So you’re gonna grill a burger or saute a chicken breast. What else will you add to complete the meal? If you’re like me, you’re bored with the same ol’ side dishes, and you long for some new ideas. Well, Juloyes, who is The Accidental Pastor’s Wife, is coming to the rescue! She is hosting this month’s Recipe Roundup, and she’s put out the call for our favorite side dishes.

I’ve made this recipe more times than I’d care to count, and it’s always a winner. It’s wonderful with ham, in case you’re planning on baking one for Easter.

CHEESY POTATOES

10 cups shredded hash brown potatoes (frozen, no need to thaw)
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour into 9×13″ baking dish. Add 5 c. hash browns. In separate bowl, mix soup, sour cream, milk, and green onions. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the hash browns in pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with 1 cup of grated cheese. Add remainder of hash browns, spread with other half of soup mixture, salt and pepper, and top with cheese. Bake for 55 minutes.

I’ve turned this into a brunch casserole by layering pieces of cooked ham between the potato and soup mixture layers. Bake as usual.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES (from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

2 lbs. (3 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper

Combine sweet potatoes, butter, cream, sugar, salt and pepper in large saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork, about 40 minutes. (At high altitude, I had to add a bit more cream.) Remove pan from heat and mash with potato masher until smooth.

The potatoes I used weren’t very sweet, so I tweaked this recipe a bit and added a bit of sweetness with a teaspoon or two of maple syrup. They were creamy and delicious. I served them as a side dish to pan grilled pork chops with glazed onions and apple slices. Mmmm.

Follow me on over to Juloyes‘ blog and see what else is cooking!