New Orleans Potatoes

Posted by Lori:

This is recipe came from some friends of ours. It's delicious! Our friends are houseparents at a children's home where my husband also works (Tipton Home). This dish is something their boys always request for church dinners or at other times when we feed a group of teens.

New Orleans Potatoes

12 small new potatoes
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1 stick butter
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
4-5 chopped green onion stalks
1 package bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
Black and cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and chop potatoes. Boil in large pot of salted water until tender. Drain and mash potatoes with electric mixer. Add cream cheese, sour cream, and butter. Mix until creamy. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and green onion. Add both kinds of pepper and salt, to taste. Spoon into a buttered 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and dust with a small amount of cayenne pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

I'm sure you could make this dish early and refrigerate it until ready to bake, but of course the baking time would need to be increased somewhat.

You know what the best part of this recipe is? Where it says, "to taste". That means you get to sample the dish several times until you get the salt and pepper flavor just right! My son, Zachary thinks he is the "official tester" wherever potatoes are being made!