POT BROT: meaning pot bread/casserole bread

Another food post so soon? Well, this has been a cooking weekend! We had a few friends in for a 'game night'. Everyone contributed a salad, and I also made homemade bread, homemade ice cream, and also served store bought ice cream. We had pasta salad, caprese salad, potato salad, and lettuce salad with amazing homemade croutons! It was an easy meal with the focus on fun and enjoying each other!

This week there was an article in our local paper on potato salads, with several unique recipes. My family loves my mom's recipe for potato salad(made with only Miracle Whip for the dressing). I'm usually asked to bring it to family get togethers, but today I wanted to try something more creative. We dug our first garden potatoes, and I let the skins on them and cooked them until fork tender, in salted water. I left the peelings on them, and cut them into rustic chunks. The salad also had chopped celery, chopped red onion, crispy turkey bacon, chopped capers, and sliced green stuffed olives. While the potatoes were still a bit warm, I dressed the salad with a vinaigrette made with oil, vinegar, and dijon mustard. By dressing the potatoes while warm, they absorb the dressing and season the vegetables through. It was so delicious! Some people still prefer a mayonaisse dressing, but I loved the change and the tangy flavor was so good! Sorry, but I forgot to take a picture of it, but my friend Jeff who is a photographer took some so maybe I can add them after he sends me copies!

I also made a loaf of my Backyard Onion Pot Brot. It's a casserole bread that is soooo easy to make. I use my Kitchen Aide mixer to mix the bread, using the dough hook to knead it. Then it rises in the same bowl until double-which didn't take long today with this heat. It's then knocked down and placed in a stoneware bowl and baked for nearly an hour. It comes out brown and golden, with a light crust. It's easy to make, and is so yummy! There wasn't a lot left after the party!

Here is the recipe if you would like to try it:

Place 2 pkgs. quick rise yeast in the mixer bowl with 2 c. warm water.

Add 2 TBS sugar and let set for a few minutes to get the yeast started. To the yeast mixture I add:

6 c. flour

2 tsp. salt

2 TBS oil-your choice-I use olive oil

1 chopped onion of choice- I use my own homegrown reds

Mix with the paddle attachment to combine ingredients, then change to dough hook and mix until nice and silky looking. Cover and let rise until double. Then punch it down and throw into your casserole. Bake at 350 for almost an hour.

For variety, I sometimes add herbs such as thyme or basil. If you want to make it a tomato-y loaf- add tomato juice for part of the water or a pkg. of dry spaghetti sauce mix. It's a very forgiving recipe. I've never had any trouble with it turning out perfect. You can bake it in any large casserole dish, but I will tell you that cooking it in stoneware is a secret to success for this loaf. It cooks evenly and gives it a nice crust! This is a rustic loaf.

I would love to hear from you if you try this recipe!