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More Power!
For those that don’t remember, comedian Tim Allen had a sitcom that ran in the 90’s named Home Improvement. In the show he played Tim Taylor, a man who hosted a home improvement show called Tool Time. In almost every episode of the show, or the show within the show, Tim would either choose an overpowered tool for the job, or modify an existing tool for “more power!”. Rarely, if ever, did it work out for him. The lesson is to use the right tool, with the right power, for the job.
I had my own moment with this dish. The potatoes came out a bit too runny. It tasted good, but the texture was off due to my overpowering of the situation.
A few ingredients.
Boiling the potatoes.
Instead of going down to my basement and bringing up the electric mixer, I decided to pull out my immersion blender. In just seconds, the potatoes were whipped to the finest texture. That was the problem. Too fine. I went ahead anyway by putting the cheese on top and baking it.
It was too runny (use a mixer) but tasted pretty good.
Oven-Baked Sour Cream and Cheese Mashed Potato Casserole
Makes: 8 | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
3 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk (or half-and-half)
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 bunch scallions (about 1 cup), chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of the salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, place in the bowl of an electric mixer, and mix just until fluffy. Do not over-mix. Add the milk or half-and-half, sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese, the scallions, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and mix well.
Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. At this point you can wrap the dish and refrigerate for up to one day before baking. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (45 to 55 minutes if the dish was refrigerated), until browned and bubbling on top. Serve warm.
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