Believe it or not Easter is earlier this year and this is a nice potato dish to serve as a side with your ham. Especially if you are having family coming home it is always great to showcase a new dish.
- Butter, room temperature for baking dish
- 2 1/2-3 lbs. fingerling potatoes, cut on the bias and then 1/2 thick slices
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 oz. bacon, chopped in 1 inch pieces,
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (Sav. Blanc.)
- 14-15 oz. Provolone cheese cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 2 quart casserole.
Cover the potatoes in a large saucepan of water, bring to the boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
Cook the bacon until crisp and remove to a plate. Save 1 tbsp. of the bacon fat to cook the onion in until it becomes caramelized (14-15 minutes). Add the wine and cook until reduced which should take about 2 minutes. Stir in the bacon. Remove from the heat.
Arrange one half of the potatoes in the casserole, add one half of the bacon and one half of the cheese, spreading quite evenly. Repeat with the second layer of potatoes , adding the bacon and cheese on top.
Bake now until the cheese is bubbling (25 minutes approximately). Serve with this sliced ham, salad, rolls.
Wow! My mouth is watering already. Come on family…..it will be good.
Strata-style French Toast
Easter is around the corner and that usually means company’s coming…I know it is at our house. Here is a really different stuffed french toast and is really yummy. This can either be Breakfast or Lunch…in our case, Brunch!
- 24 3/4″ thick slices of Italian bread about 3 inches in diameter
- 12 slices of very thin cooked ham
- 12 very thin slices of cooked turkey
- 2 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 12 slices (again thin) provolone cheese
- 4 beaten eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup light cream
- pinch of nutmeg
- shredded orange peel
- 3 tbsp. Grand Marnier
Arrange one half of the bread slices in the bottom of a greased 3 quart rectangular baking dish. Top each slice in the dish with a slice of ham, turkey, the pears and cheese (cut to fit). Top with the remaining bread slices.
Combine the rest of the ingredients and beat well until thoroughly blended. Pour evenly over all the bread and lightly press the bread down so it is covered with the liquid. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 30-35 minutes until the top is lightly browned.
Let stand for 10 minutes before trying to serve. Serve with warm Cranberry-pear sauce.
Cranberry/Pear Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups Cranberry juice
- 2 level tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. finely grated orange peel
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1 pear, peeled, cored and chopped
In a small saucepan mix together 1 1/2 cups of cranberry juice cocktail (I prefer the White Cranberry Juice) with 2 level tbsp. cornstarch.
When blended, add 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. finely grated orange peel, pinch of cinnamon. Cook until it thickens and is bubbly. Cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in pear. Serve warm.
This makes 12 servings, so you can cut and plate and either pour sauce on each one or let the guests add their own sauce. In this case, serve in individual gravy boats. This is so cool to do.
Can you say “damn I can do this”?