Aunt Jay's mashed potato casserole

Serves 10-12

5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut in large chunks

8 oz sour cream

6-8 T butter

1/2 c sour cream

1/4-3/4 c milk/half-and-half/cream

12-16 oz mushrooms, cremini or white, thickly sliced

2 medium sized yellow onions, cut in half, then into 1/4" slices

Boil potatoes in salted water until a knife pierces them easily. Dump in a colander to drain, and throw the butter in the hot pot to melt. As soon as you can handle the potatoes, peel (if desired) and then add back to pot. Pour in a little of your liquid dairy and mash lightly, making sure to incorporate the butter from the bottom. Add sour cream, and more dairy as needed and mash to desired consistency (pretty smooth but not whipped). Season with salt as needed and lightly with white pepper.

While potatoes are cooking, saute mushrooms in enough olive oil to keep them from sticking, lightly salted and peppered. In a separate pan, do the same with the onions. If you cook them in the same pan, they will likely not be done at the same time.

To assemble, butter a large casserole dish and transfer half of the potatoes to it. Spread the onions on the top, then the mushrooms. Carefully put the rest of the potatoes on top of the mushrooms (they may not spread easily so use your fingers if needed). Top with shredded fontina, grated parmesan, or any other cheese that suits your fancy.

Bake covered for 40 minutes, uncover, and continue cooking until hot through and cheese is melted.

pan-fried onion dip

adapted from one of my new favorite food bloggers, Rebecca at Ezra Pound Cake, who adapted it from Ina Garten's recipe in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

2 large yellow onions, or 3 medium
2 T unsalted butter
1/8 c vegetable oil
1/4 t ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 t kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t white pepper, freshly ground if possible
1/4 - 1/2 t dried thyme
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature, light is fine
1/2 c yogurt, lowfat is fine
1/4 - 1/2 c mayonnaise (as usual, we recommend Blue Plate or Duke's)
onion salt to taste, optional

1. Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper, and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

2. Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Depending on how much bite your onions have, you may need to add onion salt or granulated onion at this point. Depending on how dense you want the finished product, you can mix at a medium high speed for a few more minutes to get it nice and airy. This can be refrigerated until needed in an air-tight container, but take it out of the fridge ahead of time so that you can serve at room temperature.