During the hurricane we all developed a "craving" for some cozy comfort foods. Since I picked up 50 pounds of potatoes at the market last week, I figured I'd begin there. 
I have been working on "healthifying" a scalloped potato recipe and this one turned out quite good so I thought I'd share. It's a cross between Lancaster County Potatoes Supreme and old fashioned grama's scalloped potatoes from Thanksgiving. 
This dish still has a good amount of fat but it's all from organic, local dairy. 


Creamy Dill Potatoes

I used all organic ingredients in this since the recipe requires a high amount of dairy. Toxins, hormones, and antibiotics are stored in the animal fat so it is important to either use fat free or organic dairy to protect your body from all the chemicals. 

6 potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin chips, 1/8 th inch
3 cups milk + 3/4 c milk
1/2 stick butter
1 cup freshly shredded cheddar
1-2 T dried dill, fine
Pinch of ground mustard
1/2 -1 t (to your taste) garlic r
1 1/2 t sea salt, if using pink Himalayan use less than 1 t
1/2 c white unbleached, unbromated flour

Spray a large glass dish and put potatoes in dish.
In a large saucepan melt butter (I use stainless steel so I spray my pan).
Add 3 c milk and stir, constantly until quite warm but not boiling.
Meanwhile, whisk rest of milk and flour in small bowl to make a roux -- it will be thick and kind of foamy, if too sticky or stiff, add a little more milk.
Add roux to hot milk mixture and whisk.
Add dill, salt, and garlic powder, continue to whisk.
Mixture should thicken slightly. Do not boil, stir continuously.
Finally, add cheese and continue to whisk until thoroughly melted.
Pour over potatoes.
Be sure they are thoroughly coated.
Cover and bake at 350 til potatoes soft, maybe 45-60 minutes.
Remove cover and bake 15 more minutes til slightly browned.
Serves 8-10 as a generous side.

I have grown conscious of our fat and starch intake but we really enjoy dishes such as this. In order to keep the nutrient density of the meal high, I served this with a lightly steamed veggie, a large salad, and a serving of Swedish meatballs made from local free range, natural beef, and local, all natural chicken Italian sausage. I fill my family's plates in the kitchen to ensure 1/2 their meal is vegetables. 

We eat TONS of french fries in our home...but I thought fries were bad for you, you say?! Not these ones -- and they are delicious, too...they have to be or my kids would not eat them, especially Jess and Jules who don't eat any other form of potato than french fries -- so, for them, they have to taste like fries.
First, it is great to note that fries can come in many colors and we often serve three varieties at the Myers' table.
When I make them in the same meal, I use different cookie sheets to cook them on because they do have different flavors but mosly because they have differnt cooking times.

Classic Fries:
4-5 large potatoes, peeled (if you prefer -- if they are organic I like to leve some skin on because there are actually nutrients in the skins, moreso than the plain white potato)
2 T coconut oil, melted
sea salt and pepper to taste
Slice potatoes thin and toss on a sprayed, greased cookie sheet. Toss with coconut oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes, checking at ten minute intervals so you can turn them.

"Orange" French Fries
Same ingredients as above except use 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled for sure.

These are Jessie's favorite. As of now she has no idea they are sweet potato fries and she loves them and they are so much more nutritious than the regular fries. The recipe is exactly the same but they take a little longer to cook and burn more easily so keep an eye on then and flip occasionally.

"Yellow" Fries
These are my and Tony's personal favorite! They are so yummy!!!
Ingredients:
Butternut squash: peeled, halved, quartered, then sliced to french fry size, slice thin...
3-4 T coconut oil, melted
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Toss ingredients together on a non-stick or greased cookie sheet
Bake as above, flipping every so often. May take up to 40 minutes to cook depending upon the thickness.

Mashed Potatoes:
10 medium potatoes (I used redskin this time from the market they are he larger reds, not the tiny ones) -- peeled and quartered. If you want them to cook faster cut them smaller)
1 cup milk or cream (I use whole organic raw milk)
1/2 stick butter
1 teaspoon sea salt (optional -- I usually skip this)

An hour before I plan to take turkey out I begin to boil potatoes. For a family of 6 eating an normal amount of potatoes, i usually use about 10 medium size Yukon golds or reds.
Add to large pot of water, potaotes should be completely covered, bring to a slow boil. Cover and boil until very soft. Prior to removing potatoes from stovetop, I gently warm milk and butter, stirring constantly to a warm, not hot temperature (I like to keep the proteins as in tact as possible for added nutrition).
Dump potatoes into collander and then into mixing bowl. With beaters, mix potatoes on low until broken up. Add milk mixture and beat until your desired smoothness. I like them very smooth but the kids like them chunky -- your preference.

Enjoy!!!