Pimiento Cheese Potato Gratin

I have made no secret of my love for pimiento cheese; a cursory search of this blog would indicate the extent of my love. I like it in its purest form, and I like it when it’s used as a burger topping, a salad ingredient, or baked into another dish. This delicious cheesy potato recipe is one that I have adapted from the Lee Brothers’ recipe in their book, The Lee Brothers, Simple Fresh Southern. It is tangy, creamy, and immensely satisfying.

Pimiento Cheese Potato Gratin

Adapted from the Lee Brothers

 2½ t. salt, plus more to taste

1¹⁄₂ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, sliced into ¹⁄_4” thick rounds

³⁄₄ c. heavy cream

3 Melissa’s shallots, minced

¹⁄₄ t. crushed dried red chili flakes

¹⁄₂ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 c. chopped Melissa’s roasted red peppers, with their liquid

8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese shredded 

 Heat the oven to 375°F with racks positioned in the middle and top third of the oven. In a 3- to 4- quart stockpot, bring 2 qts. of water and 2 t. of the salt to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes; drain and set aside.

Combine the cream, shallots, chili flakes, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the jar of roasted peppers in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chili flakes have begun to stain the cream, about 2 minutes. Add half of the cheese and stir until it melts, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

 Layer roughly a third of the potatoes in a 6-cup baking dish, overlapping them slightly so that they fit in an even layer. Scatter half of the roasted peppers on top of the potatoes, and repeating layering potatoes and peppers until all of the potatoes and peppers have been used. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and peppers and agitate the dish to distribute the liquid throughout. Cover with foil and bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Uncover the dish, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, and place the fish on the top oven rack. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and gently browned on top. Serve immediately.

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Hatch Chile Pimiento Cheese

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I love Lisa Fain. Her cookbooks (The Homesick Texan Cookbook and The Homesick Texan’s Family Table) are always at the forefront of my collection, Queso! being one of my absolute faves. As a follower of her blog, she got my rapt attention with a recent recipe for pimiento cheese. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I am obsessed with pimiento cheese! Considering this is hatch chile season, her incorporation of them into pimiento cheese, replacing standard red peppers was intriguing. The addition of pecans did, indeed, take this over the top. I won’t say that it’s my new favorite, but I will say that it’s right up there. Because the pecans, I felt, made this a little dry, I altered her recipe slightly. Excellent!

 Hatch Chile Pimiento Cheese
Adapted from Lisa Fain

2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 t. grated yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
½ c. diced, roasted, Melissa’s hatch chiles (about 1½, give or take)
½ c. chopped pecans
¼ t. cumin
Pinch cayenne
1/3 c. Duke's mayonnaise
1 t. lemon juice
½ t. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, combine all above ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour before serving.

 

Pimiento Cheese & Ham Casserole

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I probably should have designated this week “Ham Week” because I seem to have spent it focusing on using up that half ham that I got for Easter. It wasn’t a big ham, but when you’re serving so few people, it does tend to go a long way. This recipe is pure comfort food. It’s based upon a recipe that my mother used to make when I was a kid, and I always loved it. Who doesn’t love ham, potatoes, and cheese? I felt the original version was a little bland, so I kicked it up with some spice, roasted red peppers, and pickled jalapeños. My pimiento cheese version is a weekday winner.

 

Pimiento Cheese & Ham Casserole

2 T. butter
½ c. chopped scallions
1 clove garlic, minced
½ c. chopped Melissa’s Roasted Red Peppers
1 Melissa’s Pickled Jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 T. flour
½ t. dry mustard
¼ t. seasoned salt
1½ c. whole milk
2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
2 T. mayonnaise
3 c. cubed russet potatoes, cooked
2 c. cubed cooked ham
1 T. melted butter
½ c. Panko breadcrumbs
Pinch of smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 1½-quart casserole dish with PAM; set aside.

