Cooking Lesson #224: Locked-Down Buttermilk Parmesan Spuds

… from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? I’ve lost nearly 30 pounds since the whole COVID-19 pandemic started.  Yes, I still walk between 2 to 4 miles a day and I do get off my “keister” once every hour on the hour to power walk another 250 steps—Alexa, not so subtly reminds me when Mickey’s big hand strikes 12 on the clock. Between Alexa and my Fitbit I don’t stand a chance to slack off.  But I give credit, not to all the exercise, but to the lack of consuming French fries almost every day.
 
Now, I’m still a lover of potatoes and especially fries, but now that I have some extra  time on my hands, I have been finding new ways to cook spuds. Here’s a crusty potato recipe that I created when I had leftover ingredients to use up—I never know quite what to do with leftover buttermilk. I hate to waste food—don’t you? My buttermilk potatoes are a bit of twist on the standard scalloped potatoes. I must resist going back for seconds. Locked-Down Buttermilk Parmesan Spuds reheat well the next day. That would make them leftover leftovers.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  1 hour 30 minutes
Yield:  8 servings
 
Ingredients
14 small potatoes, peeled and cubed (mini red skins or Yukon golds)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup minced red onion
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crush red pepper flakes
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped parsley for garnish
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Lightly butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
3. Arrange the cut potatoes over the bottom of the dish and set aside.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
5. Add the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in 3 tablespoons of additional butter until melted.
7. Sprinkle the flour, salt, and peppers (red and black) over the onion mixture. Cook and stir until the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 2 minutes.
8. Continue to stir the flour mixture while gradually pouring in the milk and buttermilk; return the mixture to a boil.
9. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese; cook for 2 minutes until melted, and mixture is smooth.
10. Pour the mixture over the potatoes in the baking dish, stirring to coat evenly.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 1/2 hour and stir.
12. Bake 1/2 hour longer, stir the potato mixture again, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes more.
13. Garnish with a little fresh chopped parsley on top.

ChefSecret:  If you don’t have buttermilk use 1 cup of cream.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “If you would like to know how it feels today to be in the Hospitality Industry—remember when the Titanic was sinking and the band played on?  Well, we’re the band!”
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