#easter side

Must Try CRISPY ROASTED POTATOES

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

This crispy potato side dish is a nice alternative to cheesy potato casseroles – and it looks beautiful on the table, too. Tip: The thinner the potatoes are cut, the crispier they’ll become in the oven.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 pounds russet potatoes

4 shallots, thickly sliced lengthwise

Coarse salt

½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

8 sprigs thyme

Directions

Heat oven to 375 F.

In a small bowl, combine butter and oil. Brush bottom of a 9-inch round baking dish or cast iron skillet.

With a sharp knife or mandoline, slice potatoes very thinly crosswise.

Arrange potato slices vertically in the baking dish. Wedge sliced shallots throughout. Sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes. Add thyme sprigs and brush with remaining butter mixture.

Leek & Gruyère Scalloped Potatoes

A wonderful update on a classic side dish from Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate.

Confession: I grew up eating those metal containers of scalloped potatoes and ham with the plastic lid and pull-back top that you pop in the microwave and “enjoy” one short minute later. I also grew up on all those convenience foods like Hamburger (and Tuna) Helper, Little Debbie, microwave dinners and a fair share of drive-through fast food.

Guess what? I turned out okay. At least I think I did. That might be up for debate.

While none of these things did, in fact, kill me, I think we can all agree that the trend has turned away from convenience foods like that. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure the day will come when my kids have a Happy Meal. I also make my fair share of boxed mac and cheese. We all have those days. I can’t say, however, that I’ll ever give those canned scalloped potatoes and ham another try. Especially after making these Leek and Gruyère Scalloped Potatoes.  

Though these potatoes require a few more steps than peeling back the lid and popping them in the microwave, they are actually quite simple. A little bit of slicing, sautéing and popping in the oven, and you’ve got yourself some creamy, cheesy potatoes! They also take a little over an hour to bake, so plan accordingly.

As the title implies, the leeks and Gruyère cheese are obviously the stars of the show here. I love cooking with leeks and the flavor they give to dishes, and this is no exception. I also love the nuttiness from the Gruyère cheese. If you can’t, for some reason, get your hands on it, you can sub any sort of white cheese like white cheddar or fontina. However, the nice cheese lady at my local Lunds and Byerlys was more than happy to help me find it!

These potatoes would be perfect for Easter dinner, spring brunch, or as a Sunday supper side dish!

Leek and Gruyère Scalloped Potatoes

6-8 servings Preparation time: 15 minutes Cook time: 65 minutes

Ingredients 1 ½ - 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into approximately ⅛-inch pieces 2 tablespoons butter 2 large leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup whole milk Chives, for topping

Directions

Heat oven to 350 F. 

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat.

Add leeks, season with ¼ teaspoon of salt and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

Spread ½ of the potato slices on bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. 

Top with ½ of the leeks and ½ of the shredded cheese.  

Repeat with remaining potatoes, leeks and cheese. 

In a small bowl, whisk together cream, milk, nutmeg and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. 

Pour over potatoes.  

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.  

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.  

Remove foil, increase oven temperature to 425 F, and bake another 15 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.

Lemon Popovers

From our original The Best of Byerly's cookbook! Lemon peel adds a fresh taste to these crispy, puffy popovers. Delicious served with your favorite entrée or salad.

Makes 10-12 popovers Preparation time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients 2 cups flour 2 cups milk 4 eggs ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel Optional: 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions

Generously grease 10-12 (6-ounce) custard cups or popover pans. Heat oven to 425 F.

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor; process until thoroughly blended. 

Fill greased custard cups ⅔ full. (Can stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour.)

Bake popovers 20 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350 F and bake 25-30 minutes longer.

With a bamboo skewer, poke hole in side of each popover; bake 5-10 minutes longer.

Cheesy Asparagus Tart

No springtime brunch is complete without this delightfully flaky, cheesy tart!

Ingredients 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 10-12 asparagus spears 1-2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese Olive oil Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 F.

Meanwhile, bring a sheet of puff pastry to room temperature. Gently unfold or roll out the dough and, using a sharp knife, score it about 1 inch from the edge, making a rectangle all the way around. This will be the “crust” once the pastry bakes.

Inside the rectangle, pierce the dough every ½ inch or so to prevent bubbles.

Bake the dough at 400 F for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle the baked pastry with 1-2 cups of shredded Gruyère.

Lay full asparagus spears on top of the cheese and brush with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

I really love using an Instant Pot for something like hard boiling eggs. It really does take the guess work and timing of making the perfect hard boiled eggs. #DeviledEggs #Easter #InstantPot #Bacon #Sriracha #Avocado

Easter will soon be upon us and we all will be left with what to do with 100 colored hard boiled eggs. Yes, you can make egg sandwiches or throw them at your teenagers but how about another idea? Deviled eggs done four different ways. Why four ways you ask? Well, because I didn’t have enough eggs to do them five or six different ways.

I really love using an Instant Potfor something like hard…