Cheesy Potato bake

Fall foods are great because you can warm up the house by using the oven to bake yummy meals. I tend not use the oven in warmer months because let's face it it is too darn hot. Since we have had some cooler days of late, I have been baking more and trying out different ideas on my very receptive family. This cheesy potato dish contains two of my favorite ingredients, slow roasted Roma tomatoes and Shiitaki mushrooms (although any mushroom will do). I've been trying to create new food combinations because I was getting into a food rut, preparing the same foods in the same way. Yawn... This dish was served with grilled  hot Italian sausages and a salad. It was well received. 

What you will need:

POTATOES sliced ,partially boiled and drained (or microwaved)

LEEKS chopped rinsed (thoroughly to remove the sand) and drained

SHIITAKI MUSHROOMS chopped

chopped OVEN ROASTED TOMATOES

minced GARLIC/ garlic  powder

oil

Grated PARMESAN and MOZZARELLA CHEESE or your favorite cheeses

Note: I did not use exact measurements because I believe that you should use whatever you have on hand and in the amounts that you like. Love leeks, add more! Hate mushrooms, leave them out! You get my drift. 

I used a 1 qt container of red potatoes,  3-4 leeks, a handful of mushrooms, about 5 tomato halves and 3 cloves of garlic. I  ended up using about 4 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and about 1/2 cup of Mozzarella. 

How to:

Preheat oven to 350° 

Saute leeks, mushrooms, oven roasted tomatoes and garlic in a little bit of olive oil until cooked. 

Arrange some potatoes in a shallow baking dish, covering the bottom completely. Spread a layer of your cooked vegetable mixture over the potatoes and add some of the cheese. Cover with another layer of potatoes and repeat the layers until the dish is filled. Top with cheese and bake in the oven at 350° for 40 minutes or so until potatoes are done.

YUM!