In a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, melt butter. Sauté scallions in the butter until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in roasted red peppers and jalapeño, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until the jalapeño has softened. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir in; add dry mustard and seasoned salt and cook an additional 2 minutes. Gradually add milk, stirring to blend. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer to thicken slightly. Add 1½ cup of the cheese and mayo and stir until cheese is melted. Add remaining ingredients, stirring to coat. Turn into prepared casserole dish. In a small bowl toss the melted butter with the Panko crumbs and remaining ½ cup cheese, and sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle paprika overall. Bake for 30-35 minutes until hot and bubbly. If the crumbs haven’t toasted, run under the broiler for a few minutes until they do.

Juniper Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip

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If you are anything like me, i.e. someone who enjoys reading new recipes, then you are probably as eager as I am every Wednesday for the food section in the local paper, whether you read it digitally or a hard-copy. And, if, also like me, you are a fan of pimento cheese, have I got a recipe for you!

Juniper, a Southern Table and Bar, in downtown St. Louis offered up their recipe for this zippy, flavorful pimiento cheese that is baked. Like all pimiento cheese, it is easy to put together, and, as I always do, make it easy on myself by using Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Bell Peppers rather than roasting my own (as they suggested in their recipe). One taste, and this quickly rose to my top five favorite pimiento cheeses, in a list that boasts more than two dozen varieties.

Here is my adaptation of their recipe. While this one is baked, it is just as good cold, and has as many uses as you can imagine, including being stuffed into celery, dolloped on top of a burger or hotdog, added to a steaming bowl of chili or tomato soup, or simply as the hot dip that it was intended. Juniper includes pickles among their dippers, as well as a type of bread that is similar to pita or to the Indian bread naan. Choose your favorites here. There is no end to the way that you can enjoy this.

Juniper Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip
Slightly adapted from the original in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Yield: 8 servings (as if!)

1 Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Bell Pepper, minced
¼ pound yellow cheddar cheese
¼ pound white cheddar cheese
¼ cup Duke’s mayonnaise
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika (no substitutions!)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Crystal hot sauce
1 tablespoon garlic-dill pickle juice
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons cornbread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

The dip is baked and served in cast iron at Juniper, which helps it retain heat. You may use individual 6- or 8-ounce ramekins for this appetizer. Adjust the timing of the baking accordingly.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF, or 325ºF for glass pans.

Grate the cold cheddar cheeses using the large holes on a box grater or a food processor fitted with a grating disc. Toss the cheeses together in a mixing bowl. Add the diced red peppers and fold into the cheese.

In a separate mixing bowl, blend the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Stir the mix into the cheeses. Add hot sauce and pickle juice and stir to blend evenly. Taste. Add salt if needed.

 

Transfer the mixed dip into a 1-½ quart baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and top with cornbread crumbs. Return to the oven and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly. Top with chopped parsley. Serve with assorted pickles, breads or crackers.

Meal Plan Monday #8 - It's Aldi Week!

It’s Aldi week! If you read my post about my recent shopping trip to Aldi (That you can find here.), then you know that I got a little bit carried away. I thought that I would use one (or more) of their products in everything I made this week. So here’s what’s happening.

 Monday- Hearts of Palm and Spinach Quiche with Gruyere cheese

Tuesday- Sirloin Burgers with Pimiento Cheese 

Wednesday- Mandarin Orange Salad and Soup du Jour

Thursday - Dinner out, huzzah!

Friday - Cream of Tomato Soup with Brussels Sprout Ricotta Toasts

Saturday - Sole Meunière, baked potato, peas

Sunday - Butter Cauliflower Bowls with Cilantro Lime Rice

What are you cooking?

This week’s place setting; to see more of this table, click here.

Pimiento Cheese Nachos

I am about to change the way you think about nachos and pimiento cheese, and introduce you to my new favorite product, all at the same time. But, I’m getting ahead of myself; let me start at the beginning. You don’t have to be a regular reader of this blog to know that I love pimiento cheese. As a consequence, not only is it my goal to try every pimiento cheese recipe that I can find, but I also try to figure out as many ways in which to use it, or a variation thereof, as possible.

