side dish

easy cheesy scalloped potatoes

March 8, 2020 by Becky Spoon

These cheesy scalloped potatoes were the perfect side dish for my Harissa Chicken. I wanted a side dish that could soak up with the juices from the chicken and wow, the potatoes were the perfect side dish. They are so tender and have amazing flavors from garlic, thyme and of course the cheese!

easy cheesy scalloped potatoes

I love scalloped potatoes. My mother would make them growing up and all she did was layer potatoes with onions, added lots of butter and salt and pepper, then poured whole milk over them to cover. She would bake them until they were golden on top and the potatoes were fork tender.

I used Yukon gold for this recipe. I love the Yukon gold potato. They have such a creamy texture and so buttery making them perfect for sopping up the chicken juices.

I used just a regular Parmesan cheese in this recipe. I like to use parmigiana-reggiano most times, but for this recipe it is not necessary. I purchased shredded or grated Parmesan that comes in a container. Here’s a link for what I used: https://amzn.to/2TAnNK5. You can find the grated or shredded in your local store.

Here’s the link for the Harissa Chicken: https://the2spoons.com/so-good-simple-harissa-chicken/

Here’s the recipe for these delicious potatoes! Enjoy!!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Print Recipe

Course easy side dish, Side Dish, Vegetable

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk, half and half or heavy cream
1 1/1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, divided
4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch rounds
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the flour until it is evenly combined, and cook for 1 more minute. Gradually pour in the stock, and whisk until combined. Add in the milk, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sauce just barely begins to simmer around the edges of the pan and thickens. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the shredded Parmesan cheese. Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the other half of the cream sauce, and the remaining 1/c cup of cheddar cheese.
Cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
When the potatoes are tender and if you want the dish a little more brown on top, turn the broiler on, watching at all times and brown just a little. Sprinkle with fresh thyme. Enjoy!

Keyword cheese, easy side dish, potatoes, scalloped potatoes, side dish

Best Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

October 29, 2019 by Becky Spoon

I made these Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes as a side dish for my Beer Can Cornish Hen because I though how good they’d bee to sop up all those yummy juices from the sauce on the hens and I was right. The hens had a beautiful spice rub that made an even more beautiful sauce and the gruyere cheese I used in this dish just all went together so well. Here’s the link for my Beer Can Cornish Hen that you have to try! https://the2spoons.com/so-yummy-simple-beer-can-cornish-hen/.

I used gruyere which alway works well because it melts beautifully. You can use cheddar or another good melting cheese of your choice. These are really simple. I cook my potatoes first to the point of “almost done”. I drain them and add them to some sautéed onions, Then I butter a baking dish and stack the potatoes a few at a time. When all the potatoes are in the dish, I pour the sauce over and add just a little more cheese to the top. I then bake them until browned and bubbly.

Best Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

What’s the difference between Scalloped Potatoes and Au Gratin Potatoes? Here’s a little explanation for you: “Au gratin, by definition, means “covered with breadcrumbs or cheese and then baked until brown,” while scalloped potatoes refers to tubers that have been baked in a creamy sauce and covered with seasoned bread or cracker crumbs. The big difference between the two, then, is the cheese component.” Here’s the link for this reference: http://www.leaf.tv/articles/the-difference-between-potatoes-au-gratin-and-scalloped-potatoes/.

Here’s the delicious recipe! Enjoy!

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

Print Recipe

Course easy side dish, Side Dish, Vegetable

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

4 medium russet potatoes, medium sliced I used a mandolin and used the largest slice
chicken stock for cooking the potatoes
salt
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup cooking broth from the potatoes
1 cup heavy cream
1 fresh sage leaf (optional)
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
3 oz gruyere cheese

