Recipes by Arlene

• 8 medium potatoes, peeled
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz. sour cream
• ¼ lb. butter, softened
• Dash of garlic salt
• Dash of pepper
• ½ cup Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 green onion, chopped (optional)

Cook potatoes until done; then mash. Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter, seasonings and onion (if desired). Mix well. Pour into a 2½-qt. buttered casserole. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350° for one hour. Yields 8 to 10 servings.

• 4 lbs. sweet potatoes or yams
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup bourbon
• ⅓ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. apple pie spice
• ⅓ cup chopped pecans

Scrub potatoes. Cook, covered, in boiling salted water in a large saucepan, about 35 minutes or just until tender. Drain, cool slightly and peel.

Place cooked potatoes in a large bowl and mash. Add butter, bourbon, orange juice, brown sugar, salt and apple pie spice. Beat until fluffy-smooth. Spoon into a buttered 6-cup baking dish; sprinkle nuts around the edge. Bake in moderate oven (350°) 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 8 servings.

• 6 medium potatoes
• 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup butter
• 1½ cups sour cream
• ⅓ cup chopped green onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 2 tbsp. butter

Scrub potatoes and cook in their skins. Cool. Peel and shred coarsely. In sauce pan, combine cheese and ¼ cup butter. Melt over low heat, stirring. Remove from heat. Blend in sour cream, onion, salt and pepper. Fold in potatoes and pour into greased casserole dish. Dot with the 2 tbsp. butter. Bake uncovered at 350° for 25 minutes. Serves 6.

Note: The recipe is easy to double and makes a great “make-ahead” for a dinner party.

• 4 large russet potatoes (2½ to 3 lbs. total)
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tsp. butter
• ⅛ tsp. ground white pepper
• 4 to 6 tbsp. milk
• Salt to taste

Peel potatoes; cut lengthwise into quarters and place in a 3½- to 4-quart pan. Add garlic and pour in water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-high and cook, partially covered, until potatoes are very tender when pierced (about 25 minutes). Drain well, then add butter and white pepper. Beat with an electric mixer (or mash with a potato masher) until smooth; then mix in milk, beating until mixture has a creamy texture. Season with salt and serve.

Note: Modified from the “First Gentleman’s Cookbook” compiled by William D. Orr, husband of former Nebraska Governor Kay Orr.

• 2-3 packages thawed hash brown patties (4 to a package)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 12-16 oz. sour cream
• Lawry’s seasoned salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 bunch green onions, cut up
• American cheese, grated
• Small bag (lunchbox size) potato chips
• ½ stick butter

Place hash browns in a greased 9 x 13 dish. Mix next 5 ingredients and pour over potatoes. Grate American cheese to cover top and crush potato chips to cover cheese. Melt butter and pour over top. Bake at 350° covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for additional half hour at same temperature.

• 6 medium size red potatoes
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 ½ cups sour cream
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• Paprika

Cook potatoes in skins until just tender. Chill. Peel potatoes. Shred coarsely with grater or food processor. In saucepan over low heat, combine cheese and butter. Stir until almost melted. Remove from heat. Blend in sour cream, onion, salt and pepper. Fold in potatoes and turn into greased casserole. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350°.

• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• ⅓ cup broken cashews
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground ginger
• 4 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and sliced (about 3 cups)
• 1 cup drained and diced canned peaches
• 2 tbsp. butter or margarine

In small mixing bowl, blend together the packed brown sugar, broken cashews, salt and ground ginger. In 1½-quart casserole, arrange in alternate layers, half of the sliced sweet potatoes, half of the diced peaches and half of the brown sugar mixture. Repeat layers. Dot with butter or margarine. Bake casserole – covered – in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking an additional 10 minutes. Garnish with additional peach slices, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

This recipe comes from the Lazarus Restaurants cookbook. The Lazarus Restaurants were located in Columbus, Ohio and are no longer in business.

• 5 cups diced potatoes
• 2½ cups diced ham
• 2½ cups diced celery
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, diced
• ¼ tsp. ground pepper
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 cups mayonnaise

Cook potatoes until tender. Drain and cool. Transfer to a large bowl. Add ham, celery and eggs. Mix pepper, mustard and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Add to egg mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

This recipe comes from the Lazarus Restaurants cookbook. The Lazarus Restaurants were located in Columbus, Ohio and are no longer in business.

• 8 medium potatoes, peeled
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz. sour cream
• ¼ lb. butter, softened
• Dash of garlic salt
• Dash of pepper
• ½ cup Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 green onion, chopped [optional]

Cook potatoes until done; then mash. Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter, seasonings and onion [if desired]. Mix well. Pour into a 2½-qt. buttered casserole. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Yields 8-10 servings.

• 1 stick butter softened
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 16 oz. sour cream
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 24 oz. pkg O’Brien frozen hash browns (with onions and peppers)
• 1 cup cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together butter, soup and sour cream. Add potatoes and cheese. Pour into greased 8 X 11” casserole dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake uncovered for 1 hour and 15 minutes. This recipe freezes well.