Cheesy Ham Potato Broccoli Casserole

This Cheesy Ham Potato Broccoli Casserole is a delicious way to use up leftover ham. It’s loaded with cheese, bacon, potatoes and broccoli and tastes so good! It takes only 15 minutes to put together.

Ingredients:

• 6 red potatoes, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped onion, fine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups cooked ham, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped and steamed
• 4 ounces neufchatel or light cream cheese, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked

Directions:

1. heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x9" baking pan.
2. fill a pot with water and heat over medium heat. add the potatoes and boil until tender when pierced with a knife, about 8 minutes. see note drain the potatoes and set aside.
3. in a skillet over medium heat, add the butter and once it begins to melt add the onion. saute until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. dump the onion and butter into the pot with the potatoes and add the broccoli, ham and cream cheese. stir to combine, not worrying about spreading the cream cheese as it should be left in clumps and dump into the baking dish. top with cheese and bake at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes or until heated through. top with bacon the last minute and serve!

notes:

it's key that you cook the potatoes until tender during this step or they will still be too raw even with baking for the dish to be enjoyable.

Source: ohsweetbasil.com

Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes

Ingredients:

2 cups cold mashed potatoes
1 cup shredded cheese (such as cheddar)
1/2 cup flour
6 strips bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tbsp butter or margarine

Healthier Options: fat free/low fat substitutions and turkey bacon

Directions:

Fry the bacon until crispy and drain on a paper towel until cool. Crumble into small bits. Place the bacon bits into a large bowl.

Pour off all but 2 tbsp of bacon grease from the frying pan and over medium heat cook the garlic and onion until translucent.

Add to the bacon bits along with remaining ingredients (except butter/margarine) and blend well with a spoon or your hands (it'll be sticky).

Wash and dry your frying pan, then melt 1 tbsp of butter or margarine in it over medium heat.

Scoop up about 1/4 of a cup of the potato mixture and form it into a ball. Place it in the hot pan, flattening it out until it's about 1/2 - 3/4" thick.

Fry for about 3 minutes on each side, until they are lightly golden brown.

For best results, serve immediately, while hot and crispy.

Top with green onions, sour cream or ketchup.

Source: SpendWithPennies

Copy Cat KFC Potato Wedges

Ingredients:

Shortening (for frying)

5 baking potatoes, cut into wedges
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 dash garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat shortening to 375°F.
Cut the potatoes into 16 to 18 equal size wedges.
Mix the milk and egg till well blended in a big bowl.
Mix all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
Put some potatoes in the milk and egg then into the flour mixture till well coated.
Fry in fryer for 3 minutes, remove from the oil and allow them to sit for one minute and then cook them again for 5 minutes or until cooked.

The Best Potato Soup

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, sliced into small bite sized pieces
1/2 regular package uncooked bacon, finely diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 bunch celery, diced
8 cups milk
4 cups water
4 chicken bullion cubes (use a cup of the hot potato water to dissolve, then use the cup of hot water in place of one of the above cups of water)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup salted butter
3/4 cup flour
1/4 bunch freshly chopped parsley
1 cup whipping cream

Garnish:

Shredded cheese
fried bacon bits
chopped green onions

Directions:

In large pot, boil potatoes in water 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In sauté pan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon fat and place on paper towel over plate to drain more. Add onion and celery to bacon pan over medium-high heat until celery is tender, about 5 minutes. To the large potato pan, add milk, water, bullion, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture is very hot, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Do not let mixture boil. In small, heavy saucepan melt butter. Add flour and mix well. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture bubbles, stirring 2 to 3 minutes to make a roux. While constantly stirring soup, add roux slowly until soup is thick and creamy, about 4 minutes. Stir in parsley, reserved potatoes, and cream. Garnish with cheese, bacon bits, onions or all three. Serve hot!