Baked Cheesy Potatoes
Baked cheesy potatoes were one of my favorite foods growing up but for some reason, we usually only had them for Easter dinner. That is not often enough. They are so good, I make them often now. I have changed a few things from the recipe my mom used to make, I do not cook then grate the potatoes like she used to. I think that is one reason why we only had them once a year, it was hard to grate the potatoes, so I decided to make it easier and just mash them. I use red or yellow potatoes so I can leave the skins on, they add to the taste of the dish. My mom used to use baker potatoes so on top of grating them, she also had to peel them.
This is one dish I have to plan ahead for, I usually have potatoes, sour cream and cheese but I do not always have green onions. Luckily I grow them in my garden so while I have them in the garden, I can make it anytime, but during the winter time I do not buy green onions unless I know I am going to use them. I wish I could grow things in my garden year round, that would make cooking so much easier!
These potatoes are pretty easy to make but a little time consuming because of the cooking times. First you have to cook the potatoes, then after you mix everything together, you have to bake it. The nice thing is, you can make this ahead of time and put it in your refrigerator until you are ready to cook it. I usually try to make it ahead of time because it seems like it is more flavorful.
I love having cheesy potatoes with any meat and vegetables, but my favorite is spiral cut ham and green beans. It reminds me of our Easter dinners and it just seems like they go together. Sometimes I make a huge batch of cheesy potatoes but I do not bake some, I save them for the next night and I mix ham with them then I bake them, it is so good. The ham tastes so good cooked in the potatoes. I just love it! Plus it makes a really easy dinner.
I also like to change the cheeses sometimes. I really like to add some mozzarella, it makes it stringy and I love stringy cheese. I have also tried using montrey jack and cobly jack cheeses they turned out great too. You can use pretty much any cheese that you think tastes good and melts good. You can also change the amount of cheese, I like a lot of cheese, I am pretty sure that is why I like this dish so much, it is very cheesy! But you can use less if you do not want as much, just make sure you use a strong cheese like sharp cheddar so you can taste it.
Baked Cheesy Potatoes
Ingredients
4 lbs red potatoes
2 cups sour cream, I use fat free
1.5 cups sharp cheddar, grated, divided
2 cups medium cheddar, grated, divided
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
Directions
Clean potatoes, cut off any bad parts
Put potatoes in pot, cover with water
Cook potatoes about 20 minutes, or until fork tender
Strain potatoes, let cool at least 10 minutes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Put potatoes, sour cream, 1 cup sharp cheddar, 1 cup medium cheddar, green onions and salt in a bowl, stir until well combined
Put potato mixture in 9 x 13 pan, put in oven, cook for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted
Let sit for at least 15 minutes, serve or refrigerate.
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