Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes

This deliciously easy side is a staple for family gatherings! 

I can't tell you how many casserole dishes of these I've made in the past couple years, but I know I bring one to every Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas gathering, plus the many times I bring it to other family gatherings or other communal meals with friends. I've started making mine in the slow cooker so I can have them without heating the kitchen in the summer or a great way to make more room in the oven for busy holiday meals, but it works great in the oven too! 

Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes (Slow Cooker or Oven)

1/2 cup Butter (melted)

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced or your favourite garlicky seasoning (like Johnny's from Costco...yum)

1 can cCondensed Mushroom Soup

1 cup Sour Cream (substitute Greek Yogurt for some or all)

250ml container of Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese

7 cups Frozen Hashbrowns (one of the smaller sized bags)

2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Corn Flakes

Slow Cooker: I like to brown my onions before tossing them in the slow cooker, but it's not necessary, just adds more flavour to the dish. Combine the melted butter, diced onion, garlic, soup, sour cream, cream cheese together in a saucepan and heat until all the cheese melts and everything mixes together in a gooey sauce. Add Hashbrowns to the slow coker and pour cheesy sauce over. Mix well and cook until potatoes are heated through, about 2-3 hours on high. Top with corn flakes before serving (you can put them under the broiler for a few minutes if you want the top to be golden brown.

Oven: Melt butter in a saucepan, add onions and cook until slightly browned. Add garlic, soup, sour cream, cream cheese together in a sauce pan and heat until all the cheese melts and everything mixes together in a gooey sauce. Mix with hashbrowns and pour into an oven safe dish. Top with corn flakes. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes until sauce starts bubbling and the top is golden brown.

This recipe freezes really well, perfect for a big cook/freezer meal and makes a great alternative to Mashed Potatoes!

~Adel~

Maple Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a staple at many holiday family dinners. I love their flavour and my favourite way to have them is with extra sweetness and cinnamon, almost like dessert.

Maple Sweet Potatoes

10 cups Sweet Potatoes, diced in bite sized pieces

1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Boil sweet potatoes in water for 10-15 minutes until they are tender. Drain and combine with remaining ingredients in a bowl, coating the sweet potatoes. Pour into an oven safe dish and bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes until they start to brown.

A sweet kid (and adult) pleaser at Holiday meals.

~Adel~

Horseradish Mash

Uncle Ladybug keeps a plot at a local community garden. This year they harvested so many potatoes that I'm trying to find ways to use them up. Daddy Ladybug gave me a great idea, he LOVES horseradish, so I decided to make mashed potatoes using his favourite horseradish.

Turned out great, a little surprising spice in creamy, delicious mashed potatoes.

Horseradish Mash

6-8 Red Potatoes (skin on), diced & boiled

2 Tbsp Butter

1/4 cup Sour Cream

1/4 cup (or more to desired texture) Half & Half

1-3 Tbsp Horseradish (according to taste, I did 2 Tbsp)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Mash cooked potatoes, butter, sour cream, half and half, and horseradish until it's creamy and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste and more horseradish if you want more kick!

A great alternative to regular mashed potatoes & great with a big slab of steak.

~Adel~

Greek Roasted Potatoes

Lemony garlic rosemary crispy goodness...yummmm.

Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

I seem to always want a baked potato with my steak, but we only have steak when it's nice outside. Unfortunately, I hate heating my house up with the oven to bake them and putting them on the grill for so long seems ridiculous to me, so I have started to make my baked potatoes in the slow cooker. 

I know, not an original idea, but I just discovered this concept! They are perfectly done, without heating up the house and ready to either stuff with delicious goodness for twice baked potatoes or serve with our steaks. A great use for that slow cooker in the summer!

Make-Ahead Herb & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

At family gatherings, I often get asked to bring mashed potatoes, a staple with holiday dinners. It's hard to whip up mashed potatoes while getting two toddlers ready (not to mention trying to get ready myself), so I've been making my mashed potatoes the night before and baking them either right before I leave or where we're eating. It's so much easier! Plus this way I get to add some fun flavour to a pretty standard dish.

Make-Ahead Herb & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

8 medium Potatoes
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Paprika to taste or sprinkle on top

Cut the potatoes into 1" pieces and boil until a fork goes through easily (but not mushy). Strain the water and return to the pot. Add butter, sour cream & cream cheese and cover for 2 minutes while everything gets melty. Add seasonings to taste. Mash with a potato masher or use a mixer/hand blender if you like them whipped (I like mine with potato chunks and some skin as you can see in the picture!). Spread evenly in a 9 x 13 oven safe dish and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden on top.

The perfect companion to Easy Slow Cooker Roast Beef smothered in gravy - one of my ultimate favourite meals. Serves about 6 people.

Yum, second's please!

~Adel~