Chicken & Potato Gratin19 March 2025 | 6:00 am
I am always looking for new and delicious ways to cook chicken breasts. I eat chicken breasts more often than any other kind of protein. They are nutritious and usually fairly affordable. They can often be dry however, so you really need to cook them with care.
I watch this channel on YouTube called Lumi Life. It is a happy mix of shopping, living and cooking in Finland. Yes, I am an armchair grocery tourist. I love seeing what kinds of foods, etc. are available in foreign countries along with their costs.
I also love to experience the culture of foreign countries and this is very easily done by watching channels like this one. I like this one. It's very pleasant.
The other day she posted a video in which she showed all that she had cooked for her family and eaten in a day. It all looked really yummy. There was a rolled filled omelet for breakfast, a salmon and spinach quiche for lunch and then this delicious looking chicken dish for supper.
Everything looked delicious actually. I was especially drawn to the chicken dish. Honey mustard glazed chicken breasts baked on top of a rich and creamy potato gratin. Oh, my mouth was literally watering as I watched her put it together.
I took notes and went back and watched it a few times so that I could put together the recipe for it and share it with you here on my blog. I really hope that you will give it a go! It was delicious.
If you have gotten this far, thank you! I appreciate it! You have probably noticed that I finally managed to get a "Jump To" button on the page. I am sure this will be appreciated by anyone who is impatient or in a hurry.
Do note however, by jumping down, you will miss any hints or tips and possibly some extra recipe instructions or variations on the recipe that you won't find otherwise, although in all truth, I do try to write my recipes in such a way as my learning challenged daughter can understand them and cook them.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN & POTATO GRATIN
Just a few simple ingredients. Simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way possible. You will need a 7 by 11-inch shallow casserole dish for this, or a one liter/qt casserole dish.
For the potatoes:
- 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 cup (240ml) of heavy cream
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- salt and black pepper to taste
For the chicken:
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally
- 2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- salt and black pepper to taste
- You will also need a few TBS of grated cheese to finish
Each of my potatoes was about half the size of my fist, so not overly large. Any good all rounder potato will work well. I peeled them because I felt that the skins would not work well here, but you do whatever you like.
I used salted butter.
I used whipping cream for the heavy cream. This worked very well and thickened up nicely upon standing. It was lovely and rich.
If you have fresh thyme, by all means chop it up and use it. You will need at least one teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme. You could also use other herbs if you wished. Marjoram, summer savory, chives. All would work well.
There is no substitute for Dijon mustard. It is not overly vinegary like North American mustard. It has a lovely mellow flavor and heat without being over the top. English mustard would be far too hot.
If you only have small chicken breasts, you may not need to cut them in half horizontally. Mine were rather large. I think one alone would have fed two people nicely. You could also use thighs for this, but bear in mind they are fattier, so trim them well and they will take longer to cook. You will also need roughly two thighs per person, laid out flat.
I used a local Nova Scotia honey.
I used Parmesan cheese which went very nicely.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN & POTATO GRATIN
This is a lot easier to make than it looks. Trust me on this!
Preheat your oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 1-liter shallow casserole dish. (Mine is 7 by 11 inches in size, 2 inches deep.)
Prepare your potatoes, peel, slice and rinse in cold water and set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or so, until quite fragrant. Pour in the cream and season with some salt and pepper. Whisk in the mustard and thyme. Bring just to the boil.
Add the potatoes and bring back to the boil and then leave to simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
Pour the potato mixture into your prepared baking dish, leveling it out. Slice your chicken breasts in half horizontally and place them on top of the potatoes. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
Whisk together the mustard and honey for the chicken and spread this over top of the chicken breasts evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour until the potatoes are bubbling and tender and the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
Sprinkle with a bit of cheese. (You can choose what you have. Parmesan, cheddar, Swiss, Jack, etc.) Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes or so before serving up.
Sorry about my not so tasty looking photographs. I hope they don't put you off as this was incredibly delicious. The creamy sauce thickened on standing and the chicken was tender, juicy and loaded with bags of flavor!
Altogether this was very delicious I enjoyed some with some green beans on the side and send some over to my next-door neighbor who also really enjoyed it! You know what they say, a pleasure shared is a pleasure doubled!
Got chicken breasts? I got you covered. I have a multitude of ways to cook this very versatile cut of poultry deliciously. Yes, I've been doing this a long time!
