Dairy Good: Hot Cheesy Potatoes

What happens when you put cheese on top of sliced potatoes? Magic. That’s what happens.

I received a copy of The Dairy Good Cookbook from the National Dairy Council on the National Dairy Council FNCE to Farm Tour.

At the end of our farm tour, Holley Grainger and Toby Amidor did a cooking demonstration with a recipe hack from The Dairy Good Cookbook. They chose the Mango Yogurt Smoothie recipe to make their own, and yum!

I knew I’d need to try some recipes from this book as soon as possible. In all honesty, this dairy-loving lady didn’t need much coaxing to pick out a recipe to test.

Then I saw it. I think my heart stopped as I read the title of the recipe. Hot Cheesy Potatoes. Yep, that’s what I’ll be making. No question.

The hot bubbly cheese adds saltiness to the dish (as well as high-quality protein and calcium), while the thyme gives the dish an extra element of flavor that complements the potatoes so well.

As for my hacking of the original recipe, I chose sweet potatoes and russet potatoes to add extra nutrients.

I also cut back on the amount of salt, butter, and cheese used, and felt like there was absolutely no sacrifice in flavor. I sort of/kind of forgot to add the parsley, despite the fact I have an industrial sized jar of parsley in my pantry. While I didn’t use it in my recipe (pictured), I’d recommend using it if you have it in your pantry.

A few cooking notes: You will use three potatoes, totaling about 2 pounds altogether. Make sure to leave the skin on the potatoes and thinly slice them, which helps them cook faster. If you aren’t a fan of thyme, hack this recipe by using a different spice. Rosemary is delicious!

Hot Cheesy Potatoes

Serves 6

2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 russet potato, thinly sliced
2 sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (about 5 ounces)
1 tablespoon dried parsley, optional

– Preheat the oven to 425°F. Use 1 teaspoon of butter to grease a 13×9-inch baking dish. Set aside.

– Arrange the potato slices in the prepared baking dish. Melt the remaining butter and pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Cover the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.

– Remove foil and cover with cheese. Bake uncovered for another 5-10 minutes until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Meme is a Registered Dietitian living the New Orleans, LA. She is the founder of Living Well Kitchen, a blog bursting with recipes, practical nutrition advice, local restaurant reviews and fitness tips. She shares Julia Child’s motto, “Everything in moderation, including moderation.”

- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Use 1 teaspoon of butter to grease a 13x9-inch baking dish. Set aside.- Arrange the potato slices in the prepared baking dish. Melt the remaining butter and pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Cover the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.- Remove foil and cover with cheese. Bake uncovered for another 5-10 minutes until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Meme Inge, MS, RD, LDN