Instructions

Slice the potatoes in a medium sliced round. I used a mandolin set on the largest cut. Place the potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with chicken stock. Season with a little salt. Bring to a boil and cook about 6 or 7 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a bowl with a slotted spoon reserving the cooking liquid.
While the potatoes are cooking add the butter and olive oil to a skillet and add the sliced onions. Cook until the onions are a beginning to brown. Remove them and add them to the bowl with the potatoes reserving the oil in your skillet. Gently distribute or combine the potatoes and onions, being careful to not break up the potato slices. If you break some, no worries, but you do want to keep them whole if possible.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter the dish and start stacking the potatoes in the dish until all have been used. Use a dish that will just hold those potatoes, not too big.
To make the sauce: In the butter and olive oil skillet that you cooked the onions and reserved, heat and add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for a minute or so until it starts to brown a lilttle. Add the 1 1/2 cup of the cooking broth and whisk to prevent lumps. When the sauce has thickened, add the heavy cream and all of the cheese except just a small portion that you'll add to the top before baking. Cook until heated throgh. Check for salt and pepper and adjusst. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and bake until golden brown. If you want a little extra browning, place them under the broiler for just a few minutes watching closely until your desired browness. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. They can be brought to room temperature and re-heated later.

Keyword au gratin, au gratin potatoes, cheesy, cheesy au gratin potatoes

Beer Can Cornish Hen
Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

Wonderful Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash

July 5, 2019 by Becky Spoon

This recipe for Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash is the perfect solution for all that summer squash you have in your garden or that’s available in the grocery store. I didn’t grow squash this year, but I’m telling you, when I do, I am always looking for recipes to use the abundance I have. There’s different varieties of summer squash and this recipe would work with any of them. Here’s a link with the different varieties: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/squash/different-summer-squashes-to-grow.htm

The other day I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with some squash a friend had given us. I remembered my stuffed mushrooms recipe and decided that filling tweaked a little would be the perfect stuffing for this squash and I was right! If you later want to try the stuffed mushrooms, here’s that link: https://the2spoons.com/youll-love-these-stuffed-mushrooms/

Wonderful Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash

I actually served this the other day with my . I thought it’d make a nice side dish for my Sunday Pot Roast, but this would be a great side dish for almost any meal or even the main course!! With the mushrooms it would be a hearty meal on its own! Here’s the Sunday Pot Roast recipe if you don’t already have: https://the2spoons.com/the-best-instant-pot-sunday-pot-roast/.

Hope you try this!! Remember, it makes a great no meat meal! It shines and does not have to be a side dish!

Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Ingredients

10-12 Button or Baby Bella mushrooms, thickly sliced or chopped
2 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the tops of the mushrooms
1/2 Cup Finely chopped green onions
1/2 Cup Finely chopped red bell peppers
1/2 Cup Coarse bread crumbs ( I used Panko)
1/2 Cup Parmigiana -reggiano cheese or other Parmesan cheese
1/4 Cup Finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp Unsalted butter
1/2 Cup Chicken stock
1/4 Cup Dry white wine, optional
4-6 summwr squash, can be yellow or zucchini, par boiled with the inside scraped out after par boiling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Par boil the squash in boiling water a couple of minutes. Remove from the water, drain and when cool enough to handle, cut in half and scrape the inside of the squash into a bowl. Including the stems, thinly slice or chop the mushrooms.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the green onions and cook until wilted, about one minute. Stir in the red peppers and chopped or sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring until tender and they begin to slightly brown and carmalize. Remove and cool, then add to the scraper put squash and combine.
Toss the bread crumbs and grated cheese, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, add to the sautéed vegetables until thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of each squash that has been halved with the filling.
Using 2 tablespoons of the butter, grease a 12 X 18 inch low sided baking pan. Add the stock, wine, if using, and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley to the pan. If you like drizzle the top of the squash with olive oil. Bake until the squash are cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve on a warmed platter. Pour the pan juices into a small pan and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Boil until lightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon the juices over the squash.

Keyword easy side dish, mushroom stuffed summer squash, side dish, summer squash

Sunday Pot Roast — Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash

Super Southern Fried Okra with Creamy Buttermilk Dip

July 5, 2019 by Becky Spoon

Do ya’ll like Fried Okra? Yes I said ya’ll! I guess posting this Southern recipe really brings out the “South” in me! LOL! I saw this recipe in one of Emeril’s cookbooks and I’ve made it many times!

