Sunny Potato Bake
Last Spring I made a ham on the oven. It smelled so good as it cooked. I love glazed ham, it is one of my most favorite things to eat. Usually, I make my homemade potato salad to go with it. But that Spring day I was not feeling it. I wanted something different, something warm, aromatic, with some cheese but not swimming on it. That is when I decided to make my Sunny Potato Bake. It is very simple to do, the aroma while it bakes is intoxicating and all the times I have made it for friends, there has been none left! So I know that is a winner! This is could also be a very nice main dish. If you are vegetarian that is Lacto ovo vegetarian, this is a perfect dish for you!
I use red potatoes when I make my potato bake. I love red potatoes with their skin. To me, the skin adds to the flavor and texture of the potato, not to mention the fiber and minerals. Some potatoes skins are tougher, but red potatoes are soft and delicious. You can use other types of potatoes, something starchy and somewhat waxy, that will stay together when you bake it sliced. Yukon gold, Inca gold, and new potatoes are good replacements for the red potatoes. When you slice them, make sure you are slicing them thin, around 1/8 of an inch. If you cut them pretty thick, they will not take the flavor of the cheeses and herbs as well as thin cuts. I usually cut them by hand, but last time I made them used my Cuisinart food processor and it was incredible how fast it was to slice!
When I first envision the potato bake, I thought of cheddar cheese. Potatoes and cheddar cheese are a match made in heaven. But that day, I was not feeling the cheddar. I wanted something more exotic in flavor, something more Mediterranean. That is when I decided to use feta. I was doubtful first since had never baked anything with feta, but it was an awesome surprise when it came out! The mix of the feta with the herbs, sundried tomatoes and onions created a flavor that went perfectly with the potatoes. Even a friend that is not a huge fan of the feta liked how it went with the potatoes. You could also use cheddar or mozzarella, I am sure they will be awesome either way.
I had pecorino in my kitchen and it was a good decision. It worked perfectly with the feta. But I am sure if you use parmesan or romano you won’t be mad! All three of them are delicious! When layering the potatoes and other ingredients, make sure you are covering the whole baking dish. Do not stack thick layers of potatoes, it works best when you have several thinner layers. Think of lasagna, thinner layers all full of flavor. And when spreading the other ingredients over the layers of potatoes, spread them to make sure you cover all of it.
Sunny Potato Bake
This dish is a wonderful companion to a meat dish or a delicious vegetarian meal by itself. The mix of the cheeses, herbs, onions and sun-dried tomatoes is very aromatic and has a fabulous taste! It is Delicious!!!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. potatoes peeled or unpeeled, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp sage
- 1 tbsp garlic minced fresh
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup pecorino cheese + ¼ cup optional
- ½ tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper or to taste
Instructions
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Set oven to 425 degrees F.
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Butter a shallow baking dish.
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In a small saucepan, heat butter, onion, salt, pepper, garlic, sundried tomatoes, thyme and sage until the onions are soft.
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Mix cheeses with rosemary in a small bowl.
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Place a layer of potato slices on the baking dish.
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Drizzle some of the onion/sun dried tomatoes mix over potatoes.
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Sprinkle some of the cheese mix over the potatoes.
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Repeat until all the potatoes and mixes are used. You will have at least 3 layers.
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Sprinkle the top with the smoked paprika.
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Cover, and bake for 45 minutes, or until potatoes tender. Once the potatoes are tender, uncover them and bake for 10 to 15 minutes to brown the top. You have the option of sprinkling more pecorino cheese over the bake before browning.
Recipe Notes
I used feta cheese, but you could use mozzarella or cheddar. You could also replace the pecorino with parmesan or romano.
I used red potatoes, but you could also use Yukon gold, Inca gold or new potatoes. If you want to get wild, use Purple Peruvian potatoes for a wild look!
