This creamy cheesy Potato Gratin for Two makes an easy meal or perfect side dish!
Hey! It’s May! And if you’ve been following along with Baking Mischief for a while, you’ll know that May means it’s Nerd Month here on the blog!!!
Nerd Month = my favorite month because it’s a month-long excuse for me to create recipes based on my favorite nerdy things and try to convince you to read/watch/listen along with me (you can see all of last year’s nerdy recipes here ).
It won’t be ALL nerdy recipes this month, but a big chunk of the posts will be, and I’m so excited to share them with you because spoiler, this year’s recipes (and the things they are based on) are GREAT!
To start, we are taking a little trip back in time and down under for Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries !
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries via Den of Geek
Miss Fisher , which is available on Netflix, might be the most charming murder-mystery show you’ve (n)ever seen (okay, maybe it’s tied with Pushing Daisies ). As much as I love dark and twisty television, sometimes you just want a bit of sunshine with your entertainment, and this show has that in spades.
The incomparable Essie Davis (HAVE YOU SEEN HER IN THE BABADOOK?) plays Phryne Fisher, a private detective in 1920’s Australia who, along with her trusty companion, Dot, a ragtag gaggle of staff, and reluctantly charmed Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, solves crimes, wears fabulous clothes, and generally has a grand old time.
It’s a very fun and breezy show that is also quite conscientious about its portrayal of women and social issues. If you’ve been feeling like you’re getting a little too much Man Pain in your TV diet lately, this is a pretty delightful counterbalance.
I’ve been rewatching episodes of this show quite a bit over the last few months, so I knew I wanted to include it in this year’s nerd month, and when it came to the recipe, there was one clear choice: Potato Gratin!
In the third episode of the series, Phryne uses some of Dot’s gratin to bribe Jack for information on their case, and since potato gratin is one of the best foods known to man, I had to make for the blog. Plus, how cute is this exchange? I really wanted an excuse to share it.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries via Tumblr
This recipe makes Potato Gratin for Two, which means it makes just enough for you and the handsome Detective Inspector in your life. 😉
Not only is Potato Gratin great for bribing police, it’s also a tasty and versatile recipe to have in your back pocket. You can pair it with a salad for a simple vegetarian main or serve it as a carbolicious side dish with something meaty.
Full-size gratins are a little time consuming to put together since there’s a fair amount of chopping involved, but since this recipe is for two, it’s actually quite fast to prepare. You just slice a quarter of an onion and one or two potatoes, grate a little cheese and throw everything together in a casserole dish.
The only downside to this gratin is that it does require nearly an hour of baking time, BUT it’s a low-maintenance hour, so you can just pop it into the oven and let it hang out for the first forty minutes while you go about your life.
By the time the potatoes are finished, the cheese on top is all bubbly and a little crispy and the potatoes are creamy and perfect. Honestly, you will be so glad that this is a portion-controlled recipe for two because you will never want to stop eating it!
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 7x5-inch baking dish
Potato Gratin
- ▢ 1 large russet potato (about 12oz ) thinly sliced and divided
- ▢ 1/4 onion halved root to tip and thinly sliced
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt divided
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon pepper divided
- ▢ 1 heaping teaspoon all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1 tablespoon cold butter diced and divided
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 2oz ) shredded Cheddar cheese divided
- ▢ 1/3 cup milk
- ▢ 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and lightly grease your casserole dish. Layer half of the potatoes in the dish and top with the onions. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper, all of the flour, and half of the butter and cheese.
- Add remaining potatoes and top with remaining salt, pepper, butter, and cheese. Pour milk and cream over the top.
- Place a sheet of foil or baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any milk or cheese that bubbles over. Bake gratin on the center rack for 40 to 60 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
- Cool for five minutes and enjoy!
Adapted From AllRecipes
This recipe for Chocolate Milk for One makes one cup of amazing, delicious, really good chocolate milk with just four ingredients.
Hey, did you know that (under very specific circumstances) chocolate milk can be considered a “health food”?
