Friday, November 18, 2011

Family Recipe Friday - Scalloped Potatoes


As a teenager, my family moved from the bustling city into the country. The rolling hills of southern West Virginia became a haven for me.

It was here that my parents introduced my sister and I to gardening. And I do mean gardening! It was common practice to grow all of the vegetables you needed for an entire year in your own garden where we lived. And Mama and Daddy pushed us head first into the gardening pool!

Mama relied most heavily on beans, tomatoes and potatoes. And it seemed we never had a bad years crop of potatoes!

We learned to fix potatoes in about every manner you could think of! Even today, I rely heavily upon potatoes as a kitchen staple. And here's one of my favorite recipes from my Granny Dreher for scalloped potatoes.

Granny's Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:
 
Butter [to grease baking dish with]

6 Medium potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin

2-Tablespoons butter melted

salt and fresh pepper to taste

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup evaporated milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with butter.

In a large bowl combine potatoes, butter, salt, and pepper. Arrange half of the potato slices in the baking dish; top with 1/4 cup cheese. Add the remaining potatoes.

In a small saucepan, bring milk to a boil and pour over potatoes.

Top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 45-50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.


This is a real comfort food! And every time I serve it today to my family, I am reminded of what a great cook my grandmother was! Sadly, I doubt I will ever reach the level of expertise she had, but perhaps I will be able to continue to hand down the recipes for that comfort food she served to soothe a fevered brow, fix a skinned knee, and even comfort a broken heart.

No comments: