A Foodie In The South

These little slices of cheesy potatoes bring back so many memories for me. My dad was always trying to invent new recipes by putting together what he knew best. They were usually something simple and didn’t take much time, but they would come out really tasty. These potatoes was something he came up with as a side dish when he grilled bbq chicken or sometimes even steaks. Whenever I make these, I can see my dad in the kitchen slicing potatoes and putting these together while running back and forth outside to man the grill.

I knew his recipe by heart because he’d make them so many times and I would help him slice the potatoes or shred the cheese. Recently I was going thru my old recipe box. It contains so many recipes that my mom, dad and me had kept over the years. Most were just written down on those little recipe index cards that you would find many moons ago. I came across the one that my dad jotted down for these potatoes.

You know that feeling you get when you see something written by someone that you have lost a while ago. It’s that warm sensation….like a hug from that person, but yet you still feel the tug of the heart strings because after all the years that pass, you still miss them like it was yesterday. But it still makes you smile because it brings back so many wonderful memories. We do share memories through food so I wanted to share this as well. Of course over the years I have tweaked it a bit. I know if dad were here, he would probably be tweaking them again with me.

These little round, slices of potatoes are covered in cheese and topped with bacon. They make a great side dish for BBQ chicken, steak, roasted chicken or just about anything else that you might crave something simple, but packs great flavor.

Here’s what you need:

*Potatoes cut into 1/2 inch rounds; these can be peeled or unpeeled, I leave the skin on; 1 large potato usually makes about 2 servings

*1 TBS butter melted

*1 TBS canola oil

*1 tsp. onion powder or more to taste

*1 tsp. garlic powder or more to taste

*1 tsp. salt

*1/4 tsp. sweet paprika or more to taste

*cracked pepper to taste

*bacon; I use 2 strips of bacon per potato

*shredded cheese; I used sharp cheddar

Preheat oven to 400° (I know my dad’s original recipe card shows 375° but I have found that 400° works best)

In a cast iron pan, cook bacon until crisp; crumble and set aside. Wipe out the excess bacon fat but leave a small amount in the pan.

As you can see I did not take any pictures of the bacon, I think I was just so hungry and enthralled by the smell that I forgot. So just picture the bacon cooking here —–>

While the bacon is cooking, mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, paprika and pepper; set aside.

Pour in the canola oil and brush the oil all over the bottom of the pan.

Place the sliced potatoes in the pan leaving a small space between each slice if possible. This will make getting the potatoes out of the pan easier.

Brush the tops of the potato slices with the melted butter.

Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the potatoes.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Check during cooking time to see if the potatoes appear to be drying out too much or the season mixture is getting too done, if so brush with a little more butter and continue cooking.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese generously over the potatoes and top with the crumbled bacon.

Continue cooking a few minutes more until cheese is melted.

Serve as a side or you can even do what I’ve been known to do a few times, start eating them right out of the pan. I know, I have no self control at times but it’s worth every cheesy bite.

*These can also be cooked on a baking sheet. Cook the bacon; set aside. Spray a baking sheet with no stick spray or brush with canola oil. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and follow the directions above. Bake for 20 minutes are until tender.

Enjoy!