A couple summers ago, I was putting on some serious running mileage and struggling with crashing after my long runs. I did a little research and discovered that the most easily accessible recommended recovery drink for distance runners is actually chocolate milk!
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! <–That was my reaction.
I added 8 to 12 ounces of chocolate milk to the end of anything over 12 miles and I never crashed again. It was amazing. Plus, my local dairy sells some absolutely killer chocolate milk, so it was fun to have an excuse to indulge.
Two years and an injury later, and my long runs are not all that long anymore, so I don’t have a good excuse to buy a gallon of the stuff. But I still get a craving for some really good chocolate milk every once in a while.
So now I make just one cup.
This recipe makes 8 ounces of really good chocolate milk. And you can make it in your microwave.
There are only four ingredients, milk (the higher fat the tastier), cocoa powder, sugar, and a tiny bit of water. You heat 1/4 of the milk with the rest of the ingredients to make a chocolate syrup and then mix it with the remaining milk which cools everything down so it’s ready within about two minutes.
It’s great if you need a long-run recovery drink–just throw it together while you are shoveling down breakfast, and have it waiting in the fridge for when you can back.
And it’s perfect if you are just craving a glass of chocolate milk, because maybe your long run wasn’t all that long today, but darn it, you still deserve something delicious. 😉
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 5g ) cocoa powder*
- ▢ 1 tablespoon water
- ▢ 1 cup milk , divided (any percentage*)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 12g ) sugar
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe cup or mug, combine cocoa powder and water. Microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, until steaming, and stir until very smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the milk and the sugar, and microwave for an additional 15 to 30 seconds, until steaming. Stir until completely mixed. Stir in remaining milk and enjoy.
Notes
This mini strawberry Breakfast Cake is one of my favorite breakfasts for two. It’s simple, easy to throw together, and absolutely delicious!
Hey folks, do you ever have one of those moments that makes you feel profoundly old?
Last Sunday, when I went to go feed my horse, I found that some kids had hopped the pasture fence and were playing in among the (not particularly kid-safe) horses.
They took off running as soon as they heard me coming, and as I’m standing there at the fence shouting things like, “Do you know how dangerous that was?” and “I’m going to come talk to your parents!” at their retreating backs, I realized that I sounded exactly like the stodgy, boring adult villain in a children’s book.
And you know, that’s not a great look on anyone. So in order to combat my feelings of old and un-funness, let’s have some cake for breakfast.
Back in December, I shared my Mini Cranberry Breakfast Cake . It is one of my favorite recipes on the site, but since it’s very seasonal (can you even find fresh cranberries in May?) I can’t really recommend it most of the year. So I gave the recipe an update for spring and made a Mini Strawberry Breakfast Cake.
Guys, I love this cake so much. It’s everything good about the cranberry version, but with STRAWBERRIES, so dare I say, even better?
This cake is so soft and tangy from buttermilk in the batter, and it bakes up golden and beautiful and just a little crisp on top.
There’s just a bit of lemon zest in there, which gives it a hint of lemon but mostly boosts and brightens the strawberries so you get tons of fruity flavor in every bite.
This Mini Strawberry Breakfast Cake makes four fairly generous servings, but two very hungry people could definitely polish it off together. It’s one of those recipes that’s the perfect combination of delicious but not too rich, so if you aren’t careful you can really keep picking away at it until suddenly there is nothing left. (Which is the reason I’m sharing a MINI version so we don’t all accidentally eat a 9×13-inch cake 😉 .)
This creamy cheesy Potato Gratin for Two makes an easy meal or perfect side dish!
Hey! It’s May! And if you’ve been following along with Baking Mischief for a while, you’ll know that May means it’s Nerd Month here on the blog!!!
Nerd Month = my favorite month because it’s a month-long excuse for me to create recipes based on my favorite nerdy things and try to convince you to read/watch/listen along with me (you can see all of last year’s nerdy recipes here ).
It won’t be ALL nerdy recipes this month, but a big chunk of the posts will be, and I’m so excited to share them with you because spoiler, this year’s recipes (and the things they are based on) are GREAT!
