cheesy potato pie.

Sometimes I feel like I get stuck in a rut when it comes to side dishes. White rice, brown rice, boiled potatoes, roasted potatoes, fried potatoes, mashed potatoes...blah! I feel that guy from Forrest Gump... lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad...haha! But it's true! It's always the eternal question...what do you want to eat with our fish?...or chicken?...or ribs?...or whatever's for dinner that night! You can only eat sooo much white rice.

So when I saw chef Michael Smith making a delicious looking cheesy potato pie the other day on TV, I had to try it. While his theory is "My favourite recipe...cooking WITHOUT a recipe", I'll leave that to the professionals. I followed his recipe as well as I normally follow a recipe...taking general suggestions and rough measurements. It turned out amazing! It's like a delicious slice of crispy, cheesy, potatoey goodness! I would probably describe it as deconstructed scalloped potatoes...or a big cheesy hashbrown...or as my brother referred to it, as a cheese "latke". Whatever it is...it's GOOD!!!

Cheesy Potato Pie

- (7-10) Yukon Gold potatoes (depending on the size), scrubbed clean
- (1) onion, grated
- (2) cups 35% whipping cream
- (1) teaspoon ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- (1 1/2) cups Gruyere cheese (Medium Cheddar works as well), grated

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Choose which pan you're going to be make your pie in. An oven-proof skillet or cast-iron pan work great, but a baking dish will do the trick too. Once you decide on your pan, lay your potatoes inside to fill the pan. This will give you an idea of how many potatoes you actually need to use, since potatoes come in all different shapes and sizes. My frying pan fit about 9 potatoes.

 
Remove the potatoes from the pan and grate them all into a large pot using the largest holes on your box grater. Follow by grating the onion and the cheese. Be sure to avoid your fingers (which I unfortunately did not). Add the grated potatoes and onions into the large pot and reserve the cheese til later.

 
Add the cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper to the potatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer. This preheating step really speeds up the oven time and evenly heats the potatoes.

While your potatoes are brought up to heat, heat your baking dish in the oven for at least 5 minutes. This will make sure you get a nice brown crispy edge to your pie. Once you remove your dish, lightly oil a towel or folded paper towel with vegetable oil and evenly rub the hot pan, coating it with oil just before using. You can also line your dish with parchment paper if you're using a standard baking pan.

Once your potatoes begin to simmer, stir in the cheese and pour the entire mixture into your preheated pan. 

 
Bake your potato pie for approximately an hour, keeping an eye on it as oven cooking times will vary. You're looking for your pie to have a deep golden brown crust. Loosen the eges with a paring knife and invert onto a serving platter while it's still warm. Cut into slices and serve.

ooey gooey.

My sister Jen isn't exactly what you'd call a "Suzy Homemaker". Her idea of cleaning her bedroom is usually throwing everything into her laundry hamper, and her idea of a good meal is generally filet-o-fish. It's funny because as far as sisters go, we are VERY different. She's blonde, I'm a brunette. She's a vegetarian...I love me some meat. Jen reads literary masterpieces...I read cookbooks. My favourite past time is strolling the aisles of the grocery store (don't judge)...Jen avoids cooking JUST to avoid the grocery store. And in the kitchen...I make cookies...Jen eats my cookies! Love you Jen!!!

I do have to give her a little credit though. There are a couple things that Jen makes really well, and this is one of them. I actually had to steel this recipe from her! Jen got this recipe for buttertarts from the family of a client she used to care for, and boy are they good! They're the type of dessert that looks like you've spent the whole day in the kitchen when really...it's been an hour! I used store made tart shells, but if you like to make your own pastry, more power to you. Fill them with raisins, pecans, walnuts, or just leave them plain. Go ahead...impress your friends and family!

Jen's Buttertarts

- (2) eggs
- (1) cup of packed brown sugar
- (1/2) cup of corn syrup
- (1) tbsp vinegar
- (1/2) cup butter, softened
- (1/2) cup of raisins (optional)
- (1/2) cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
- (1) tsp vanilla
- (~18) tart shells (about 1 1/2 boxes)



Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Beat eggs slightly in a medium sized bowl. Beat in the sugar, corn syrup, vinegar, vanilla and butter.

Whether you're using pecans, walnuts, raisins (or a combination), stir them into the buttery mixture. If you're leaving them plain, you're ready to fill your tart shells!

Lay your tart shells out on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. This way if your tarts overflow ever so slightly, you won't be cleaning up a sticky mess! If you arrange the shells strategically, you should be able to fit about 18 tarts on your baking sheet. Spoon your butter mixture into the shells, filling them about 3/4's of the way (as seen in the pictures below). If you want to make the entire two boxes of shells, fill the shells with slightly less filling to stretch it out.

Slide your baking sheet into the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until just golden brown. Keep an eye on them as each oven is different and your tarts can turn from pale to nicely tanned fairly quickly.

Let the tarts cool and then serve. Your tarts will stay fresh for quite a few days and can also be frozen for another day. Enjoy!