I love the foods of the South I grew up eating. I love this okra! It’s crispy and the buttermilk dressing is so yummy and it can be used for so many other fried things or even for a crudité platter! Salad Dressing? Yes, it’d be great! Oh, and it’d be a great dip for potato chips!

I like to just spit the okra down the middle for presentation purposes, but I think most are more familiar with the sliced in about a 1/2 inch thick round. So, either way works, whatever is your particular preference.

I have a few different ways I fry okra. For one, you can just toss in some seasoned flour and fry. Another way I cook fried okra is to have a batter station set up with flour, beaten eggs, then seasoned cornmeal. I coat each piece in flour, then the beaten eggs and then seasoned cornmeal. It’s really good, very similar to this, but this recipe has fewer steps and is really easy.

Super Southern Fried Okra with Creamy Buttermilk Dip

Before I start the recipe let’s talk ingredients, specifically the buttermilk. I have made this buttermilk dressing with a low-fat readily available brand, but it just seemed so thin, resulting in a watery consistency. I want thicker buttermilk for this dip. I mean, it’s a dip! You don’t want a thin coating from a watery dip, you want a dollop of dip!

With all that said, use whole buttermilk, not low-fat. I only use whole milk even if it’s not buttermilk. It’s like using the real thing, like butter. The real thing is healthier in the long run because it is more natural, it doesn’t have a lot of “stuff” to change its character. My philosophy is always “everything in moderation”. And, honestly, how can the “real” stuff as it is intended to be, be bad for you? I don’t want to lead you wrong so here’s a link that will give you certain health benefits of both. https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/whole-vs-lowfat-buttermilk-1947.html.

I just love Fried Okra. I guess I just love okra! I love okra as in Okra and Tomatoes. I love okra fried with potatoes and onions. Oh, and in Gumbo. Absolutely one of my favorite uses for okra! So, the other day my have to have meat hubby was gone so I made Macaroni and tomatoes from my garden and I made this along with it. Here’s that link because you need that recipe too! https://the2spoons.com/macaroni-with-fresh-tomatoes/.

Super Southern Fried Okra with Creamy Buttermilk Dip

Here’s the super easy recipe! Hope you try this!

Southern Fried Okra

Print Recipe

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servngs

Ingredients

For the Okra

vegetable oil for frying
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce or your favorite
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (omit if you don't like the heat or reduce the amount)
2 tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
1 tbsp salt plus more for seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
2 lbs okra, either sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds or sliced down the middle like I did)

For the Buttermilk Dip

3/4 cup buttermilk, not low fat
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp green onion tops
salt to taste

Instructions

For the Okra

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 360°F or in a heavy iron dutch oven, or similar.
In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce to combine. In a second bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, cayenne, granulated garlic, the 1 tablespoon salt, and the black pepper.
Working in batches, dredge the okra first in the buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess to drip off, then in the flour mixture. Shake to remove any extra breading. Repeat until all of the okra is breaded.
Fry the okra, in batches, in the hot oil, turning it as necessary, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the fried okra to paper towels to drain, and season lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining okra.
Serve the okra hot, with the Creamy Buttermilk Dip on the side for dipping.

For the Buttermilk Dip

Combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, cayenne, garlic, and chives in a small bowl, and stir to mix well. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 1 day in advance).

Keyword appetizer, easy side dish, fried okra, okra, side dish, southern food, southern fried okra

Southern Fried Okra
Macaroni and Tomatoes

Country Style Fresh Green Beans and New Potatoes

June 21, 2019 by Becky Spoon

I cooked these Fresh Green Beans and New Potatoes in my Instant Pot and it literally took 15 minutes! I sautéed onion and bacon ends first, then I added my beans and potatoes, a little water along with seasonings, and set the pressure cooking time for 15 minutes! They were perfectly cooked! Oh, I forgot to mention that these potatoes were fresh from a garden. They were at our church grown by the youth group who are raising money for camp! There’s just something about some local grown new potatoes.

