Potatoes are delicious and versatile. One of our favorite family recipes is these nomtastic cheesy potatoes!
Cheesy Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 6 – 8 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces (preferably russets)
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons AP flour
- 1.5 cups whole milk
- 4 cups cheese (I like medium cheddar, but you could use colby, or a sharper cheddar)
- 1/2 cup bacon bits (I use Kirkland brand from Costco)
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
- One sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
Directions:
- Parboil potatoes, 6 to 8 minutes, drain.
- While potatoes are cooking, in a pot, melt the butter. Sprinkle melted butter with AP flour and stir until a paste forms over a low heat. The paste should brown slightly- DON’T BURN IT!
- Pour milk into the flour/butter paste and whisk briskly. You do not want lumps. Cook over low heat until the mixture thickens. This may take a few minutes. As the mixture thickens and there are no lumps, add the cheese slowly, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it is incorporated/melted into the sauce. Once the sauce with complete, remove from the heat.
- Mix drained potatoes with sauce, add bacon pieces
- Pour into a greased baking dish (I use 11 x 9 baking dish)
- Top with half a cup of cheese, and crushed Ritz crackers.
- Bake 30 to 45 minutes at 350°.
Serve with steamed veggies, or a green salad. I also like this with crusty French bread. This makes a great side dish, or contribution to a potluck.
You can omit the bacon if you are vegetarian.
You can swap out the bacon for 1 cup cooked, chopped ham or chicken if you want to make this a hardy main dish.