken. Season with salt, pepper, and whatever. Set aside.
2. In a frying pan sauté the chopped meat and mushrooms in a few tbsp of butter. If the meat is not precooked, like bacon, put it in first. Set aside.
3. Wash and slice the potatoes, keeping them together like a stack of poker chips. Clean and chop the onion.
4. Arrange half the potato slices in a 9” x 13” baking dish. (Pre-spraying makes it easier to clean, they say.) Pour in half of the sauce, all of the mushroom/pork, and the onions. Layer the remaining potato slices on top and add the remaining sauce. (There should be at least ¼” of freeboard so the sauce doesn’t bubble into the oven while cooking, which makes the Beautiful Wife grumpy.)
5. Cook for 75 minutes at 350 degrees F. Add a single piece of foil over the dish midway if you don’t want the top layer of potatoes too crisp.
6. Remove from the oven. (The potatoes should be a little firm to a fork, but not too soft.) Layer the cheese on top and return to oven for 15 minutes more.
7. Let the dish cool 15-20 minutes before serving (potatoes will absorb any excess juice). Serve.
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 9:17PM | by Skip Hellewell | 33 Comments | 1 Reference | Share Article | in meat, recipe | Email Article
Reader Comments (33)
When I met my husband he thought any meal that didn't involve a big bit of meat was just a snack. 15 years later he's the one likely to request these meals below - or to make them for our two children who also love them. All our meals follow the principle of fill them up with veggies and add a little meat for protein/flavour.
ROASTED VEGGIES with ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND/OR HALLOUMI
Roast a full pan of veggies, potatoe, sweet potato, squash, courgette, carrot, parsnip, peppers, onions, garlic etc. cut into one inch chunks. after 20 minutes add in 3 sliced italian sausages and roast for another 40 minutes. 10 minutes before serving add thinly sliced halloumi cheese and increase the temperature of the oven by 10 degrees.
VIETNAMESE SALAD WITH GRILLED CHICKEN
Thinly slice red onion, white cabbage and garlic. Add grated carrot. Add juice of 2 limes, one finely chopped red chilli, 2 table spoons of vegetable or olive oil, 1 table spoon of fish sauce, chopped mint, cilantro and basil. mix well and leave for flavours to blend for 30 minutes. Grill some chicken breast, chop it and add to the salad.
BIG SALAD WITH CHORIZO
Make a big salad with leaves, tomato, avocado. Thinly slice some chorizo and fry in a dry pan (no other oil). When crispy add to salad. Mix some white wine vinegar with the oil that has come out of the chorizo in the pan. Use this as a dressing.
I am in the UK and I love your blog. It reinforces what I intuitively feel about feeding my family and gives me lots of backup for any doubters! Keep it up.
Skip - thanks for all the research and investigating you have been doing. Change is hard (and slow) for my family but you inspire me to keep trying! As for meatless menu items, some of our favorites are Tofu Asian Salad (fried tofu, peppers, snow peas, chinese noodles), Tofu Stir-fry or Tofu Enchiladas. We also have refried or black bean tacos instead of meat.
I was wondering if you would be willing to do a future post on cow's milk vs soy etc. I think there is a lot of information (true and false) out there and I am having trouble making an informed decision.
Skip: I have a great recipe but will be gone for a week...Allen loves it. (Currently at work and then heading out.) It is called Orzo with Roasted Vegies. Allen does them on the grill. The recipe calls for some chicken, which he grills as well, but we only used a small amount. The secret is the lemony dressing and toasted pine nuts. You could get it from Gwen or Cathy in the meantime...if you are desperate. I used to do a refried bean burrito with potato in it. I haven't thought of that for a while and just a wee bit of cheese. He loves homemade soups and you can really control the amount of meat and vegies and the flavor...again, grilling the vegies adds a lot of flavor to things.
We recently tried a recipe we really liked...I better send this one too. It is salmon over lentils...good stuff. N.
Hi! I love your blog. It's helped me a ton to improve the quality of our diet. I used to weigh 265 pounds. 2 years ago I decided it was time to do something about it. I lost 20 pounds pretty quickly but then plateaued for almost a year. Then I gained weight and lost it. Gained and lost, gained and lost. Around Feb this year I saw this blog spotlighted on mormontimes.com and since then I've been trying to follow your challenges. My weight has steadied and now I've begun to loose again and keep it off. Hurray! Thank you so much for your guidance and research and the time you take to make it intelligible to someone like me.
Here's a couple of mine and my hubby's favorite meatless meals.
Black Bean Soup
Kalorei Pizza (Without bacon is delish too!)
This recipe isn't mine but I tried it and it rocks! My husband couldn't believe there was no meat in it!
Zucchini Lasagna
Rill, congratulations on your progress. You've done the hardest part—get started. Perhaps you have a weight or waist goal, but if you do write it down. That makes it real. Then keep me in touch with your progress. We'll do a story about you down the road. Best wishes.
My new favorite recipe (because it's really cheap and really fast!) is http://thatwifeblog.com/2011/04/broccoli-soup/
I've made this with and without meat and loved it both times: http://thatwifeblog.com/2011/04/bok-choy-and-quinoa/
And I hope it's okay that I mention my food blog, where I have a recipe tag with quick little posts on what I've been eating and some tips on how to make it. http://www.thatwifeblog.com/diet/tag/recipe/
I think some people get really caught up in thinking that cooking has to be about big meals. Dinner can be a salad, a simple vegetarian sandwich, and steamed vegetables (right now asparagus is in season and it's SO good).
The following recipe is one of our favorite meatless dishes. It's satisfying, tasty and inexpensive if you are lucky enough to grab a few of the ingredients from your garden!
Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
8 oz penne or tube pasta, cooked (Feel free to use a whole wheat variety if your family enjoys it!)
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained OR 2-3 large fresh tomatoes finely diced
1 tsp. dried basil OR fresh basil sliced in a chiffonade to taste
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder OR 1-2 small cloves fresh garlic, minced
3/4-1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook tomatoes, onion salt and garlic powder in large skillet for 5 minutes until reduced and thickened. Reduce heat and add cream and basil. Heat through, but do not boil. Toss with pasta and cheese and serve immediately.
Optional: Top with sliced, grilled chicken breasts.
*I like this meal because it can be made in the winter from ingredients in my pantry, and in the summer from ingredients out of the garden.
Love the blog-thanks!
I ADORE your blog- this is my first time commenting too. I'm pretty lucky that my husband will eat anything I make and usually loves it. My kids are a whole other story, but here is a recipe that made them say "WOW- this is the best food you've ever made"
Taco Casserole
1 can 15 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed or the equivalent of cooked dried beans
1 can 15 oz. pinto beans, with liquid or the equivalent of cooked dried beans plus a little water
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
Mix beans, salsa, sour cream and chili powder. Layer half of bean mixture, chips and cheese in that order. Repeat layers. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly, at 350 degrees. Serve topped with lettuce and tomato. Makes 6 servings.
After 15 years, I have helped my husband enjoy his veggies more :).. On Sundays, my husband generally gives me the day off from cooking and makes dinner. The dish? PIZZA. He makes a great homemade crust and then experiments with different toppings each Sunday. We've recently had Mexican, Thai, BBQ chicken, and potato. Even when the toppings include meat (i.e., sausage, pepperoni, chicken . . . not all together :), they are used sparingly, which is perfect for pizza toppings. Not the *healthiest* meal in the world, but all homemade, delicious, a whole family pleaser (even the kids love it), and I don't have to make it!
We have lots of meatless favorites, but one of our favorite dinners with just a little meat is split pea, ham, and potato soup. We use this recipe: http://suzette.typepad.com/the_joy_of_soup/2003/04/chunky_ham_and_.html
I usually use the ham bone and leftovers from a spiral sliced ham. And it makes a lot of soup!!
So, this recipe takes some steps if you home make everything (which I do because I can't afford it if I don't). It is for a Greek Pizza that my hubby LOVES...and it's one of my faves too.
I make this crust http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Focaccia/Detail.aspx,
but with whole wheat flour instead (so yummy). I also add a little more sugar or honey because the sweet and salty is delicious. Good eiter way.
Then I make this hummus (or just a container of hummus per pizza) http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/extra-easy-hummus/Detail.aspx
Then I make a greek salad with feta and red onions and a greek dressing http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/absolutely-fabulous-greekhouse-dressing/Detail.aspx
Lastly I make this tzatziki with sour cream instead of yogurt (simply for price)
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/tzatziki-sauce/Detail.aspx
Cool your pizza crust and spread with hummus. Then toss the lettuce in the dressing with feta and onions and cover the hummus. Lastly, let everyone add on desired tzatziki sauce. This is seriously so so yummy and could be very easy to make if you bought everything, or just plan ahead, it's worth it.
I made the scalloped potatoes and apple sauce last night (I try to make the family meal, schedule permitting, one night per week to give my wife a break). I cooked the potatoes at 375 degrees for 65 minutes and another 10 minutes at this heat once the cheese was added. The kids (4 daughters between the ages of 2 and 12) loved it. In fact, I was surprised that the reception was so positive as they can be quite fickle. My wife also enjoyed it. It was nice to have a plant-based meal with just a touch of meat (and not vice versa). Also served a vegetable with this meal.
The apple sauce (served cold) was a different story. Personally, I really liked it. My wife and kids were lukewarm about it. Of course, neither my wife or daughters are very adventurous in the food department so this came as no surprise. It may simply take some time to catch on.
Thanks for the blog.
My husband likes what we call Dinner Loaf. Like meat loaf, but with beans or lentils instead. We top it with some ketchup or homemade gravy and serve with mashed sweet potatoes and a salad. You can create your own recipe at http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html like I did.
Here is the recipe I have adjusted over the last couple years:
Sarah's Dinner Loaf
2 Tbs olive oil
One onion, diced
One garlic clove, minced
One carrot, peeled and grated
1/2-1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (optional)
1-2 cups chopped fresh spinach (optional)
2 cups cooked black beans or green or brown lentils
1 cup oats, ground up coarsely in blender
1/4 to 1/2 cup broth as needed (homemade chicken stock gives delicious flavor)
1 heaping Tbs ground flaxseed
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp rosemary
1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 x 8 glass pan with olive oil. Place 1/2 cup beans or lentils in a bowl with all other ingredients. Blend the remaining 1 1/2 cup beans or lentils with cooking water or broth to make a thick paste. Stir into the rest of the ingredients and mix well. It should be thick but still nice and moist. Add broth if needed. Press into pan and cover with foil. Bake 1 hour. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!