Get some cheesy boys in your life ASAP.
For a lot of people, lockdown has been a time for upskilling, learning new things, and refocusing energy on the creative.
However, the pandemic has also been a time for reflection, relaxation, and just taking a bit of a breather.
With that in mind, what better food to cook yourself up this week than a massive batch of cheesy garlic potatoes? Easy to make – with ingredients you’re sure to already have in your kitchen – you’ll be set for the foreseeable future side-wise.
Or main-wise. No judgement, honestly.
The dish may be simple, but it’s still incredible delicious, using a tad more (alright, a lot more) cheese than you’d tend to find in your classic garlic potatoes recipe, while also ramping up the inclusion of herbs and spices too.
You’re welcome.
You will need (serves four… or one, whichever):
- Four large potatoes (yukon gold will do nicely)
- 1 cup of milk
- 2 tbsp butter
- 5 large garlic cloves (minced)
- 1tbsp all purpose flour
- Mozzarella (grated), red cheddar (grated), gorgonzola (chopped), Parmesan (shaved)
- 1tbsp paprika
- 1 handful panko breadcrumbs
- Fresh basil and coriander (chopped)
- Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Slice the potatoes as thin as possible and layer half in a large baking dish. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan, adding the minced garlic cloves and mix well on a medium heat.
2. Add the flour to thicken up the sauce, and pour in the milk bit by bit over a five minute period, stirring throughout. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer. Add the salt and pepper to taste, as well as the paprika. Take the sauce off the heat and stir in the crushed basil and coriander.
3. Pour half of the sauce over the potatoes in the dish. Layer with a sprinkle of half of each cheese (except for the Parmesan). Layer the rest of the potatoes in the dish, pour the remaining sauce, and layer with cheeses again, this time including Parmesan.
4. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the bake, cover with tinfoil and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the potatoes have gotten sufficiently soft. Remove the tinfoil, reduce the heat to 200°C and bake for a further 20 or so minutes, or until the cheese and breadcrumbs have started to crisp.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. And then dig in.
