Comment on Knives and Seasonal Goodness #2 : Squash Potato Bake

This can be a very simple, easy, fast meal.....IF and only IF you have a really good knife and peeler. About 90% of the preparation for this recipe is peeling and chopping.

I can't stress the importance of a good, sharp knife. I would say, at least in my recipes, that 70% of the time spent is on chopping, dicing and slicing. If you can't do it efficiently, you could spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen, and it gets very tiring. I swear by my 3 knives - 8 inch chef's knife, 4 inch paring knife, and 6 inch cleaver. I have the Henckels Pro 'S' series, and they were worth every penny. I will cherish these knives forever and pass them onto my kids.

I probably use my chef's knife the most, for any dicing and chopping activity that is needed for vegetables and fruits. I use my paring knife for small jobs and coring, and my cleaver for any type of greens, such as spinach, cilantro, as well as for smearing fresh garlic into a paste.

I would recommend that you do not buy one of those knife sets. I don't think you need more than 3-4 really good knives, and it's a waste of money. Rather, invest that money into 3-4 knives, along with a sharpener and honing stick to keep them sharp.

Back to the recipe! This is a fantastic quick dish if you can prepare it efficiently. A good knife will allow you to also slice the potatoes and squash very thin. A simple lentil soup, or even some sour cream on the side would complete this meal. Crunchy topping, and a combination of nicely seasoned potatoes and squash, yum yum yum! The picture below shows what it looks like before baking, and the one below that is after baking.

Ingredients:

Topping:
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Filling:
3 white potatoes, sliced thin (keep the peel on)
2 sweet potoatoes, peeled and sliced thin
3 cups of any 2-3 types of squash, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup of any combination of fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used sage, thyme, green onion and basil)
salt to taste


Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients for the topping in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients for the filling in a casserole dish.
3. Top with topping
4. Bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees F .

DONE!