Who Loves Potatoes? I Do, I Love Potatoes!
I have spent all year cooking recipes for my “52 In 22” cooking challenge….most have been main courses, so this week I decided to tackle a classic side dish, thanks to an iconic cookbook!
The “Joy Of Cooking” Indeed!
Believe it or not, “The Joy Of Cooking” was self-published by Irma Rombauer – in 1931!
It became a classic, as the head of Cook’s Illustrated said:
“The original Joy of Cooking was mind over matter, the perfect mix of attitude and function. Even as times have changed, the Joy stands out as a watershed volume, a book that speaks to the very heart of who we want to be in the kitchen: producers of our own story, directors of the good American life.
And, according to Ms. Rombauer, all we have to do is take that first easy step and “stand facing the stove.”
The bestselling 75th Anniversary edition of the Joy of Cooking—the book Julia Child called “a fundamental resource for any American cook”—restores the voice of the original authors and many of the most beloved recipes from past editions and includes quick, healthy recipes for the way we cook today!”
And the way we are cooking today is with potatoes!
“The Joy Of Cooking” has more than 4,000 recipe from a very bygone era…but this line from the cookbook caught my eye and helped me decide what to make…because as Irma herself said:
“In recent years the mania for girth control has played havoc with the fair name of the potato…”
Well, that’s not fair at all – let’s celebrate the mighty potato with a creamy, cheesy good potato side dish!
Making Irma Rombauer’s “Scalloped Potatoes!”
You can see all of your ingredients in the photo above…let’s get cooking!
4 cups peeled thinly sliced potato
1/4 lb cheese
3 tbl flour
3 tbl butter
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp paprika
salt
dash of cayenne
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees…then, peel and slice your potatoes so they are ready to go…
In a sauce pan, add as much garlic as you want – which for me is a lot, minced with the butter…
We are going to make a cream sauce , beginning with the delicious smell of melted butter and minced garlic cooking slowly…once the butter has bubbled away for 5 minutes or so you can stir in the flour…this will give you the base for the cream sauce for the dish…warm up your milk and slowly mix it in…
After stirring in the hot milk, add the cheese…you can use gruyere but I love mozzarella…I decided to video how I did it, but please excuse the handheld camerawork as I cooked:
You get the idea…whisk it constantly so the cheese melts, and when it has a nice creamy feel, you are ready to combine all of the ingredients…here’s what’s next:
As you saw, it’s a layering exercise and don’t be afraid to cheese it up…
The last step is to add some Paprika to the top, not only for that deliciously nutty flavor but also for a nice burst of color…
Put it in the oven an bake for 45 minutes covered with tin foil, then another 15 minutes or so uncovered to brown the gruyere properly…and here is what awaits:
Now THAT’s a potato dish! Let’s take a look again at it whole and then in pieces…oh, and it smells GREAT!
What a delicious way to enjoy a potato!
Creamy, cheesy, with the paprika giving it a subtle pop as well!
Of course, it’s a side dish, so I had to make another favorite to go along with it:
Perfection.
Of course, I could have made the burger I tackled for my “52 In 22” cooking challenge earlier this year:
This classic “Surf And Turf” burger has Lobster but so much more!
You can click here for the recipe:
I have had a blast cooking all year long – food from around the world and for all times of day, like these breakfast eggs and chocolate tacos!
This is a beautiful looking dish and you can see the recipe by clicking on my story here:
I try to share information from all of the Chefs I cook with – and that’s how I learned about “Mr. Joe” and his catfish recipe:
Click her for this delicious tomato gravy catfish recipe and find out who “Mr. Joe” is as well!
I have also cooked a traditional Italian “Sunday Gravy”, with an interesting assist from Actor / Cookbook Author / Food Travel Host Stanley Tucci:
I learned a fascinating bit of information about how you are supposed to serve this dish, and you can see how I did by clicking on my story here:
As my “52 Cookbooks 52 Recipes” challenge continues, I am sharing and storing all of these recipes on my food website “Bite! Eat! Repeat!” – it’s your site for all things food – if you like what you see, please click on my link and follow this blog as well!
Let me know what you think of my “52 In 22” challenge!
If you like the story, share it with friends on social media! Thanks!
Categories: 52 In 22!, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Food, Food Pictures, Food Porn, Food Writing, Recipes, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
HI John, this recipe looks and sounds delicious. You could also add other things to the sauce like mushrooms.
Yes indeed!