Monday, May 10, 2010

Haha . .I didz a recipeez


I don’t normally do recipes, in fact I think this is a first, because everything I cook is very quick and simple even if it does sometimes turn out pretty spectacular. All in the presentation you know. Some of you asked for the recipe for Sour Cream Potato Bake so here it is.
It's very, very easy and one that my family love. It’s my most requested ‘can you bring’ item and I’ve only ever stuffed it up once because we were too busy having a good time, ate late and it was a little overcooked and went rather oily.

10 Medium sized new potatoes or 2kgs of tiny chats/new potatoes. Leave the skin on cos that’s where the goodness hides. Boil for about 15-20 minutes until almost cooked but not quite (We in the culinary world call this 'par boiling'). You know they're right when you poke them with something sharp and they feel firm but not crunchy. (That's technical cordon bleuspeak)

Drain and let them cool to touch. Otherwise you'll burn your phalanges trying to cut them up into neat cubes.

In a large frying pan, saute (posh word for fry in a teaspoon of butter) 4 medium onions, roughly chopped with about 10 rashers of lean bacon also roughly chopped.

I buy the half loin rashers so there’s less fat. Cook until the onions have just begun to sweat. (That means they look a bit more see-through than when they're raw but not burny or brown). Season with freshly ground black pepper. You don’t need salt because the bacon adds saltiness. Add 2 x 200ml tubs of light sour cream. Or if you're thin, use the real shit. Mix through evenly.

Cut your 'medium' potatoes into quarters and lay into an oven proof dish . . that's one that won't crack at in the oven. Don't be tempted to use the fine China bowl your Auntie Maud gave you, it will probably crack. If you're using chats, leave them in their little baby entirety. .never chop a chat.

Pour the bacony creamy goodness over the top and spread gently with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula.

Sprinkle with a blend of grated parmesan/pecorino cheese (always fresh never that horrible stuff in packets) and a hand full of grated cheddar.

Bake on 180 for about 20 minutes

That’s it!

If you’re a vegetarian, you can replace the bacon with virtually any strong flavoured veg. Asparagus is nice but it makes your wee smell funny, or small broccolini florets . . or mushrooms which taste awesome with sour cream.

You can also alternate onions with leeks, the potato’s best friend!

Go play.


29 comments:

hokgardner said...

Yum. I'll have to give this a try. Because everything's better with bacon. At least that's the theory in our house.

Brian Miller said...

yum! i likes your recipeez! bacon and taters goes wel together....

Roy said...

Hmmmm... This sounds good; I may have to try it out.

Oh dear! My word verification for this is "retch". Not a good omen!

Janice said...

This is a winner, for sure. It's going in my recipe box for the next special occasion dinner. Plus, it was fun to read, made me laugh. I'll be using the light sour cream. Oh well...

laughingwolf said...

sounds yum!

California Girl said...

Thank you Helen. Now, translations:

what's a "chat"?

1 rasher = 1 slice of bacon, correct?

how much is a 2 x 200 ml tub? is it similar to a pound?

This sounds divine and I'm going to make it. Also sounds super caloric which my son, husband and MIL will devour.

xo CG

Kate Hanley said...

This sounds great and I love the idea of subbing leeks for potatoes. My daughter hates potatoes in all forms but loves leeks. Go figure!

Darlene said...

Because this is one of my favorite dishes I will actually give my oven a try out and make this. I may eat the whole casserole myself. (Not at one sitting, mind you.)

I will have to use medium potatoes because I don't have a clue where I could find a chat (except on the Internet; or maybe with my neighbor and I don't think she would taste very good, being very old and all. ;-)~.)

Megan said...

I'm so doing this. YUM!

Tom said...

um, i've never seen the word 'phalangees' in a recipe before...egad, it's finger lickin' good!

Ronda Laveen said...

Thanks so much. Looks yummy and so easy too. 180? Wow, low temp for s shrt time. Love it.

Grannymar said...

I must get Elly on to this one, it might be right up her street. Alas the cream is out for me.

Mike said...

Holy crap! That looks awesome, and I am on a diet and very hungry!

Babysis said...

Its taken YEARS to get this recipe of you!!! Great Mate....seems the special trick is frying everything beforehand and the parmesan/peccorino cheese! Now I know what mine was missing!!!! Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou!!!!

Kath Lockett said...

Yu hu hu hu um! And I say that whilst sitting, stuffed and snotty, here at 10am in my dressing gown, eating microwaved leftover apple crumble cooked by Sapphire...

Vicky said...

Awesome on my list to try this weekend. Thanks

e said...

Thanks for including the veg version of this...it sounds lovely!

River said...

This sounds great. It would be a good take-along dish for barbies. (kens too). I'll try one in the colder weather to see how it turns out in my thermostatically challenged oven, then I'll try one with mushrooms instead of bacon. Yum. Have you tried short-cut bacon? Even less fat....

Unspoken said...

Looks delicious! I hate cooking, but if I ever I am taken by the mood, this looks yummy :).

Kate said...

mmmmm - one for the weekend methinks - I love potato!!!

Carolina said...

Ai vill zertanly twy zis rezipee and zinze I am a vegetarian ai vill be uzing ze veggie verzion of bacon. It exiztz and tasts really good!

Enough of the weird French accent. Over to the weird Dutch one. It looks delicious and I'm sure it tastes even more so. The funny smelling wee is hereditary. Most people have it, some don't. I do. But hey, who cares.

nick said...

I've copied the recipe (and the vegetarian version!). Will try it out ASAP.

steph said...

Looks and sounds great! I'll give it a whirl sometime soon.

Thanks! Missus.

I love your cordon bleuspeak...

"Or if you're thin, use the real shit"

Anonymous said...

Baino, the BOOK for feck sake!
This is the first time I laughed reading a recipe: just do it.

Alan Burnett said...

A recipe in the inimitable Baino style. Priceless.

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this, Baino! My mouth was watering when I first saw the picture in your last post!

Jill from Killeny Glen said...

Hey! HEY! I almost missed this and that photo just makes me hungry! Will have to give it a go...surely a crowd pleaser!

xxx said...

Yum!!!

can you come over and cook it here... that would make it taste even better ;)

00dozo said...

I know I am so waaaay late with this comment, but I tried this recipe yesterday - OOOHHHH Yummy! Great recipe!

A hint for vegetarians: to get a nice smokey flavour, use a good smoked cheddar in place of the bacon - about two handfulls (I had some leftover smoked cheese in my fridge and it added that extra "oomph"!).