As I mentioned yesterday, I had a great Easter/dad's birthday dinner with family Sunday.  The photo above is of the classic Parker House Rolls that I made using the Omni Parker House Hotel's recipe posted on the Food Network Web site.  Can you say "butter"?  These things are heart-stoppingly delicious.

In addition to orchestrating the entire meal, my sister made the dish pictured below—my favorite of the meal—which she's dubbed "There is No Such Thing As Too Cheesy Potatoes."  And I would have to agree!



My sister made up the recipe on the fly, based on the delicious cheese potato recipe my mom's been making for as long as I can remember.  Here's what she used:

• 5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, sliced but not peeled
• 4 cups whole milk
• a little freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
• a Bay leaf (optional)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 pounds of Cabot's 3 year aged cheddar, shredded
• salt & pepper

And here's how she used it:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Parboil sliced potatoes for about 12 minutes, until just beginning to soften, then drain.
3. Warm the milk in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.  (If using nutmeg and Bay leaf, add to the milk at this point.)
4. In a separate pan, make a light roux by melting the butter and stirring in the flour.  Continue stirring for about 5 minutes until fully combined, then remove from heat.
5. Gradually add milk to roux, little by little, stirring to combine.  When half of the milk has been incorporated into the roux, pour the roux/milk mixture back into the large saucepan with the remaining milk.
6. Over low heat, stir the shredded cheese into the white sauce (i.e., butter/flour/milk mixture).
7. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Put the potatoes into a large buttered casserole, add the cheese sauce, mix lightly and bake for 1.5 hours, until the top is browning and the potatoes are fully cooked.

And below is the whole meal, including the asparagus that my mother roasted, the ham that my brother-in-law roasted, and the mashed sweet potatoes made by my sister.  What a feast!  I helped myself to seconds . . . and then thirds . . . and then took leftovers home to DC and ate them Monday night and again last night.  Now they're gone and Easter's officially over!