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.

mushroom stuffed pork tenderloin with roasted potatoes.

There's nothing better than a hearty "Sunday Night" dinner in the middle of the week. This recipe is sooo simple, but everyone will think you spent the entire day in the kitchen. I love one-pot wonders and in the words of Ron Popeil, you can definitely "set-it and forget it". 

Mushroom Stuffing

- (1) tsp. olive oil
- (1) tsp. butter or margarine
- (1) cup of sliced mushrooms
- (1) small onion, diced
- (1/2) an apple, diced (save the other half to top the roast)
- (1) stalk of celery, diced
- (1/2) cup Italian breadcrumbs
- (1) tsp. sage
- (1/2) tsp. thyme
- salt and pepper

Heat oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onions, apples and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until softened (approximately 5-7 minutes). Remove from heat and place in a mixing bowl. Add breadcrumbs, sage and thyme to the bowl and stir until moistened. Set aside.

Pork Tenderloin

- (1) boneless pork tenderloin (size may vary depending on need)
- (3-5) slices of proscuitto or ham
- (1/2) an apple, thinly sliced (peel can be left on)
- garlic salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pat pork tenderloin dry and lay in a roasting pan. Create a groove in the roast by slicing lengthwise down the roast, making sure not to slice all the way through. Cut an additional horizontal slice on either side of the groove to increase the size of the cavity. Stuff the roast with the mushroom stuffing, packing it down as needed. Season roast with garlic salt and pepper. Lay proscuitto slices on top of roast, making sure to cover the stuffing. This will keep the stuffing moist. Thinly slice the remaining apple and arrange on top of roast.

Roasted Potatoes

- Yukon Gold potatoes (as many as desired)
- olive oil
- Italian seasoning
- garlic salt and pepper

Peel potatoes and cut into uniform wedges. Parboil in salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain and toss in olive oil (enough to coat potatoes). Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Toss again. Arrange potatoes around pork tenderloin in the roasting pan.

Place roasting pan in 375 degree F oven for approximately 45 minutes (for a roast that is between 1 and 1.5lbs). Leave in slightly longer for a larger sized roast. Cooking the roast too long with dry it out and cause it to be too tough. Remove from the oven half way through to turn potatoes. After 45 minutes, remove roast from the oven and place on a cutting board to rest. Increase temperature in oven to 425 degrees F and finish roasting potatoes. Remove when they are golden brown.

Slice pork tenderloin into round medallions and serve with roasted potatoes and a vegetable of your choice.

Enjoy!