Country Style Fresh Green Beans and New Potatoes

I love green beans! Sometimes I make them crispy with lemon and garlic, but sometimes I want the country style like these, super tender in a delicious bacon flavored-broth, the kind I remember my Mom making growing up.

You can always find fresh green beans in the grocery store, probably year around. They are inexpensive and really have some health benefits. Check out the information in this link for some benefits of green beans. https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/green-beans.html

Country Style Fresh Green Beans and New Potatoes

This is a perfect side dish for so many different entrees! Click this link for my green beans with lemon which are also very delicious, just cooked crisper: https://the2spoons.com/perfect-browned-butter-and-garlic-green-beans/

Hope you try this very simple recipe!

Country Style Fresh Green Beans and New Potatoes

Print Recipe

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1 1/2-2 lbs fresh green beans, ends trimmed and washed
4-6 new potatoes, depending on the size
2-3 strips bacon, or bacon ends, cut in 1 inch pieces
1/2 onion, diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
fresh black pepper
1-2 sprigs fresh thyme or about 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed
water or vegetable stock

Instructions

I cooked the green beans and new potatoes in my instant pot, but the same instructions apply if you are cooking them stovetop, except for the cooking time.
Trim your beans and wash them. You can either completely peel your potatoes or you can cut a strip around like I did. If they are small, leave them whole, but large I'd half or quarter, so you have a uniform potato size so they will cook evenly.
Add the extra virgin olive oil to your pan or instant pot. Add the bacon and onions and sauté until the bacon fat has rendered and the onions begin to very lightly brown.
Add your beans and potatoes and enough water or vegetable stock to almost the top of the beans, maybe 3/4 way. They do not have to be completely covered because they are quickly going to cook down and you don't want too much liquid.
Add your salt and thyme, and set your Instant Pot to pressure cook for 15 minutes, or bring your stovetop pan to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 30 minutes or so until the green beans and potatoes are tender.
When the cooking has finished, check for salt and add fresh cracked black pepper. Serve with almost any entrée. Enjoy these country style green beans.

Keyword country style fresh green beans, country style fresh green beans and new potatoes, fresh, fresh green beans, green beans, new potatoes

Fresh from the Garden, Delicious Summer Squash with Peppers and Onions

June 20, 2019 by Becky Spoon

Jump to Recipe

When you grow summer squash there is an abundance when you start harvesting and you’re trying to figure out what to do with all this squash! This is my quick go to!

Easy, yet delicious! Just a few ingredients and you have a side dish for any main course!

Fresh from the Garden, Delicious Summer Squash with Peppers and Onions

I actually made this with my Chicken and Dumplings the other day! It was the perfect side dish for the dumplings. Here’s my Chicken and Dumplings recipe which you have to try! https://the2spoons.com/chicken-and-dumplings-the-perfect-comfort-food/.

My Mom would boil squash, drain it, then mash it with a potato masher. Then she would add butter, salt and pepper. It was delicious! So simple, yet so delicious. I still make it that way. You know, it’s just one of those things you ate growing up and you just crave it sometime!

I didn’t grow squash this year. A friend of ours gave us this squash. There are a couple of different summer squash. Here’s a list for future growing: https://www.thekitchn.com/a-visual-guide-to-8-varieties-of-summer-squash-220740

Fresh from the Garden, Delicious Summer Squash with Peppers and Onions

Ok, back to cooking squash! And my recipe! I really shouldn’t call this a recipe because it’s so simple!

Summer Squash with Peppers and Onions

Print Recipe

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Ingredients

3-4 Yellow she merry squash or Zucchini, or Combination of the two, diced
1 Green bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
sal and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil and butter in a skillet to medium high. I like to use non stick skillet. add the onions and peppers and cook until they begin to soften. Add the squash, increase the heat if you need to so your ingredients will start to brown, turning as the bottom browns. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until good n brown and the squash is tender!

Keyword Summer Squash Casserole