Good Idea #22: Best Potatoes Ever

Here's another irresistible and incredibly easy dinner idea.   These are the best baked mashed potatoes I have ever had, let alone made myself.  The trick is loading up on the bad stuff.  The recipe actually called for whipped cream (as in, real cream that has been whipped, not sugary stuff from a can).  I didn't have any cream so I used almost an entire small tub of sour cream and it worked great.  Then add in a ton of Parmesan cheese.  For the amount above (about 6 good sized potatoes) I used about 3/4 cup.  Of course a little butter, salt and pepper to taste is always welcome.  The cheese and cream make the potatoes amazingly light and fluffy.  Then you just butter a dish and coat it with bread crumbs, plop the mashed potatoes in and stick them in the oven until they brown up on top.  I would have browned these longer, but I misjudged how long it would take and started the rest of my meal too soon.  Next time I'll make sure they have at least a good 30 minutes on about 400 degrees to get good and crispy.  Paired with a grilled steak (my cast-iron grill pan is a good idea in itself) and some steamed asparagus this meal was about as delicious as they come.

A note for budget-conscious carnivores:  we save money around here by splitting one fat steak and loading up on delicious and more reasonably priced potatoes.  Eat your steak and keep your money, too.  Yum.