CHICKEN MARGHERITA(small batch) - Although this is a small batch recipe for one person, it can very easily be multiplied to feed more. Tender and juicy chicken breasts baked with sweet plum tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and flavorful pesto on top. Ready in just a few steps, it’s a delicious and easy meal that looks like it is a lot more work than it is. Nobody but you need know how easy it really was!
HONEY & SESAME CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD - With this you get a cold sesame noodle salad adorned with perfectly cooked chicken, and plenty of green crunchy tender stem broccoli. It makes for a perfect make ahead family supper for those days when you are really busy and know you won't have a lot of time on your hands. This is absolutely delicious! If you are fond of Asian flavors, you will love this!
Yield: 3 to 4
Chicken & Potatoes Gratin
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 40 M
A rich and creamy potato bake, topped with honey mustard glazed chicken breasts prior to baking to rich and golden perfection. Simple and easy to make and oh so delicious.
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 cup (240ml) of heavy cream
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- salt and black pepper to taste
For the chicken:
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally
- 2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- salt and black pepper to taste
- You will also need a few TBS of grated cheese to finish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 1-liter shallow casserole dish. (Mine is 7 by 11 inches in size, 2 inches deep.)
- Prepare your potatoes, peel, slice and rinse in cold water and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or so, until quite fragrant. Pour in the cream and season with some salt and pepper. Whisk in the mustard and thyme. Bring just to the boil.
- Add the potatoes and bring back to the boil and then leave to simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
- Pour the potato mixture into your prepared baking dish, leveling it out. Slice your chicken breasts in half horizontally and place them on top of the potatoes. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
- Whisk together the mustard and honey for the chicken and spread this over top of the chicken breasts evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour until the potatoes are bubbling and tender and the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
- Sprinkle with a bit of cheese. (You can choose what you have. Parmesan, cheddar, Swiss, Jack, etc.) Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes or so before serving up.
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One Banana Banana Bread18 March 2025 | 6:00 am
Have you ever found yourself with just one over-ripe banana and not been able to find a way to use it up? I have. It's really difficult to find something to do with one over-ripe banana. Not anymore!
I discovered a one banana banana bread recipe here on Baking Mischief and almost jumped in the air and clicked my heels together when I did!
I had exactly one overripe banana that needed using up. How could I resist! I just had to bake this recipe. I didn't have the exact sized pan required, but I didn't let that deter me in the least. Where there is a will there is a way!
I am not a person who really likes eating raw bananas, unless they are sliced and on top of my rice crispies. I will not very often eat a banana out of hand, but I do like to bake with them.
I will usually buy only a couple of bananas with the intent of using them to bake with eventually. This time I ended up eating one as a banana and then I had one that lay ripening on my countertop that I needed to use up in some way.
I baked it in the smallest sized loaf pan I have, which was 7 inches by 3 inches, and I am happy to say that it turned out really well. Of course, it would have been a bit taller had my pan been just that two inches smaller in length, but it was still an excellent banana bread, albeit not quite as tall.
This was moist and delicious. I loved the idea of the cinnamon sugar crust on top which I actually doubled, adding half after the bread had baked and cooled. This added extra crunch and flavor. Altogether I would call this banana bread a winner!
And . . . I didn't have to throw away my banana.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ONE BANANA BANANA BREAD
Just a few simple ingredients and ONE banana. I know! You are welcome! Recipes using just one banana are hard to come by!
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose plain flour
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 medium banana, very ripe with brown spots
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 TBS (42g) butter, melted
For the sugar crust:
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
These are pretty simple ordinary everyday baking ingredients. I love that you only need one banana to make this tasty loaf. My banana was a medium one, no more than six inches in length.
I doubled the cinnamon sugar crust ingredients applying one half prior to baking and then sprinkling the other half on top of the banana bread once it had cooled. This was a lovely touch.
In the U. K. I would use castor sugar as regular granulated sugar over there would be far too coarse.
HOW TO MAKE ONE BANANA BANANA BREAD
Now that is a mouthful to say, repeating banana twice, but it is worth it because this is one very tasty little loaf!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C. gas mark 4. Butter your tin and line it with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to lift out the finished bread when done.
Whisk the flour and sugar together in a bowl along with the baking powder, soda and salt.
Peel and mash the banana until smooth. (I use my stick blender for this as I don't like lumpy banana in my banana bread.) Whisk in the beaten egg.
Pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix together just to combine. Stir in the melted butter. Don't overmix, but do make sure it is mixed in completely.
Pour/spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top.
Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top. (I actually doubled this amount and divided it in two, applying the first half before baking and sprinkling the other half over top when the bread had cooled. This was really yummy and added interest.)
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 38 minutes. You will know it is done when it shrinks a bit from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
Leave to cool in the pan before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve
Store any leftovers, tightly wrapped for up to three days at room temperature.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR THE BEST QUICK BREADS
Here are my hints and tips for making sure that your quick breads turn out beautifully every time:
1. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. To prevent the mix from being overworked, first mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry ingredients, carefully pour in the wet ingredients, then stir the mix a couple of times to roughly combine.
2. Don't over mix your muffins. The most important rule of quick loaf making is to not over stir the mix. What you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Do not stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free. You want the final mix to be lumpy, and thick with a few floury streaks.
3. Add your flavors last. While spices should be added with all the other dry ingredients, additions like fruit and nuts should be added last. Give the batter one more light-handed stir once you've added them in just to combine.
4. Line the pans. You can choose to either grease the loaf tin or line it with paper liners. If you choose to forgo the liners, make sure you grease the base and sides of the pan with oil spray or a little melted butter.
5. Don't overfill your pans. Aim to fill your pans no more than ¾ full to prevent your loaf from spilling out over your oven. Often if your tins are over filled the loaf will rise to the top and then collapse on itself.
6. For extra interest, add a flavorful sprinkle on top. Once your loaf pan is filled, you can choose to sprinkle the top with more fruit, nuts, a crumble topping, or even sanding sugar or cinnamon sugar, for even more taste and or crunch. As your loaf rises these toppings will cook into the top of your bread creating extra flavor, crunch and interest.
This was really delicious. Moist and loaded with plenty of banana flavor. The slices were not as tall as if I had baked them in a smaller loaf tin, but they were still lovely. I got to enjoy two smaller slices rather than one larger one.
I loved the cinnamon sugar crust on top, which I doubled. I baked half on top of the bread and then added the other half after baking. This made a lovely cinnamon sugar crust that was really quite enjoyable!
Always looking for ways to use up ripe bananas? I got you covered. Be sure to check out these additional tasty banana recipes.
BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD FOR TWO -This is a simple, moist and tender banana loaf that tastes like bananas. It is studded with toasted walnuts and good quality chopped milk chocolate. You will need a 5 1/2 by 3 inch loaf tin for this delight. You could also bake it in two muffin cups.
BANANA NUT & CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS -These are the perfect banana muffins. Moist, lightly spiced and filled with toasted nuts and chocolate chips (or not if that's what you prefer.)
QUICK AND EASY BANANA PUDDING - Banana Pudding is a delicious dessert usually attributed to the South of America, consisting of a rich vanilla custard layered in a dish with sliced bananas and vanilla wafer cookies. It is usually served topped with whipped cream and more cookies and sliced bananas for a garnish. This is a small batch recipe designed to feed only two people.
Yield: One small loaf
One Banana Banana Bread
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 38 MinTotal time: 48 Min
Quick, easy, moist and delicious, this tasty loaf makes six fabulous slices. Enjoy it plain or buttered. Ideally you will bake this in a 5 1/2 by 3-inch loaf pan. I did not have one of those so baked mine in a 7 by 3-inch loaf pan and it worked out beautifully. Although it was not as tall as it might have been in a smaller pan, it was still delicious!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose plain flour
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 medium banana, very ripe with brown spots
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 TBS (42g) butter, melted
For the sugar crust:
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C. gas mark 4. Butter your tin and line it with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to lift out the finished bread when done.
- Whisk the flour and sugar together in a bowl along with the baking powder, soda and salt.
- Peel and mash the banana until smooth. (I use my stick blender for this as I don't like lumpy banana in my banana bread.) Whisk in the beaten egg.
- Pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix together just to combine. Stir in the melted butter. Don't overmix, but do make sure it is mixed in completely.
- Pour/spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top.
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top. (I actually doubled this amount and divided it in two, applying the first half before baking and sprinkling the other half over top when the bread had cooled. This was really yummy and added interest.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 38 minutes. You will know it is done when it shrinks a bit from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the pan before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.
- Store any leftovers, tightly wrapped for up to three days at room temperature.
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Reuben Casserole17 March 2025 | 6:00 am
I had cooked a small piece of Corned Beef specifically to use in recipes to utilize the leftovers that one might have when having cooked a corned beef dinner. I really love Reuben Sandwiches so when I saw this Reuben Casserole recipe on a blog called The Suburban Soap Box I immediately flagged it as something I wanted to try.
