Two for Tuesday: Potatoes

I don't even care that it's Sunday. Sue me.

 I'm posting my Two for Tuesday recipes up anyway because if I wait for Tuesday, I won't have time to write.

Anyway, potatoes and I have a love-hate relationship. I love potatoes. They hate me and refuse to cook. Really. Not even in the microwave. Our relationship is that disfunctional.

The fact that I cooked two yummy potato dishes this week is nothing short of amazing. I want to write down the recipes so I remember them. They both originally came from All Recipes, but I modified them to reduce the sodium and to match the ingredients I had, so these are the modified versions.

Leek and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 leeks, sliced and rinsed
• 1 quart broth or stock, low or no-sodium
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups milk
• 3 thick slices Velveeta cheese
• Mrs. Dash to taste 
• shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, melt butter. Cook leeks until tender. 
2. Stir cornstarch into 1 cup of broth so that there are no lumps. Add to rest of broth and again, stir out lumps. Add mixture to pot while stirring. (When I made this soup last week, I used some ham drippings I had saved from a previous dinner and added enough water to make 1 quart. This was far from a low sodium option, I know.)
3. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Add Mrs. Dash to taste. Pour in the milk, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until potatoes are cooked through. Add cheese slices and stir until melted. 
4. Serve and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese.

 (This next recipe was originally "potatoes au gratin" , but the Jedi won't eat any dish with a French name.)

 Cheesy Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
• half an onion sliced and separated into rings (or 1 whole onion)
• LOTS of Mrs. Dash
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 2 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish.
2. Place a layer of potatoes in the casserole dish. Season generously. Place another layer. Repeat. When you've used half the potatoes, place a layer of onion rings. Then continue with seasoned layers of potatoes.
3. In medium sized sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for at least one minute. 
4. Add milk and stir until thickened. Season to taste.
5. Add cheese and stir until melted.
6. Spoon sauce over potatoes.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and back for 1 and 1/2 hours.