To start, we are taking a little trip back in time and down under for Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries !
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries via Den of Geek
Miss Fisher , which is available on Netflix, might be the most charming murder-mystery show you’ve (n)ever seen (okay, maybe it’s tied with Pushing Daisies ). As much as I love dark and twisty television, sometimes you just want a bit of sunshine with your entertainment, and this show has that in spades.
The incomparable Essie Davis (HAVE YOU SEEN HER IN THE BABADOOK?) plays Phryne Fisher, a private detective in 1920’s Australia who, along with her trusty companion, Dot, a ragtag gaggle of staff, and reluctantly charmed Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, solves crimes, wears fabulous clothes, and generally has a grand old time.
It’s a very fun and breezy show that is also quite conscientious about its portrayal of women and social issues. If you’ve been feeling like you’re getting a little too much Man Pain in your TV diet lately, this is a pretty delightful counterbalance.
I’ve been rewatching episodes of this show quite a bit over the last few months, so I knew I wanted to include it in this year’s nerd month, and when it came to the recipe, there was one clear choice: Potato Gratin!
In the third episode of the series, Phryne uses some of Dot’s gratin to bribe Jack for information on their case, and since potato gratin is one of the best foods known to man, I had to make for the blog. Plus, how cute is this exchange? I really wanted an excuse to share it.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries via Tumblr
This recipe makes Potato Gratin for Two, which means it makes just enough for you and the handsome Detective Inspector in your life. 😉
Not only is Potato Gratin great for bribing police, it’s also a tasty and versatile recipe to have in your back pocket. You can pair it with a salad for a simple vegetarian main or serve it as a carbolicious side dish with something meaty.
Full-size gratins are a little time consuming to put together since there’s a fair amount of chopping involved, but since this recipe is for two, it’s actually quite fast to prepare. You just slice a quarter of an onion and one or two potatoes, grate a little cheese and throw everything together in a casserole dish.
The only downside to this gratin is that it does require nearly an hour of baking time, BUT it’s a low-maintenance hour, so you can just pop it into the oven and let it hang out for the first forty minutes while you go about your life.
By the time the potatoes are finished, the cheese on top is all bubbly and a little crispy and the potatoes are creamy and perfect. Honestly, you will be so glad that this is a portion-controlled recipe for two because you will never want to stop eating it!
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 7x5-inch baking dish
Potato Gratin
- ▢ 1 large russet potato (about 12oz ) thinly sliced and divided
- ▢ 1/4 onion halved root to tip and thinly sliced
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt divided
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon pepper divided
- ▢ 1 heaping teaspoon all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1 tablespoon cold butter diced and divided
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 2oz ) shredded Cheddar cheese divided
- ▢ 1/3 cup milk
- ▢ 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and lightly grease your casserole dish. Layer half of the potatoes in the dish and top with the onions. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper, all of the flour, and half of the butter and cheese.
- Add remaining potatoes and top with remaining salt, pepper, butter, and cheese. Pour milk and cream over the top.
- Place a sheet of foil or baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any milk or cheese that bubbles over. Bake gratin on the center rack for 40 to 60 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
- Cool for five minutes and enjoy!
Adapted From AllRecipes
Cheesy Potato Gratin for Two
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- 7x5-inch baking dish
Potato Gratin
- 1 large russet potato (about 12oz ) thinly sliced and divided
- 1/4 onion halved root to tip and thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper divided
- 1 heaping teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cold butter diced and divided
- 1/2 cup ( 2oz ) shredded Cheddar cheese divided
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and lightly grease your casserole dish. Layer half of the potatoes in the dish and top with the onions. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper, all of the flour, and half of the butter and cheese.
- Add remaining potatoes and top with remaining salt, pepper, butter, and cheese. Pour milk and cream over the top.
- Place a sheet of foil or baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any milk or cheese that bubbles over. Bake gratin on the center rack for 40 to 60 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
- Cool for five minutes and enjoy!
