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It is about 1-1/2 weeks before  Easter. If you are having family or friends coming to your home in celebration of Easter, I have side-dish recipes for you to serve with your entree. It’s potato dishes that are easy to prepare, with similar ingredients, but with a different flavor. Today’s recipes come from members of our family, so I know they are easy to prepare and very tasty.

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SANDY’S CREAMY POTATO CASSEROLE
8 c. cooked, peeled and cubed red potatoes
1 can each, cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1-16 oz. container sour cream
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 c. cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs or crushed corn flakes

In a large bowl, combine soups, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Add potatoes and 1/2 cup cheese, mixing well. Turn into a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove from oven and sprinke top with remaining 1/2 c. cheese and bread crumbs or corn flakes. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, additional 30 minutes. Makes eight to 10 servings.

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MARION’S POTATOES O’BRIEN
1-24 oz. pkg. frozen Potatoes O’Brien, thawed
1 can each, cream of potato and cream of celery soup
2 c. sour cream
2 to 3 T. snipped, fresh parsley
1 t. paprika

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except parsley and paprika, mixing well. Turn into a butter 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. The last 10 minutes of baking time, sprinkle lightly with parsley and paprika. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Serves 8-10 people.

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TERRI’S PARMESAN BAKED POTATOES
8 T. butter, melted, divided
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese
8 medium-sized red potatoes, unpeeled
2 to 3 T. snipped, fresh parsley
1/2 t. paprika

Pour 6 T. of butter into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle cheese over butter. Place potatoes, cut side down, in one layer. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. To serve, turn potatoes over and put in a serving bowl. Drizzle with remaining 2 T. butter. Sprinkle parsley and paprika over potatoes. Makes six to eight servings.

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This recipe is for two people but can easily be doubled or tripled using proper-size baking dish and increased baking time.

CHERYL’S OVEN-CRISPED POTATOES
2 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 T. butter or margarine, melted
1 T. minced onion
1/8 t. pepper

Rinse potatoes in cold water and drain well. Arrange potatoes in an ungreased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish. Combine butter, onion and pepper; pour over potatoes. Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Makes two servings.

I have a couple of tips for you using potatoes. To bring out the real flavor of a potato, bake it on its own, unwrapped. Wrapping a potato in foil locks in moisture and steams the potato, so you end up with a boiled taste.

Avoid green potatoes as they’ve been exposed to light and are actually sunburned, which turns the flavor bitter. You can peel the green away, but if the potato is more than half green, throw it out.

We eat our main meal at noon, so it’s not much for supper. I have this thing that’s called “Make Your Own” for supper that works pretty well. Now and then I will have a baked potato with a little real butter on top and that’s perfect for me. Bud heads for the cheese drawer in the fridge to make a grilled cheese sandwich along with a bowl of tomato soup! I think I am having a more nutritious meal than his.

When baking potatoes, scrub the dickens out of them so you can eat the skin. An after-thought, the calorie count rises to, I don’t even want to guess what it is, when slathered with butter, sour cream and sprinkled with cheese.

Thought for the Day: Another lexophile: A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail!

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