HopeAbound: Smoky Potato Bake

This is one of those "I can't believe it's so easy!" dishes. A new favorite in the kitchen for both myself and the hubby. And the great thing about it is, it can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge til time to cook supper. It also makes a great freezer meal. Makes supper time a breeze.

Here's what you'll need:

4 potatoes

4 slices of pepper jack cheese (or cheese of choice)

2 T sour cream

1/2 T butter

1 t olive oil

1/4 cup milk ( I used skim)

Salt and Pepper to taste

McCormick's Smoke House Maple seasoning

Boil the potatoes until slightly cooked through. Allow to cool for easier handling. Then slice them up as close to equal width as possible. Peels and all.

Once you've sliced them, coat your pan with the olive oil. Arrange the potatoes in an overlapping pattern. Work from the outside in.

Next, add the seasonings. Sprinkle generously over the potatoes. I didn't measure this because it really depends on your taste. If you like a deeper flavor, add extra. I kept it light for the little ones.

In a small sauce pan, slowly warm the milk and butter together. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.

Once the cheese has melted, pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes. Take the sour cream and spread over the top. If you're planning on freezing the dish, this is where you'll want to stop and wrap it up. Place in the freezer for a quick go to dish. If you're storing it for supper time like I was, cover and put in the fridge.

To cook:

Turn oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 20-30 minutes until the top is slightly browned.

Now, if you're like me and you have little ones running around, then this might be a little tip for you. Sometimes, we make a meal that the girls can't eat. Whether it's too spicy, they simply refuse to eat it, or they 're not old enough to eat it (like soup). In these cases, it's nice to have some sides to pair with a protein for them. So when I make this, I save the ends of the potatoes.

Cut them into bite size pieces. Warm them through. Add some salt and pepper (or not) and a 1/4 t of butter and serve with some shredded chicken and they're set!

I love potato dishes. They are so versatile is crazy. Add meat to it and it makes for the main entree. Can beat that, huh? After making this, I looked around Pinterest for some similar potato dishes. Here are three of the favorites I found. Links are listed below.