culinary corner

a mandoline + two pounds of colby cheese = ?

scalloped potatoes of course!  indulging my fondness for kitchen gadgets, ben got me a mandoline for mother's day this year.  i didn't have much chance to use it in our temporary apartment, but it was time to pull it out.  it did a nice job reducing four pounds of potatoes into nice, uniform 1/4" slices, though i'm still not sold on the amount of cleanup.  add a giant chunk of cheese i bought on sale, and it was time to find a scalloped potato recipe.  this one on epicurious.com got 4 forks - Scalloped Potatoes With Three Cheeses - and was nice and easy (no cooking required before baking).  i more or less followed the recipe, except that i used colby jack instead of cheddar and blue cheese.  i think the blue cheese would have added some better depth, but the girls wouldn't have gone for it.  i'd use less butter next time too, and i only cooked it for 20 minutes uncovered.

results:  tasty, not spectacular.  after two dinners, the potatoes presented their own difficulty.  notice the four pounds of potatoes - this was a 13x9 dish, and fully half it remained.  time for a new concoction =)  i bring you

Easy Baked Potato Soup
(well, easy if you happen to have 2 pounds of scalloped potatoes handy ;-) )

2 pounds (half a 9x13 dish) scalloped potatoes
1 32 oz box of chicken broth
1-2 cups finely chopped kale or spinach
1 small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

put the potatoes in a soup pot and add chicken broth.  mash to desired consistency with fork or potato masher.  bring to a simmer and add kale.  cook 10 minutes or less, till kale is cooked.  add cilantro and cook a few minutes more.  thin with milk or water as desired.

don't skimp on the greens and cilantro, as they add a fresh bite that complements the richness of the potatoes.

bon appetit!