Sunday, May 3, 2009

Ranch Potato Casserole

My mom has been making Ranch Potato Casserole- originally from the Taste of Home Family of magazines, for years. I'm so familiar with this recipe now that I can make it from memory. I do change it a little- I add more ranch dressing and sour cream, and I usually use crushed cheese crackers on top of it, instead of corn flakes. (Mostly because I never have corn flakes on hand- but it's really good that way, too). If you are in the US, especially the Western US, Litehouse makes a delicious dressing that is great in this casserole. I like the "Homestyle Ranch" by Litehouse. Now that I don't have access to Lithouse products anymore, I just mix up some Ranch dressing from those dry Hidden Valley packets, but I'm wanting to try making ranch dressing truly from scratch sometime.

This dish is definitely not low in calories or fat, so I only make it for certain occasions. It's great for a holiday dinner with ham. It's one of our fave potato dishes. I'm not really sure of the amounts I actually use, so the following recipe is just my best guess (especially for the potatoes, sour cream, and ranch dressing). This recipe is great with red of yellow (such as Yukon gold) potatoes. I wouldn't try using light or lowfat products with this recipe- sometimes it doesn't make a difference, but it does here!
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Ranch Potato Casserole

8-10 medium unpeeled red or yellow potatoes, cubed (about 2-1/2 to 3 pounds)
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup prepared ranch-style dressing
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
TOPPING:
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup coarsley crushed cheese crackers (such as Cheez-It)

Directions: Cook the potatoes until tender; drain and set aside. Combine the sour cream, dressing, bacon, parsley and 1 cup cheese. Place potatoes in a greased 2 or 3 quart baking dish. Pour sour cream mixture over potatoes and gently toss. Top with 1/2 cup of cheese. Sprinkle crushed crackers on top. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes. Yield: 8 servings.
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**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

8 comments:

Linda said...

What a great-looking casserole! I can't wait to try this on my fam--thanks for sharing the recipe!

Coleens Recipes said...

I've never had this casserole but it sounds excellent. What a great side dish!! You said you are interested in a ranch salad dressing recipe. I have one posted on my recipe page that is excellent. You will find it in the side bar on the right.

Shelby said...

Looks delish Dishy! I like the Litehouse dressings also. The only place I ever could find them was in Sam's Club though!

What a Dish! said...

Thanks everyone! Coleen, thanks for that ranch recipe- it looks yummy!

Sonya said...

I so love Taste of home and this recipe looks awesome:) I made Coleens ranch dressing recipe and it was wonderful. I cant get ranch where Im at so this was a lifesaver.

Debbie said...

Oh does that ever look good. I think I would love those potatoes with fried chicken, or anything really!!!

Anonymous said...

What do you think about browning the potatoes in a pan first, mixing them together with the other ingredients, covering and refrigerating until the next day, then baking in the oven?

What a Dish! said...

Anon, by browning, do you mean cooking them that way? It would probably be good, but I've never done anything like that before with this recipe. Let me know if you try it! It may add a new layer of flavor.