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Delmonico potatoes are a great side dish for your Easter ham.
Creamy Potato Side Dish
I love this recipe! It’s creamy, cheesy and totally delicious.
This is one of those retro recipes you may remember from childhood. It’s definitely one of those mid-century side dishes that was on the table in many homes during that era.
In my old age, I find I’m making more of these wonderful 1950s and 1960s dishes. It likely is because I do a lot of reminiscing now about great family meals at my Mom’s table.
You will need nothing fancy for this delmonico potatoes dish. In fact even the cheese isn’t fancy and you probably always have that variety in your fridge!
No Fancy Ingredients…Well Maybe One
The only “fancy” ingredient in this is leeks. I would be tempted to tell you to substitute regular onion or even green onions. However, I won’t. Use leeks because they really do have a unique flavor. You just have to make sure they are free of any dirt and sand. What I do is chop then up as called for in the recipe then plop them in a bowl of cold water and stir. Then I let them sit so the dirt is down the bottom of the bowl, then lift them out of the water. I then place them in a colander and rinse them off again and let them drain well.
The rest of the ingredients are ones most everyone has on hand. I used Yukon gold potatoes because they are a firm waxy potato. You could use red potatoes too.
Now for the really UN-fancy cheese. This recipe uses good old American cheese. Yes, it’s very good in this and as Daddy Jack (from the restaurant of the same name) says, “Use it and be proud!” And I sure do and without any shame!!!
Holiday Or Everyday
This is a great side dish for ham, so remember this one at Easter.
However, you can make this a complete meal by adding a cup or two of cubed leftover meat and there’s nothing better than leftover holiday ham in this.
The Recipe
Delmonico Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes skin on, large dice
- 4 tbs unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
- 2 tbs finely chopped leeks
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 large clove garlic finely diced or put through a press
- 4 tbs flour
- 3 cups half and half see NOTES
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- Pinch black pepper
- 1 cup diced white American cheese divided
- 3 tbs grated parmesan cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2 quart baking dish or gratin pan.
- Cook potatoes until almost done (there should be a slight firmness in the center). Drain and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- Add the flour and stir so there are no lumps. Cook for about 1 minute. Gradually add the half and half, whisking so there are no lumps. Stir in the cream, 2 tbs of the Parmesan cheese and about 3/4’s of the diced American cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and leeks and stir to coat. Turn potato mixture into prepared pan. Top with reserved American cheese and the remaining Parmesan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is nicely browned and sauce is bubbling.
