Potato Bake

What will you do if you have lots of potatoes in your pantry and you don't want to waste any of them?  You need to get adventurous and try your culinary skills in producing a nice meal out of potatoes.  Potato is a starchy fruit was first planted and domesticated in Peru between 8000-5000BC.  It belongs to the family of solanaceae or "nightshades."  Up to now, I am still thinking why are they called nightshades though.  There are about 5000 variety of potatoes in the world.  It is also interesting to know that it is the 4th world largest crop being consumed by people.  The name potato came from the Spanish word "patata."  It is also called "spud" which comes from the act of digging the soil before planting the potatoes.

The price of potatoes per kilo here in Australia ranges from $1 -3 while it is Php40-50 per kilo in the Philippines as of December, 2011. 

Last night, we had potato bake and according to my number 1 fans, my hubby and 21 month old daughter, it's sooo yummy!  I used 3 big potatoes.  Slicing them was a bit difficult because I still couldn't find my dependable knife.  I still think that I left it in the cabin where we stayed at before.  Good thing my hubby peeled the skins of the potatoes making my job a bit shorter and easier.  I have also fried the bacon without slicing it.  I just cut them with scissors when they're already cooked and cool.

You can follow this recipe en to to or you can add a bit of ham or other meat if you want.
Ingredients:
1 k potatoes
1 stick butter
100 g bacon
2 medium onions
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c cream
200 g fresh milk
1 tbsp cornflour or cornstarch
1 c cheese, grated

Procedure:
Slice the potatoes (around .5 cm).
Heat the butter in a non stick pan.  Fry bacon until a bit crispy.  Remove and set aside.
Cook the potatoes on the same pan until golden brown. 
Put in the onions, garlic and nutmeg.  Add the bacon.  Make sure that they are evenly distributed on the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the flour, cream and milk in a small bowl.
Put the potatoes in a baking pan.  Pour the cream and milk mixture.  Top with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes in a 220C preheated oven.


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