Comfort Food Side Dishes

I'm not going to lie...when it comes to weeknight meals, side dishes are usually an afterthought for me. Some nights, it's enough work to get the main dish on the table...let alone worrying about throwing together some elaborate side dishes. My weeknight side dishes are usually very, very simple (consisting of staples like the following: salad, some kind of quick bread, and simple veggies--frozen, fresh, or canned).

But the side dish should not be overlooked. Sometimes the side dish ends up outshining the main dish! I'm going to share some very old family favorite side dishes (that fall into the comfort food category).

The first few recipes are pretty basic to LDS culture. In fact, I'm going to share two versions of the "Funeral Potatoes" since it's so common (a rich version and a lightened up version). Why are they called "Funeral Potatoes," you ask? I think it has to do with the fact that they are so easy to make, plus you can make them ahead of time and bake them just before they are needed. Because of those two factors, they tend to make an appearance at a lot of luncheons following LDS funerals. Or maybe it's just because when it comes to comfort food, they're to die for! (Please excuse the pun).

I'm sharing quite a few potato side dishes because, for me at least, potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. I LOVE them! I hope you like these recipes too.


Baked Beans

Ingredients:

2 (29 oz) cans pork and beans
2 chopped onions
1 diced green pepper
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients well. Can be mixed ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Bake covered for 3 hours at 300 degrees. Top with additional bacon, if desired.

8-10 servings.

Source: My Mom has been making this for years. I'm not sure where she got it from.

Notes: These baked beans are the perfect balance of sweet and savory.


Cottage Cheese Jello Salad

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 oz) pkg. Jello, any flavor
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip

Directions:

Mix pineapple and Jello. Add cottage cheese and Cool Whip. Chill until set. Serve chilled.

Source: This is one of those LDS culture recipes that so many people make. I'm not sure where the original recipe came from.

Notes: For those of you who haven't had this, I know it might sound weird to combine cottage cheese, pineapple, Jello, and Cool Whip...but trust me, this stuff is addicting. I've also mentioned that I really don't like Jello in its jiggly form, but I love the flavor that it imparts to things when it doesn't become gelatin! The salad above is orange flavored with mandarin orange segments placed on top just for the heck of it.


Au Gratin Potatoes (aka Funeral Potatoes)

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes (you can also use the equivalent amount of frozen, thawed, hash browns to speed up and simplify things)
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped green onions (you can also use white or yellow onions, if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes or potato chips
2 tbsp melted butter

Directions:

Bake or boil potatoes, then peel and shred or grate them.

Heat 1/4 cup butter with soup. Add sour cream, onion, and cheese. Mix well. Pour into 9x13 pan or casserole dish. Sprinkle with cornflake/potato chip and butter mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Source: Probably just about every ward cookbook that has ever been printed.

  
Lightened Cheesy Potatoes (Funeral Potatoes)

Ingredients:

1 (10 3/4 oz) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup light dairy sour cream
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (green, white, or yellow), or 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (30 or 32 oz) package frozen shredded or diced hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes or potato chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2 quart rectangular baking dish; set aside. In an extra-large bowl, combine soup, cheese, milk, and sour cream, onion, and pepper. Stir in potatoes. Spread mixture evenly in prepared baking dish.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes; stir potatoes. Sprinkle with cornflakes/potato chips. Bake uncovered, for 20-25 minutes more or until heated through and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

12 servings.

Nutrition Information: 129 calories, 3 g fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 236 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber.

Source: This lightened version came as a loose mini booklet with one of my Taste of Home magazines.

Notes: I like that it adds the bit about allowing it to stand 10 minutes before serving because these potatoes get hotter than the blazes of the sun! Watch out or you could seriously burn your tongue.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Cheese

Ingredients:

6 large potatoes, cleaned and quartered (not peeled)
2 large cloves garlic, quartered
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup half and half
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Put potatoes and garlic in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. When potatoes are done, melt butter in a separate saucepan, then add half & half. Warm for 2-3 minutes on low. Drain potatoes and garlic. Mash together, then add butter, salt, and half & half. Mash to desired consistency (smoothly mashed or lumpily smashed...it's up to you). Top with shredded Cheddar cheese.

Serves 6.

Source: Again, with some of these recipes that my Mom has been making for years, I have no idea where she got this from.

Notes: We now usually double or triple this since our family has grown.

Above: Add a little bacon too, if you like!

Mr. Wendel's Potato Salad

Ingredients:

7 lbs. potatoes
1 jar Best Foods Mayonnaise (regular size--larger jar)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 tbsp dry mustard
1/ tsp (heaping) pepper
2 tsp salt
3-4 medium dill pickles, diced
1 medium onion, chopped very fine
Large handful of fresh parsley, minced
12 eggs, hard boiled, peeled, and quartered

Directions:

Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water with the skins on. The skins will peel off easily after they have cooked (so you can save yourself the step of having to peel the potatoes prior to cooking them).

Slice the potatoes lengthwise only (they break up further when you stir all of the ingredients together). Then stir in mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, prepared mustard, dry mustard, pepper, salt, diced dill pickles, chopped onion, and minced parsley. Mix well.

Once everything else is mixed, stir in the eggs (adding them too early will break them apart too much). Chill until ready to serve.

Source: I had the most awesome choir teacher (Mr. Norman Wendel, as evidenced by the title of this recipe) when I was in high school. I was always very self-conscious about my singing voice, but he gave me the confidence to get out there and perform. Honestly, if it weren't for him, I don't think I would have had the guts to audition for the music program at BYU. Largely because of him, I graduated as a Vocal Pedagogy major. I wish all music teachers could be like him. He buoyed me up and taught me so much about music (technical music theory as well as how to just plain love and enjoy music). I tried out for his Madrigal group while I was in high school and got put on the party planning committee. For one of our parties, we had a potluck and Mr. Wendel brought this fantastic potato salad (I made sukiyaki...a recipe to share another day!). I craved this potato salad for years afterward and begged for the recipe. The problem was that he was one of those cooks who creates a recipe in their mind, but never writes it down. Luckily for me, his daughter (who I was in Madrigals with) finally pinned him down and watched him make it while she wrote down the methods, measurements, and equivalents for this recipe. She then shared this recipe with me. Yum! I'm sooooo grateful!

Notes: This is definitely a savory potato salad with some bite to it. I love the addition of dill pickles and hard boiled eggs. If you like a wussy, bland, or sweet tasting potato salad, this one isn't for you. Coincidentally, this potato salad is very similar to the potato salad that my in-laws have been making for years too (a recipe that THEY made up too. Though I'm not sure if they wrote theirs down or not). Destiny or coincidence? You decide!

Also, the picture I took doesn't do it justice.  This is a fantastic potato salad.  Here's what I did this time around: I made the whole batch, but I divided it into two bowls.  One bowl had pickles and eggs, the other bowl didn't.  All of the other ingredients stayed the same.