This morning I was thinking about Saturday being Cinco de Mayo, and knew that I needed to fix some nachos. Instead of making my regular version, however, I decided to make a pimiento cheese version of nacho cheese. Oh, boy, this is my new favorite! Talk about flavorful!

I filled a plate with my favorite [local restaurant] tortilla chips, topped it with my El Rancho Taco meat filling, and then ladled on my new favorite nacho cheese, a.k.a. Liquid Heaven. Then I topped everything off with a handful of chopped tomatoes, and slices of a new-to-me product from Melissa’s Produce, pickled jalapeños. I had never had a pickled jalapeño before, but from now on this is going to be the only way that I eat jalapeños. They aren’t kick-in-the-face hot like fresh ones, and are certainly far more flavorful. I am going to use these jalapeños in as many dishes as possible (stay tuned!). You need to try these; I think you will love them as much as I do. Meanwhile, whip yourself up a batch of pimiento cheese nacho cheese, and pour yourself a margarita.

 Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Pimiento Cheese Nacho Cheese

1 8-ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 teaspoons cornstarch
6 ounces evaporated milk

1 whole pepper from a 7 oz. jar 

of Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers, diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
Pinch of cumin, more or less to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper, more or less to taste

In a medium to large mixing bowl, toss together grated cheese and corn starch, coating cheese thoroughly.

In a medium to large saucepan, bring evaporated milk to a boil. Add cheese, and stir until melted, stir in red pepper, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, cumin, and cayenne. Pour over nachos, baked potatoes, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, well, the world is your oyster with this delicious cheese. Top with your choice of toppings. Be sure to make Melissa’s Pickled Jalapeños one of them.

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An apt dessert for your Cinco de Mayo celebration would be these refreshing Margarita Strawberries.

This post is linked to:

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Merry Monday

Over the Moon

 Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Full Plate Thursday

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station

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​Pimiento Cheese Egg Salad

When I was growing up, occasionally, my dad would come home for lunch. On the occasions that he did, my mother would remind him that she married him "for better or for worse, but not for lunch!" My mother was not a fan of the midday meal; she always found the cuisine rather limiting. I share her aversion to lunch making. When the time comes, I'm often struggling to put something together that’s satisfying. So, as often as I can, I try to stock the fridge with cold salads that can be easily served on a leaf of lettuce, rolled in a tortilla as a wrap, or on a flaky croissant.

The other day, while hard boiling eggs for  a Cobb Salad, I decided to toss in a few extras in order to make egg salad for lunch one day this week. I was thinking about my favorite luncheon salads -- chicken, egg, shrimp, and pimiento cheese, when the idea struck me to combine two of them, namely egg and pimiento cheese. To me, it seemed like the best of both worlds, and, let's face it, egg salad can get a little boring after a while. I was enormously pleased with the results! There's something about adding delicious, chopped, roasted red bell peppers to egg salad, along with a pinch of cayenne, a bit of grated cheese, and a dash of mustard, that turns it into something special. Give this some consideration the next time you're putting together egg salad for your noonday meal. You will not be disappointed.

Pimiento Cheese Egg Salad

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

4 hard cooked eggs, chopped

½ cup mayonnaise, more or less to taste

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. capers

¼ tsp. salt

Pinch of cayenne

½ cup finely diced Melissa’s fire roasted red bell peppers

Combine the cheese, eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon, capers, salt, pepper, and roasted bell peppers in a large bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour to meld flavors. Serve as you would any egg salad.

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Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
 Homestead Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Pimiento Cheese Bread

Last week I told you about that delicious warm Pimento Cheese Dip. Today I am going to give you the recipe for the Pimiento Cheese Bread that I made to use as toasted dippers for the warm dip. When thinking about how much I enjoy pimiento cheese, I decided the best way to eat a sandwich of pimiento cheese was to serve it slathered on top of a slice of pimiento cheese bread. It was experimental, but an experiment that worked out beautifully. I'm going to give you the recipe, and tell you that this was made super easy in my automatic bread machine.

