Hello friends!
Today I'm going to be sharing with you a Mankus family tradition.
Every Sunday night, my dad makes a steak dinner for the family.
Even though this isn't that big of a deal because my dad loves cooking, and he still doesn't do the dishes afterwards, this is one tradition that we always follow. I don't really know why.
So I decided I'd help him out in the kitchen for his classic steak dinner, and take spin on the classic "steak and potatoes".
Another thing you should know about my family is that we L.O.V.E cheese.
My whole life, we have had a drawer in our fridge dedicated to all kinds of cheese, and I had thought that was completely normal.
So. Much. Cheese.
Anyway, let's get started.
Peel your potatoes and cut them in half if they're too big. I usually do about 6 large Idaho potatoes, cut in half, and that makes enough for my family and then leftovers. You could also do this with little red potatoes, and you wouldn't even have to peel them.
[PS they're even better the next day!]
Boil your potatoes. It should take about 20 minutes. You want to be able to smoosh them down pretty easily.
Next, use a slotted spoon to scoop out the potatoes, and place them on a pan with parchment paper.
[The parchment paper makes for an easier clean-up, since you won't have to scrape cheese off the pan.]
Then take one of these nifty potato mashers
{I'm not sure if that's the right name, but that's what my little sister always called it when she would make mashed potatoes with my mom}
Or you can use a fork, to just mash the potato down. If it falls apart into a billion pieces, just clump them all together into one little stack with your hands.
DISCLAIMER: This is NOT the lightest recipe you willl ever find.
(Keep in mind I am only 17, with a high metabolism and a huge sweet tooth. No dieting allowed.)
Yes, you're going to scoop butter on top of these potatoes. About a teaspoon and a half. Per potato.
Then, yes, you put a ton of cheese on it. I just use what ever pre-packaged shredded cheese we have in our fridge, which is usually the KRAFT Mexican 4-cheese bland or a bag of shredded mozzarella.
{I prefer the four cheese blend.}
Then, we season.
You can season with literally anything you want. I've done spicy cheese potatoes with cayenne pepper, or just plain and simple salt and pepper, but this was my favorite.
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Delish.
Then pop them in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
And enjoy!
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Sidenote:
It's summer now, and I have a ton of recipes and ideas on deck to put up here.
I'm also going to be taking a ton of pictures this summer, and every week, I'm going to do a "five things" post, inspired by a few of my favorite bloggers.
I've also started up a catering business out of my home and it would be AWESOME if you would like my Facebook page!
So stay tuned!
Much Love,
Emily
