I haven’t been inspired by my cooking lately. We have been eating well and I’ll admit sometimes not so well. So that is why I was glad when David volunteered to do a guest post for me. I think I will hire him on to do more food related posts. He actually has a blog of his own; Riding with Dave. Whenever he goes on one of his bike trips he chronicles his adventures on his blog. It will be interesting to follow his triple D tour this Fall.
To get inspired to cook again I do three things. I read my cookbooks, I read magazines, especially my Gourmet collection and I read your blogs. I visited Susan of Schnitzel and the Trout last week and she had posted a recipe for the best potato dish. She got the recipe from Cathy at Wives with Knives who got it from Barbara at Moveable Feasts who got it from Donna Hay, the famous Australian chef and writer. I love the way that great recipes get shared in the blogishere! So thank you ladies for inspiring me! You need to check out the recipe from one of their blogs. The potato dish is cooked in a cast iron skillet and includes sliced potatoes, Walla Walla onions, and Gruyere and mozzarella cheeses.
It was an “A ha” moment for me. There was a similar recipe that I used to make in my cast iron skillet with potatoes that I haven’t made in a long time. But first, about my cast iron skillet.
I have had this skillet for years. I think it was a wedding present. I remember that it needed to be seasoned before using it for the first time, but after all of these years of use, there is no fear of it rusting ever again. It is a thing of beauty in my estimation and although I have beautiful blue and green Le Creuset pots that cost me an arm and a leg, my humble cast iron skillet is worth it’s weight in gold.
Making and baking scalloped potatoes can be messy and time consuming. Sometimes the casserole runs over in the oven. This easy recipe requires stove top cooking and a quick run under the broiler. It does not have as much cheese as the Donna Hay recipe, but is flavored with chicken stock and sprigs of thyme. It is something a little different and a recipe that I will make often now that I have found it again. Thanks Susan for the nudge I needed to remember it!
SKILLET SCALLOPED POTATOES
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 large or 4 to 5 smaller potatoes, peeled and sliced (I used Idaho potatoes)
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme or dry to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can low sodium chicken broth or 1 3/4 cups homemade stock
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
In a large iron skillet over high heat, heat the oil until sizzling. Saute the onion until it begins to color, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir, and then add the potaotes. Stir to combine. Add the chicken broth, salt and pepper and the thyme. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, reduce the heat to medium and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the potatoes are glazed, 15 to 20 minutes. Preheat the broiler. Combine the bread crumbs and the cheese and sprinkle over the potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and place under the broiler until the topping is browned.
Any recipe that gets me to use my cast iron pan is a good for me. Can’t wait to try these!
Okay, I have seen this one posted a few times…I have to try it! I think the Kitchen Gnome took the cast iron camping….have to go searching today.
I beleive this really is an A-ha moment. I would love this dish!!
Taters look very good – I’ve never met a potato and cheese dish I didn’t like.
These skillet potatoes are a definite way to get a little cooking mojo going in the blood. Awesome dish.
This dish sounds yummy-I love au gratin potatos and this sounds like a great way to make them! Thanks for the inspiration!
That sounds really great Penny! I have always wanted a cast iron skillet, but have never bought one. Someday soon, I am going to pick one up!
Penny, I saw this recipe on Susan’s blog and fell in love with it. Sounds so much easier than the oven version and it’s not full of cream. I’ve got to try this….
Sam
Penny, is that Griswold cast iron? I love mine, too. Best pan in the world. The recipe looks great, too.
Sounds delicious. This looks so much easier than the oven version. Can’t wait to try it.
Haha… I made this last night, too. Except that I bastardized the recipe so bad I’m not going to post it. I didn’t want to go to the store, so I used already cooked red potatoes, no thyme and asiago and queso fresco cheese. It was “eh”, so I’m going to have to make it as the recipe’s written and give it another try!
These sound so good… I am a fan of Donna Hay, love her recipes!! Looking forward to trying this recipe.
Really love the way you presented your recipe, including the fact that sometimes we all need inspiration.
My husband loves scalloped potatoes, but they take a while to cook; now I will have to try your recipe for SKILLET SCALLOPED POTATOES. Thank you.
Thyme is a great herb if you want to make a difference. I’ve never used it in scalloped potatoes but bet it’s delicious. I’ll make these when my daughter and her husband are home. Thanks so much for giving me a reason to go digging for my cast iron skillet–and probably then I’ll dig for a remedy to a rusty cast iron skillet, if there is one.
This is exactly the kind of dish my husband used to make in our cast iron skillet – though he would probably have added a dash of red chili. (Does anything cook better than a cast iron skillet?) I’ve always loved this kind of dish – simple but so very, very satisfying!
A classic potato dish but I so much love this mighty & tasty dish!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMM,…!!!
high on my list of most important kitchen items is the wondrous cast iron skillet. i love the components of the dish and the alliteration of its title. 🙂
I’ll have to wait until I’m home to try this – son and DIL don’t have cast iron…but now I’m craving these potatoes.
So glad you liked this as much as we did, Penny!
That looks really good and I do love potatoes and cheese, especially Gruyere. Is there a way to do it without the broiler? I don’t have a skillet, but if I go to buy one to make this, my broiler is not as wide as my oven and I don’t think it would fit. What would you say?
Gary, The broiler is necessary only to give it a nice golden top. If you just cook the potatoes a little longer on the stove top, they will be just fine.
Sharon, Mine is not a Griswold. Wish it were. They are pricey at antique markets.
Ohhh! This sounds so yummy! My hubby and I found this and can NOT wait to try it. He normally doesn’t like scalloped potatoes but anything with cheese he’ll try at least once. I have a feeling this is going to be a winner! 😀