From drizzly, to dazzling!
Weather.com was reporting a chilly 32 degrees on my iPhone as I left work, but it felt much warmer than that, so I decided to ditch the gym and head out for a run around the ‘hood.
I love the feeling of my abs instantly engaging as I tackle the hills and uneven terrain on my neighborhood loop. It feels like much more of a total body workout than staring straight forward on the treadmill. Know what I mean?
Three times around the 1.5 mile loop and I was back before I knew it. It was colder than I thought it was going to be, and my thighs were semi-frozen by the time I touched my door, but the boost of vitamin D was totally worth it!
Showered up and cooked an…interesting…looking dinner of Steak & Parmesan Smashed Potatoes. Looks more like a meat tombstone and eggs, no? 
Looks aside, I need to talk to you about these parmesan smashed potatoes. My Mom makes them occasionally, and I thought I’d give them a whirl tonight. They’re SO easy, and SO GOOD.
To start with, prick some potatoes and microwave them until soft.
They can be any kind of potatoes, really, but I used these small, Yukon Golds. Aren’t they cute? 
Next, slice up your potato like so…
then smash it lightly with a potato masher.
(your kids/husband will really like helping with that part! )
You could cook your potatoes ahead of time, but they smash really easy when they’re still hot.
Next, transfer all the potatoes to a non-stick spray lined baking sheet, and top them with butter, parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
Ummm, what doesn’t taste fantastic when covered in butter, parmesan cheese & garlic salt – muwahaha!
Pop ‘em under the broiler until the parmesan cheese is golden brown, then devour.
Best. Potatoes. Ever! Creamy, salty, cheesy & buttery. You’ll want a million of ‘em!
Maybe you we’re wondering why I have one mushroom on my steak?
I cooked up a package of mushrooms in some yummy butter & salt for Ben to top his steak with, and it smelled SO mouth-watering that I foolishly thought I could overcome my deep rooted hatred for the funky fungus and try one!
They became more,
and more,
and more caramelized with every passing minute.
Just one bite couldn’t be that bad, right?!
Wrong! Ew! No! Blech! Never again! It was like chewing on eroded rubber!!!
Ahem, sorry. I’m better now. 
The cantaloupe and steak were much better (I just typed butter…)
Well this girl is heading out of town tomorrow afternoon, and I’ve got about 2,002 things to cross off my to-do list before I go.
STAY TUNED for a super yummy giveaway tomorrow. I’M SO EXCITED FOR YOU – WHEE!!!!
Goodnight!
~~~~~
Did you know potatoes are Ben’s #1 favorite food? What’s your favorite form?
a. Mashed potato
b. Tator Tots
c. Baked Potato
d. French Fries
e. Other, I’ll tell you below!
I don’t like mushrooms either. Yuck!
I’m a twice baked potato and french fry girl!
C. Baked!
I used to HATE mushrooms. For some reason, I’ve started to become obsessed with them within the last year!
I really don’t love potatoes that much (compared to my tater crazy family) but I do love a good french fry! Red potatoes are pretty yum roasted. I’m in the process of eliminating gluten from my diet though, so I’m actually planning on incorporating more potatoes and rice into my diet. Farewell bread!
I don’t think I can pick a favorite potato…I love your options….plus au gratin potatoes, hash browns, country potatoes, scalloped potatoes, boiled potatoes, fried potatoes…. Clearly I have a potato problem. Oh and potato burritos.
I love me a potato (or mushroom!!) of any kind!!!
Although my favorite favorite potato would be the cheesy potato casserole. You know? The one that’s loaded with all kinds of horrible fat (cheese, sour cream, cream soups) and topped with greasy corn flake crumbs. That’s my favorite… a rare potato, due to the above reasons, but my favorite!
Although I haven’t tried those smashed potatoes yet, they could be in the running for my fav! As for now, Potato Oles from Taco Johns are by far the best way I have ever eaten potatoes! Too bad I’ve only been there once–it was memorable!
mashed potatoes all the way!!!
Yeah for nice weather and being able to run outside!! I get such a bigger “runner’s high” running outside than on the treadmill!!
I’ve never heard/seen of smashed potatoes but what a fun idea!!
I do like mushrooms, but I can see how people are grossed out by the texture.
LOVE mushrooms. An obsession with Lord Of The Rings in my 20s made me experiment with combining them with bacon. Yum!
LOVE those potatoes!! Pioneer woman has a similar recipe…
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/
Mashed are my favorite! Especially with fun mix ins. My boyfriend’s dad makes them with buttermilk dressing and chives. SOO good and creamy.
