Roasted Vegetables

This is so simple, but it's the best way to cook a lot of vegetables. I cook potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and asparagus this way. If you haven't tried roasting your vegetables, try it! It makes vegetables so delicious!

For potatoes, I like to use red skinned potatoes. All I do is wash them and cut them into chunks. For sweet potatoes and carrots, peel and cut into chunks. For asparagus, wash and break off the hard end at the bottom. Just toss the vegies in a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook at 425 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until they're done (asparagus only takes about 5 minutes, so throw them in when your meal is almost complete). I use my toaster oven so that I don't have to heat up the big oven.

Au Gratin Potatoes

I was feeling lazy tonight so I picked up some ham at Costco. Au Gratin Potatoes sounded pretty good so I made them to go along with the ham. If you have a food processor, this dish whips up in practically no time at all. I use the FP to cut the onions too, using my small shredding disk.

Au Gratin Potatoes

4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices (I prefer red potatoes, unpeeled, I used about 9-10 potatoes)
1 onion, sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (the sharper the better)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 1 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Layer half of the potatoes into the bottom of the dish. Top with onion slices, then add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, stirring constantly for about a minute. Add milk slowly and cook until mixture has thickened, stirring frequently. Add cheese and continue to stir until the cheese has melted. Pour cheese sauce over the potatoes and cover the dish with foil. Bake about 1 1/2 hours in the oven. (I like to uncover my potatoes for the last 10 minutes or so, that way the tops get a little bit browned).