Baked Potato Casserole

We planted potatoes in our garden again this year. 

A LOT of potatoes. 

Anyone want some potatoes??

I feel like I'm saying "this-is-what-we-are-doing-with-our-garden-surplus" over and over again on this blog, but it's usually when we have giant piles of produce on our counter that I have to be creative and come up with new recipes.

With a big pile of spuds staring me down, I got a craving for some baked potatoes. We planted Yukon golds in our garden, which are lovely in taste and texture but not excellent for baking, so I had to come up with another plan.

Here's the procedure: steam the potatoes and broccoli, fry the bacon, cook the onion and garlic, combine it all with some spices and cheese and bake until nice and bubbly. Pretty straight forward. Don't forget the smoked paprika- it takes the dish to another level, trust me.

This would be a great side dish, but we actually ate it as our main meal. We should have added a salad to make it a more balanced dinner, but let's face it: we just wanted to stuff our face with gooey, cheesy, bacon-covered potatoes. And hey! The broccoli's in there- that's good for you. You can leave it out if you want, but then you should definitely eat a salad. I mean, really.

This isn't exactly health food, but it's way better for you than say, a baked potato from Wendy's. So I think you can still feel good about it. I mean, I do. I'm all about some good fat. I better end this post before I go on a grass-fed, pastured meat tangent or talk about how you need lots of good fat to make better breast milk. You guys are just here for good food.

And this stuff is good.

Baked Potato Casserole
by Oven Love, inspired by Sea Salt with Food

Ingredients:

• 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 head broccoli, chopped into small florets (about 2-3 cups chopped)
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 cups (150 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup (100 g) parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Place a steaming basket in a large pot and fill with 1-2 inches of water. Place pot on to boil. When water is boiling, add the potatoes and steam (covered) for 5-6 minutes. Add broccoli to the potatoes and steam for an additional 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare a 9x13 baking dish. (You can butter/spray it now, but I like to use the paper towel with the bacon fat later.)
3. Meanwhile, fry the bacon until just crisp. Remove the bacon, drain on a paper towel and chop into small pieces, setting 2 tablespoons aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat in your frying pan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the mixture begins to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the potatoes and broccoli, paprika, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. 
4. Mix in half of the cheeses and the bacon (except for the 2 tablespoons you set aside). Pour the mixture into your baking dish and top with the remaining cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and serve hot.