just a spoonful

There are very few foods that I can say, trumps my love for chocolate.  Potatoes, oddly enough, is one of those foods.  I can eat it in almost any form, shape, method of cooking...be it garlic mashed potatoes on a cold winter day, or roasted mini potatoes with parmesan green beans (like these ones, here) with grilled BBQ meat.  Sometimes just a bag of good ole' potato chips will do the trick.

On one of those evenings when all things were seemingly prepared...kids were settled, the aroma of maple honey dijon ham in the oven, and the table already set for dinner, I realized I forgot to make one of my favourite side dishes to go with the ham:  Scalloped Potatoes.  In a panic, I began expediting the cooking process and cooked all the ingredients together before throwing them in the oven to bake.

When I made this potato dish, it reminded me of a funny moment during one of my pregnancies when I had cravings for soft chocolate chip cookies.  Extremely soft, just slightly under-baked, spoonable cookies to be exact.  I used to make a quick batch (sometimes resorting to those pre-made cookies in the tubes...yes, insanity!), and I'd actually pull up a chair and sit in front of the glass toaster oven, peering over my baby-filled belly to watch those sweet heavenly morsels slowly bake.  I would barely wait for the timer to go off before the door would be flung open, spooning those soft cookies into my mouth.  The instant gratification, the melted warm chocolate chips and sweetness of it all...during my pregnancy there were rarely any cookies to offer, even after an afternoon of baking!

When I took these potatoes out of the oven, the same feeling overcame me.  I couldn't resist...I did sneak a small spoonful before putting these on the table.  The cheese melted in my mouth and my family barely sat down at the table before I almost started to dig in.  Maybe I was hungry so I thought it tasted better than making it the traditional way.  Or maybe I just love anything and everything that is made of potatoes.

Or, like the little joys in life, maybe I had a small taste of what was to come...and couldn't wait to savour the rest until it was all gone.

Quick and Easy Skillet Baked Scalloped Potatoes

(Makes 4-6 servings)

I love scalloped potatoes, but would normally need to plan ahead of time to make this dish.  Browning the potatoes in the skillet prior to baking it in the oven shortens the time it takes to make this dish.  Works great with ham (especially for this Easter).

Ingredients

• 6 potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup of whipping cream (cream or milk works too)
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (or any strong cheese you prefer)
• ½ cup of parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a cast iron skillet or oven proof skillet, saute the onion, garlic in the butter over medium/hight heat.
• Add the potatoes and cook until the garlic and onion are soft and the potato edges are brown.
• Add whipping cream and toss with the potatoes until coated.
• Add the shredded cheese and toss until cheese is melted into the cream.
• Top with parmesan cheese.
• Place in the whole skillet with the potatoes into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!