One thing that surprised me was that the large pieces of roasted red peppers (much better than jarred pimientos, see recipe) that I put into the bread machine ended up being chopped fine and incorporated throughout the dough. This was no problem because the bread is a beautiful color with little flecks of roasted red pepper throughout, however the next time I make this (and there will be a next time) I'm going to knead larger pieces of peppers into the dough after the cycle is finished so that they're more obvious than they are here. Also, this is a lot of dough and it can tend to rise up pretty high and, as a consequence, tends to hang over the top of the pan as you can see from the picture.

Be sure to add the cheese on top because it gives it a wonderful cheesy crunch.

This is a beautiful and delicious bread, and makes wonderful toast spread with butter for breakfast in the morning. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

 

Pimiento Cheese Bread

 

1 pinch saffron thread

1 tablespoon water, boiling

2 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons honey

2/3 cup hot water ( 100F-105F)

5 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 cup diced Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers (I used Melissa's)

4 oz. (1 cup) grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups white bread flour

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Pinch of dry mustard

Dash Tabasco

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

TO FINISH

1 egg, beaten for brushing over

1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon of water in the microwave for 30 seconds. Drop the saffron threads into the water and soak for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, place the beaten eggs, honey, hot water, and melted butter in a bowl. Mix well. Add the saffron threads with the soaking water, stir and pour the mixture into the baking pan of your bread machine. Add mayonnaise, peppers, and cheese.

Mix the salt into the flour and add to the baking pan. Top with scallions, cayenne, mustard, Tabasco, and then sprinkle the yeast on top.

Set the program to 'DOUGH.' When the dough is ready (mine takes 90 minutes), transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 2-3 minutes. Shape the dough into a loaf and place it into a greased 9"x4" loaf pan.

Shape the dough into 3 equal-sized pieces, then roll each piece into a sausage shape measuring approximately 12 inches in length.

Brush with oil, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place.

Preheat the oven 425°F. When the dough has nearly doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and lightly brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and leave it to cool before serving.

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This post is linked to: Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Celebrate Your Story, Tutorials and Tips Tuesday, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Share Your Style, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Pimiento Cheese Quiche

My love for pimiento cheese is legendary. Well, maybe not legendary exactly, but pretty darned close. And when I am not testing new recipes for making pimiento cheese (see here and here), I'm thinking up ways to turn it into a tasty main dish as I did with this Pimiento Cheese Mac and Cheese. The other day I was wondering what else I could possibly do when I hit upon the idea of quiche. I used the basic components of pimiento cheese, a basic quiche recipe, and came up with this amazing bit of deliciousness. 

Pimiento Cheese Quiche

One pie crust (your own or purchased)

3 large eggs

2/3 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Duke’s mayonnaise

Salt, to taste

Pinch of cayenne

2-4 drops hot sauce

8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated

½ 7-ounce jar Melissa’s Fire Toasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers, chopped

1/3 cup chopped scallions

Place pastry into a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. Crimp the edges, poke the bottom with a fork, and place the pastry in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line the pastry with aluminum foil and pastry weights and bake about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.* Remove from the oven and remove the aluminum foil and pastry weights; return the pastry to the oven to bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, cayenne, and hot sauce until thoroughly blended. Place grated cheese into the bottom of the baked pastry, top with the chopped peppers and scallions, and spread evenly over the bottom of the pastry. Pour the milk/cream/egg mixture over the top. Bake in the center of the oven until the filling is golden and puffed, and is completely baked through, about 40 minutes. You can check for doneness by giving it a jiggle to make sure that the center is solid rather than liquid-y.

Remove from oven and let set for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

* In the absence of pastry weights, I line the pastry with foil and then put a smaller-sized glass pie pan on top and bake it this way.

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This post is linked to: Merry Monday, Art of Homemaking, Amaze Me Monday, Busy Mondays, Inspiration Monday, Cooking & Crafting with J&J, Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Tutorials and Tips Tuesday, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else