We love baked potatoes at our house! I’m going to have to try the smashed potatoes since we love butter and parmesan here too.
Love the smashed potato idea! Looks great. I will need to try this. Thanks for sharing!
My favorite potato form is “e. Other” – gratin Dauphinoise. Hard to go wrong with a classic gratin loaded with cream and beautifully browned Gruyère cheese on top. Yum!
As someone whose favourite food is also potato (yukon golds in particular!) I will be trying this recipe soon! Also I hate mushrooms.
But my all-time favourite way of making potato, ultimate comfort food, is microwave baked, smothered in butter, salt and pepper, and crumbled feta on top. Never fails to make me smile
I love baked and tater tots! My entire family’s favorite form (including my husband’s side) is mashed – my least favorite. Not entirely sure why, but they kind of make me gag. Your smashed potatoes, however, need to be tried in this house. I think they’ll be a hit!
Definitely Baked potatoes esp when they have sea salt on the skin!!! I also cant pass up tator tots from sonic….
In the words of my grandma “I’ve never met a potato I don’t like.” Yumm, I love potatos in all forms!
I love mashed potatoes. Plain, buttered, gravy, herbs, cheese… any way, I love ‘em!!!
And I’m right there with ya on the mushrooms. I cant stand the nasty slimy things. Yuck!
omg those look amazing!! def mashed potatoes or twice baked.. nomnomnom
E: SWEET Potato Fries!! YUM!
I live in Idaho – ANY potato is a yummy potato!
French fries are my number 1 weakness, yum!! I can’t stand mushrooms either, my boyfriends mom cooks them oh butter and worcestishire (I know that is some crazy spelling!) anyways they smell amazing while they cook and every time I try one with the same result…bleh!!
It’s a tie between tots and fries. I love both with tons of ketchup
i recently roasted cauliflower with a little EVOO and red pepper for 20 min in 350 degrees.
the taste was very much like french fries, try it next time with ketchup!
Ahhh I can’t believe you don’t like caramelized mushrooms!!! I crave them, often.
i A D O R E mushrooms. fresh or caramelized, i could eat them all day. I love all veggies really, its a win-win situation.
i love potatoes and i will try your idea
I usually do that with my fork after I boil or bake a potato, but have never seen them prepared like that. They look DELICIOUS! Going to try that method sometime soon!!
Mashed potatoes are definitely my favorite form of potato.
Those potatoes look so good!!! I am definitely going to have to try making them like this!
My favorite form of potatoes are roasted potatoes with some garlic salt. Yummy!
I love potatoes. My favorite form is mashed, but I generally eat them baked. Those smashed potatoes look delicious, I’ll have to remember to make those soon!
these potatoes look fabulous. i’ll have to try them. lately i’ve loved making oven fries- a trick i learned to make them crispier was to soak the potatoes (after you slice them into matchsticks for fries) in ice water for about 10-30 minutes, then dry them, toss in oil & seasonings and bake at 400 as usual. so good!!
Try CREMINI mushrooms, those are my favorite.
Secondly, try spacing the mushrooms out more in the pan. Mushrooms get rubbery when they STEAM, which is what happens when too many are touching eachother and on top of eachother.
Lastly, NEVER wash mushrooms under the tap. I know it sounds dumb to individually wipe them with a damp cloth, but it makes such a difference.
Also, try adding cooked mushrooms sliced thinllllyy to a hearty tomato sauce.
If all that fails, then you will always hate mushrooms!
I LOOOOOVE mushrooms. Rachel Ray has a wonderful stuffed mushroom recipe that EVERYONE in my family loves when I make. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/artichoke-and-cheese-stuffed-mushrooms-recipe/index.html.
My favorite potatoes are either curly fries or tater tots. They are just so cute and fun. I love eating them.
I love ALL potatoes at all meals. They are my all time #1 favorite food too!
If I had to choose, I’d go with baked potatoes. Loaded!
I still can’t fathom that you don’t like mushrooms. They’re the most glorious thing in the world! (Next to dill pickles… yum.)
I’ve never put potatos in the microwave… How long should they go in for?
Twice baked!
Those potatoes look amazing! I’ve never cooked potatoes in the microwave…about how long do they take to get soft?
It really depends on the size of the potato. For a medium size, try microwaving them for 2 minutes, flipping, then nuking for 2 more. If you can stick a small knife all the way to the middle easily, then it’s done. If not, just nuke a little longer!
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Made these potatoes tonight- AMAZING! Thanks for sharing : )
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