This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how various countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat.
Yes, there is a Christmas in the USA, Virginia! After covering so many other countries, which we’ve pulled out of Santa’s hat the past few years, our own country’s tradition finally gets some shine. But, then, I wondered: what do I do? So many families do so many different things. Do I do ham (as has been the tradition in my family), a roast turkey, a crown roast of pork, roast beast? I decided on something a little different.
Every year, we go to my sister’s house on Christmas Eve for dinner, where my brother-in-law prepares his awesome roast beef. Dude nails medium-rare every time. I bring a side which everyone looks forward to as well. As we get to mid-December, my children start to ask. It kind of comes with the territory that I will bring said side dish. So, it made me laugh when my sister texted me the morning of December 24 asking if I’d bring my scalloped potatoes. Of course! This dish seems like it takes many steps and ingredients but it’s so simple and sadly…is not my own recipe, lol. But, it is another offering from my Blog’s Pick of the Month: Cook’s Illustrated. Creamy, cheesy, potato-y, and it comes together in under an hour…what’s not to love?
Scalloped Potatoes
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
While the original recipe says to use a food processor to slice the potatoes, my favorite tool is a mandoline.
2 tbsp butter
Onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2.5 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and sliced ⅛” thick
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
¼ lb of cheddar, grated
Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat and saute the onion, with a pinch of salt.
Preheat the oven to 425.
Once the onion has softened, add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Then, add in the sliced potatoes, stock, cream, thyme and bay leaves. Add in a pinch of salt and black pepper. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
After 10 minutes of simmering, remove the bay leaves and transfer the mixture to a casserole dish, roughly 2 qts., evening everything out into a level layer. Sprinkle some sea salt and black pepper on the top and cover with the grated cheese.
Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and everything is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then serve.
______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
Comentarios