We have nothing against baked or mashed potatoes, but we couldn't resist sharing a few recipes for some comforting potato side dishes that are especially dandy during the holidays.
Potato pot pie
Ingredients
3 medium potatoes
salt
pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
Grate the potatoes into a bowl using a wide-holed grater, and add salt and pepper to taste. Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with extra-virgin olive oil and distribute the potatoes evenly across the surface. Cook over low heat for around 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Savory potatoes with beer and bacon
Ingredients
8 oz. beer
6 medium potatoes
1 onion, chopped
8 slices bacon, diced
1 rosemary sprig
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
paprika
Boil the potatoes whole (not yet peeled) in salted water. After around 15 minutes, drain the potatoes and cut them into round slices. While the potatoes cool, combine the onion, bacon, and rosemary in a sauté pan and cook until browned. Add the sliced potatoes and the beer a little at a time, sprinkle with paprika, and mix to combine.
Roasted potato towers
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes
rosemary, chopped
salt
pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. Chop a handful of rosemary and then start assembling the towers – a slice of potato followed by salt, pepper, and rosemary. Continue alternating layers until each potato tower is about 2″ tall. Once finished, transfer the towers to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Twice-baked mushroom and cheese potato boats
Ingredients
3 medium potatoes
6 slices of prosciutto cotto or ham
4 oz. mushrooms
½ cup béchamel sauce
salt
pepper
extra-virgin oil
garlic
parsley
Parmigiano, grated
Start by baking the potatoes in the oven at 350°F for around 20 minutes. In the meantime, sauté the mushrooms in extra-virgin olive oil with garlic and parsley. Remove the potatoes from the oven, let cool, and then cut them in half, digging into the center of each potato and setting the potato pulp aside. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the potato “boats” on a greased baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In the center of each potato boat, add a layer of béchamel sauce. Mix the remaining potato pulp with the prosciutto cotto or ham and sautéed mushrooms, then pour the mixture into the potato boats and spread a little more béchamel sauce on the surface. Sprinkle with grated cheese and place in the oven for around 15 minutes.
