Sometimes when I’m looking for something simple for dinner, or when I have a ton of potatoes on hand, I like to make this as a side dish. It’s nice and cheesy and bacony and perfect. Sometimes we scratch the main dish all together and just make this for dinner.
This baked potato casserole with bacon and chives is a pretty hearty dish, and absolutely wonderful for this time of year as the weather gets a bit cooler and the days are shorter and comfort food is a top priority.
And the cool thing about this particular recipe? It doesn’t use any butter or fresh milk. How crazy is that? š
This recipe, it’s a keeper. I hope you like it as much as we do.
~Mavis
Baked Potato Casserole with Bacon and Chives
Ingredients
3 lbs potatoes {about 8 medium}, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups {8 oz} cheddar cheese, shredded
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
2 tablespoons chives
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9×13 casserole dish and set aside. Place potatoes in a large pot and fill with water to cover. Boil potatoes over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain.
Add potatoes, evaporated milk, sour cream, and salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl and mash the potatoes slightly, making sure to leave some nice chunks.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese and half of the bacon. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bacon and the chives. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Jenn from MA says
Yum! Have you ever frozen this?
Mavis Butterfield says
No, but I might try. I would probably leave the potatoes more on chunky side though. If you freeze it, let me know how it goes.
Mel says
I’ve frozen something similar (it used baked instead of boiled potatoes and had butter in it) with good results. There seems to be some weird freezer rule where if you mix two things that don’t normally freeze well by themselves (e.g., potatoes and sour cream) and freeze them together, they end up okay. I haven’t fully tested that rule, but I think it might work in this case.
Also, if/when you run out of evaporated milk, I learned the other day that you can make it with powdered milk. I used the powdered milk version in your tuna casserole last week with great results!
Gail says
Mel, Whatās the ratio of water to powdered milk to make evaporated milk?
Mel says
I used 3/4 of a cup of powdered milk to 10 tablespoons of water, so it’s almost 1:1 with a bit less water than powdered milk. That amount yielded about 3/4 of a cup of “evaporated” milk.
Dianne B says
I like to do this with left over mashed potatoes – which I happen to have lot of after our Canadian Thanksgiving dinner! It will be on the menu this week.
Ashley Bananas says
I’m sitting at work and this is straight food p*rn…… definitely have to try this!
Annette says
I hate that phrase.
P*rn is to love, like vomit is to food.
J says
Agree- I hate the expression “food porn”. There can be better ways to say that it looks delicious.
Jennifer says
I prefer evaporated milk in many of my savory recipes – mac and cheese and meatloaf to name a few. No expiration date to worry about and its creaminess is a bonus. Plus, 1/2 evaporated milk and half water is great milk if you run out of the fresh stuff.
Linda Sand says
We cut the raw bacon with scissors then fry the bits. Quick and easy.
j says
I’ve done that, but for me it’s faster and easier to cook the bacon slices, then crumble. If cutting it up first before frying, stick it in her freezer then stack and cut with a sharp knife . To each her own! My Mom wasn’t into cooking, so I have learned much from blogs, books, TV shows, and watching other experienced cooks!
Chris M says
Iāve used evaporated milk in many ācreamā soup recipes. I would start by just barely covering the vegetables with broth or water. When the veggies were tender, I would add a can of evaporated milk and finish the soup off by adding cheese, thickening it, whatever. I also wanted to suggest that for purĆ©ed soups, adding a potato or two is a great way to thicken them.
Mimi says
Get in my belly. š
Karen says
Any suggestions of what best potato type to use? We donāt eat many potatoes so could buy best type for use in recipeā¦ā¦..thank you!
Mavis Butterfield says
I used Maine white potatoes, Yukon golds are great too.