Sour Cream and Cottage Cheese Creamy Potato Casserole

This easy casserole is a great side dish for any protein, as its creaminess complements all sorts of grilled or roasted meats. Potatoes, cottage cheese, sour cream, garlic, and seasonings are all that you need to assemble your casserole. Just a quick boil to tenderize the cubed potatoes and a bowl to mix the rest of the ingredients, then onto the oven for 50 minutes until the potatoes are bubbly and golden brown on top.

Use as a side dish for roast beef, turkey, or chicken, or serve with grilled meats like steak or fish fillets to add some contrast of flavors and texture to your plate. The potatoes are a very basic recipe that you can adjust to your preferences; if you like them extra cheesy, add an additional handful of cheese (Parmesan or Pecorino would be great) on top before popping them in the oven, or if you prefer spicy foods sprinkle with some chile flakes or add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce over the cheese mixture. This casserole makes a good base for other more elaborate recipes and can be the foundation for layered one-dish meal casseroles. Use already cooked chicken or turkey and layer it with the potatoes, add broccoli or cauliflower florets to make a veggie casserole, or add cubed ham to use it as a creamy side dish to spicy eggs. For a pretty finish, add a sprinkle of chives or fresh parsley right before serving.

For our recipe, we recommend using use red-skinned or round white potatoes. Red-skinned, also called new potatoes, have low starch content, while round whites have medium starch. Both are excellent for boiling, roasting, and grilling and are great on stews and soups because they keep their shape and don't disintegrate when cooked for an extended time. As for the cottage cheese, use creamed cottage cheese, which is basically cottage cheese that has been mixed with cream, giving it a smoother texture, ideal for this sort of preparation. The leftovers keep well for a couple of days and can be reheated in the microwave.