Roasted Garlic Potato Salad

I'm not usually one for potato salad, I'm picky when it comes to it but I do eat my mom's! BUT this potato salad is my new favorite and can't wait to make it again and this time I'll make sure to make much more! No picture today, it wasn't photographing well!

Roasted Garlic Potato Salad-adapted from Apples to Zucchini
1 head of garlic
2/3 cup plain greek yogurt(I did use mostly yogurt and about 2 tbsp mayo)
2-4 tbsp parmesan cheese(I used shredded but you can use grated)
2-3 lbs potatoes, washed, chopped
1 tbsp dijon mustard(I used yellow)
3 shallots thinly sliced(omitted)
3 tbsp capers(omitted)
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375
Place potatoes on large baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Cut top off garlic and lay on a piece of foil. Drizzle with a bit of oil and wrap it loosely. Place potatoes and garlic in oven and roast for 35 mins or until potatoes are done and crispy. Garlic is done when its soft and lightly browned. Allow to cool.

In a serving bowl mix together, yogurt, mayo, and mustard. Squeeze garlic out of skins and mash slightly into sauce. Toss in potatoes and cheese. Stir to coat.

**I love love loved this! I loved the tang of the yogurt and the sharp cheese. It's my new favorite! I also loved that the potatoes were roasted instead of boiled so it added much more texture to the dish!

Homemade Jo Jo Potatoes

I used to LOVE these when we would get them growing up! I still do if I can find them...not many places seem to sell them. But now I have this beauty of recipe that is pretty good!

Again, I might have a picture...still learning with the new camera! Otherwise check out Jenn's recipe for a beautiful picture!

Homemade Jo Jo Potatoes-Jenn's Food Journey
potatoes(I used 4-5 sm/med potatoes)
olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a jelly roll pan warming inside.

Slice potatoes into wedges and place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap and steam in the microwave for 4-5 mins. In the meantime, mix together panko, cheese, and spices.Drizzle with 1-2 tsp olive oil and lightly stir in bowl for one min until they look starchy. Dredge potatoes in cheese mixture and press into the potatoes a bit to get it to stick. Set aside on another cookie sheet and repeat until all potatoes are coated. Allow to rest for 15 mins(which I did not, they rested for as long as I was dredging them!)

Pull cookie sheet out of the over and lightly coat pan with oil. Quickly place the potatoes on the pan and return to the over. Bake until crispy and golden brown.(The original recipe says 25-30 mins, mine were much thinner so they only took 10-15 mins)

**These were EXCELLENT! They also came together and cooked pretty quickly due to the thinness of them. They were crispy on the outside and crunchy on the inside and lots of flavor too! I did put my wedges in a ziploc steam bag to cook them as I had no plastic wrap and it worked perfectly!

Homemade Tater Tots

 I love tater tots...and miss them! But they aren't really the healthiest thing to eat nor is the ingredient list nice to read. Then I stumbled upon this recipe...and also Snowhite over at Finding Joy in my Kitchen had one as well! I saw hers first, but this one seemed simpler to me! I hope to try hers soon though!

Homemade Tater Tots-shared from Heavenly Homemakers
potatoes
kosher salt(optional)
oil(I used coconut oil)

Bake potatoes until fork tender. Allow them to cool completely.

Preheat pan and pour in oil, just enough to coat the bottom.

Scoop out insides of potato and save the skins, perhaps for some potato skin appetizers? Place the potato into a food processor and a pinch of salt (you can also shred them with a cheese grater) Pulse until fine, not too much as you don't want them mushy. Using a small scoop, scoop out potatoes and press firmly, eject into hot pan/oil. Flatten slightly, cook until golden brown and flip, flatten a bit, remove once the other side is golden as well!

**These were not hard to make, just took a little extra time. I did use coconut oil as it was suggested in the original post and while it was great to work with, we did have a slight coconut taste, so next time I'll try a different oil. But these were EXACTLY like the store bought ones, but I knew exactly what was in them and how they were made! I used 6 potatoes and it was enough for our family of 4. Q loved them. I did alter the recipe with the salt as I salted them when I was done, next time I'll add in right into the potato mix. I'd love to make a big batch one day and freeze some as these did not last long!

4 B's Pork Chops and Au Gratin Potatoes

This is another recipe I adapted from the Fix, Freeze, Feast cookbook.

4 B's Pork Chops
3/4 cup pale ale
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp dijion mustard
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp pepper


Place all ingredients in zip top bag and squish around to mix. Add in pork. Squeeze out air and seal. Freeze until ready to use!


**These were pretty good...but really all I could taste was the beer! 

Au Gratin Potatoes-shared from Hallee the Homemaker


I've just been waiting for a chance to try this recipe out! I love the ones that come in a box...but I really wanted to find a homemade recipe! K gets all the credit for slicing the potatoes! He did a great job!(I told him I'd give him credit!) He decided they were worth the effort...and he loves my santoku knife!


6 medium potatoes, sliced as thin as you can
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 green onions with tops,sliced
2 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2-2 cups shredded cheese


Place butter in skillet and let melt. Add in onions and cook for 5 mins or until onion is soft. Whisk in flour, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir until smooth and bubbly. Add in milk and whisk constantly until thickened and is almost to a boil. Add in nutmeg, stir. Fold in cheese and let melt, while stirring. Mix in with potatoes. Cover tightly with foil and cook in preheated oven for 45 mins. Remove foil and cook another 15 mins until potatoes are tender.(Mine ended up cooking for about 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours, this could have been from the thickness of the potatoes, you can only get them so thin with a knife! The sauce did thicken.)

**These were mighty tasty...almost too peppery for my liking but definitely good! YUM! I was even successful in making my first cheese sauce and it didn't SEPARATE! My aunt taught me well....

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I was having a really hard time deciding what kind of potato side to make for Easter dinner...I was going to try a new recipe and then I wasn't feeling it, then I thought ooh scalloped potatoes and decided not too. So I fell back on a old favorite.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
1 head of garlic
5 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
5-6 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
milk
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter

Cut the top off of the garlic bulb, just to see the cloves. Drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap in foil and place in 350 degree oven for 45 mins to 1 hour. You will know it is done when the cloves are golden brown. Once cooled squeeze garlic out of papers into cooked potatoes.

Place potatoes in pot and cover with water. Cook until fork tender. Once potatoes are done, drain and add in milk, butter, salt and pepper. Mash with garlic.

Place potatoes in casserole dish. Top with bacon and cheese. Place in oven until cheese is melted about 10-15 mins.

**I made these the day before so it took about 30-40 mins to heat through.