Hot Potato, Hot Potato

Interesting fact: when either of my girls have been unwell they usually crave potatoes in their recovery.
The Mini Brat caught some sort of intestinal bug a few days after her return from Germany. She was laid low but rallied enough for me to leave her and go to the BBL05 game on a Sunday a few weeks ago.
I had just arrived at my hotel and was making a refreshing cup of Madame Flavours's 'Delicate Green Jasmine and Pear' Tea, when my phone rings.
' Hi Mum, you need to come home'
'And why is that?' I ask
'You need to come home and make me a potato bake!'
The Mini Brat was on the mend and she needed her potatoes! She also mentioned that no one else made potato bake like me. Everyone else messed up a perfectly simple dish! (apparently no one else microwaves the potatoes)
I declined of course only to be told there was just enough time to drive home, prepare the potato bake and then drive back to Brisbane for the cricket……(2 hour minimum each way)
I promised to make one the next day and hung up!!!
The potato bake is one of a few 'specialty' dishes I will cook on rare occasions. This is how it goes:

• Enough of your favourite potatoe's for your needs, in this case I used 2kgs (washed potatoes don't need peeling)
• 500 gms diced bacon
• 600ml cream
• minced garlic to taste
• 250gm shredded cheese

• Pre heat oven to 180C
• Slice the potatoes about 1-1.5 cm thick and layer in a casserole dish, cover with glad wrap, microwave for 10 mins
• in a second casserole dish sprinkle diced bacon, a little cream and garlic to taste then a layer of microwaved potaoes
• repeat the layers until ingredients are used up then sprinkle, generously with shredded cheese.
• cover with aluminium foil and bake in oven for 20 minutes
• remove from oven and remove foil
• return to oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is al melted and golden brown!!

This dish lasted the Mini Brat a couple of days and then she requested her next favourite dish: Potato, Bacon and Corn Soup.
Another really simple dish that is brilliant in the colder months served up with some of those little par bake rolls all crusty and warm fresh from the oven!
This recipe is a simplified version of one I found in the Better Homes and Garden magazine nearly ten years ago.

• 6 good sized potaoes diced(again washed potatoes don't need peeling)
• 425gm tin Corn Kernels
• 425 gm tin Creaned Corn
• 250gms chopped bacon 
• 1 litre of Chicken Stock
• 60gm butter

• In a good sized pan melt the butter and sautee the bacon, add potatoes and coat with butter
• pour in the chicken stock
• cover and bring to the boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender
• add both tins of corn, including the liquid from the kernels and warm through

Simple yes???

The original recipe had Onions (allergic), Cellery (cooked yuck) and Sour Cream (not to kids taste).

A couple of simple dishes that done properly bring happiness and comfort to recovering children……..

Oh Crap…I don't think the Normal Autistic Girl knows I made a Potato Bake and she didn't get any……I think I'm in trouble……