Inspired by the sandwich, except layered in tasty layers in a casserole dish along with plenty of gooey melty cheese.
I took the choice to cut the recipe in half as there is only one of me and I only have one neighbor that I share food with. It was actually extremely filling! Sheila really enjoyed it as well.
I am not sure it will ever actually replace the enjoyment that I have when eating a Reuben Sandwich, but it is a great way to make a small amount of corned beef spread further and feed more people and still give them the flavors of a tasty Reuben! Enjoy!
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE REUBEN CASSEROLE
A few simple odds and ends. Some good bread, leftover corned beef, etc. There is nothing complicated about this.
- 3 slices of light rye bread, cubed
- 3 TBS butter, melted
- 1/2-pound (8 ounces/227g) corned beef, sliced (can use Deli)
- 1/2-pound (8 ounces/227g) sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- Thousand Island dressing to drizzle (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 cup (230g) grated Swiss Cheese
I used a rye bread with caraway seeds in it for even more flavor. I just cut it into half inch cubes. I also used salted butter.
The corned beef I used was left over from a boiled dinner. It was tender and juicy and cut beautifully into slices. In retrospect I should have cubed it instead of leaving it in slices. This in no way altered the taste but it would have served better cubed than sliced.
I made my own Thousand Island Dressing. (See below).
I grated my own Swiss cheese from a block of cheese. I recommend you grate your own if possible. If all you have are slices of Swiss cheese, chop it up into bits.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING
Making your own Thousand Island Dressing from scratch is not all that hard to do! You need only a few simple ingredients.
Mayonnaise (1/2 cup/110g)
1 TBS tomato ketchup
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 TBS sweet pickle relish
1/4 tsp hot sauce
pinch salt and black pepper to taste
Simply whisk all of the ingredients together and it is ready to use. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. You can also use half mayonnaise and half yogurt for a lower fat dressing. This will be slightly more than enough to use in this recipe.
HOW TO MAKE REUBEN CASSEROLE
This is really quite easy to make and once you have all of the ingredients measured and sorted, it goes together very quickly and easily.
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 5 by 9-inch casserole dish.
Place the bread cubes into a bowl and toss with the melted butter to coat evenly. Place half of them into the bottom of the casserole dish.
Layer 1/2 of the corned beef on top of the bread and top with the sauerkraut, layering it over top evenly.
Pour the dressing evenly over top, spreading it out to coat. Top with the remaining corned beef.
Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese over top of the beef and sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs on top. Cover tightly with foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for a further 10 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
I wouldn't say that this eats like a Reuben Sandwich, but it certainly was quite tasty, holding all of the flavor elements and notes of a good Reuben! I did enjoy this very much.
I enjoyed this on its own, but I think it would go well with any kind of potato on the side, or even coleslaw!
Here are a few more delicious options for using up your leftover corned beef! Enjoy!
CORNED BEEF AND POTATO PIE - Use either tinned or leftover cooked corned beef in this very traditional corned beef and potato pie. Simple and delicious with a hearty and delicious filling and flaky crust. Simple and incredibly tasty!
CORNED BEEF AND MACARONI CASSEROLE - This Corned Beef and Macaroni Casserole is the type of dish your grandmother might have made or maybe even your mom. Hearty and delicious it goes together very quickly and uses basic store cupboard ingredients. Again, you can use tined corned beef or leftover cooked corned beef.
Yield: 4 servings
Reuben Casserole
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min
This is a smaller sized recipe designed to deliciously use up any leftovers from a corned beef dinner. It tastes just as delicious as a Reuben sandwich. Comforting, cheesy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 slices of light rye bread, cubed
- 3 TBS butter, melted
- 1/2-pound (8 ounces/227g) corned beef, sliced (can use Deli)
- 1/2-pound (8 ounces/227g) sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- Thousand Island dressing to drizzle (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 cup (230g) grated Swiss Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 5 by 9 inch casserole dish.
- Place the bread cubes into a bowl and toss with the melted butter to coat evenly. Place half of them into the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Layer 1/2 of the corned beef on top of the bread and top with the sauerkraut, layering it over top evenly.
- Pour the dressing evenly over top, spreading it out to coat. Top with the remaining corned beef
- Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese over top of the beef and sprinkle the remaining bread crumbs on top. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for a further 10 minutes.
- Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Thanks so much for visiting do come again!
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