Creamy Italian Cheese Bacon Potato Casserole Food

ITALIAN FIVE-CHEESE POTATO CASSEROLE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cook potatoes in boiling water 20 min. or just until tender; drain. Return to pan; cover with cold water. Let stand until cooled.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 2 min. Blend in flour; cook 1 min. Gradually add milk; cook 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add 1-1/4 cups Shredded Italian* Five Cheese Blend; cook and stir 1 min. or until melted. Stir in mustard.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Layer alternately with cheese sauce in 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray, ending with sauce.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until heated through. Top with combined remaining cheeses and bacon; bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

POTATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Place the diced potato into a small pot. Pour in enough cold water to cover potatoes. Cover with lid and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for 5 minutes or until they barely are fork-tender. Drain and set aside. Wipeout pot with a paper towel and set aside.
• While potatoes simmer, render out bacon slices and brown. Remove to a paper towel and pour off excess grease. Saute onions in 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan until tender, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Place small pot you cooked potatoes in over medium heat. Melt in 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to create a paste. Cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium-high and continue whisking until sauce thickens. Reduce heat and stir in cream, cream cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and 1/2 cup grated cheese. Stir until cheeses melt and sauce is smooth.
• Pour cooked potatoes, bacon, onions and sauce into a large bowl. Stir to coat. Pour entire contents of bowl into greased baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes covered with foil. Place under broiler to brown the top if desired. Serve hot.

TARTIFLETTE (FRENCH POTATO, BACON, AND CHEESE CASSEROLE)

Steps:

• Boil unpeeled potatoes with salt in water over high heat; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife but are not too soft, 15 to 25 minutes depending on size. Remove potatoes from water to cool.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cook bacon in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat until cooked but not quite crisp and most of the fat is rendered out, 5 to 7 minutes. Push bacon to one side of the pan and blot up some of the fat with a wadded paper towel. Add onion slices. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and cayenne. Cook and stir over medium heat until onions are soft, sweet, and golden, about 6 minutes. Add white wine; cook for 2 minutes and deglaze pan. Remove from heat.
• Cut wheel of cheese into 2 semi-circles. Place each half cut side down and split in half to form 2 more semi-circles, each with a rind side and creamy cheese side.
• When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. Slice into fairly thick slices, about 1/3 inch thick.
• Place a little over half the potato slices onto bottom of a 2-quart shallow baking dish. A little overlapping is fine. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Pour in bacon/onion/wine mixture and spread over potatoes in an even layer. Arrange the remaining potato slices over the top, overlapping as needed. Spread creme fraiche over the potatoes. Place down cheese pieces, rind side up. Transfer pan to a baking sheet. Bake in center rack of preheated oven until browned and potatoes are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

CREAMY POTATO CASSEROLE WITH BACON & PARMESAN

Steps:

• Cook potatoes in boiling water 20 min. or just until tender; drain. Return to pan; cover with cold water. Let stand until cooled.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 2 min. Blend in flour; cook 1 min. Gradually add milk; cook 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add 1-1/4 cups Shredded Cheddar & American Cheeses; cook and stir 1 min. or until melted. Stir in mustard.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Layer alternately with cheese sauce in 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray, ending with sauce.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining cheeses and bacon; bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

TWICE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
• Poke a few holes into each potato using a toothpick.
• Bake potatoes in the preheated oven until fully cooked, about 1 hour. Cool for about 15 minutes.
• Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels and crumble.
• Cut a thin slice from one side of each potato; carefully scoop out the flesh and transfer to a bowl. Discard skins. Mix 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, butter, chives, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder with potatoes. Spread potato mixture into the prepared casserole dish; top with 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.
• Bake in the preheated oven until just bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

ITALIAN CREAM CHEESE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour three 9-in. round baking pans. In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Beat until just combined. Stir in coconut and pecans., In another bowl, beat egg whites with clean beaters until stiff but not dry. Fold one-fourth of the egg whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites. Pour into prepared pans., Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in pecans. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate.

CREAMY ITALIAN CHEESE BACON-POTATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook potatoes in boiling water 20 min. or just until tender; drain. Cover with cold water. Let stand until cooled.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 2 min. Blend in flour; cook 1 min. Gradually add milk; cook 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add 1-1/4 cups shredded cheese; cook and stir 1 min. or until melted. Stir in mustard.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Layer alternately with cheese sauce in 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray, ending with sauce.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until heated through. Top with combined remaining cheeses and bacon; bake 5 min. or until shredded cheese is melted.