Easy Side Dishes: Party Potatoes

This simple recipe will impress every guest you'll ever have. It can be used as a side dish, but you can also serve it as an appetizer. You can set it out and people can pull one potato at a time as an appetizer, or you can use a serving spoon and have your guests scoop out a portion. It's really up to you.


This recipe lends itself well to customization. Try using taco seasoning instead of paprika and garlic. Or add sour cream to the sauce for a little kick. Maybe even use cayenne on the potatoes and red pepper flakes in the sauce if you like things spicy. My kids love a pizza version, where I use more tomato sauce than the recipe calls for and we sprinkle pepperoni on the top. It's really up to you.


Ingredients


6 large russet potatoes
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup butter
⅓ cup all purpose flour
1½ cup milk
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
parsley (optional)


Preparation


Heat oven to 425°F. Peel potatoes and cut them into wedges. Cut each wedge in half so you have a flat end to stand it up. This will help in arranging the wedges later. Toss wedges with oil, paprika, garlic, and salt. Spray a large, shallow casserole dish with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place the wedges in the dish and bake for 30 minutes.


Remove the wedges from the casserole dish and drain on paper towels. Do not discard the casserole dish or the remaining oil mixture that will be in the bottom of the dish. Lower the temperature of the oven to 375°F.


In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and mix well, then add milk. Keep stirring the prevent the milk from burning. Add tomato sauce and blend. When the milk is heated, add 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Keep stirring as the cheese melted. Cook sauce until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove sauce from heat.


While the sauce is cooling slightly, Sprinkle ½ cup of cheddar cheese on the bottom of the casserole dish. Take the wedges and arrange them in the casserole dish, standing them upright on their flat bottoms. You want the points sticking upwards. They will be crowded, which is the point. You don't want too much space between the potatoes, so really pack them in there.


Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Fill the casserole dish almost to the top. Sprinkle the potatoes with remaining cheese, then top with parsley, if desired. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese sauce is bubbling. Switch the oven to broil for 5 minutes to brown the sauce and the tips of the potatoes. Cool just slightly before serving.


This will serve up to 6 people as a side dish, or quick a few more as an appetizer. Keep leftovers for up to 2 days in the fridge.