I've been making this creamy potato casserole for several times now. It's so weird that the last time I ate a classic potato casserole like this, was in my childhood. My grandma really knew how to make the best potato dish! The secret is to cut the potatoes as thinly as you can. That way this fabulous casserole will melt in your mouth. It's extra amazing during the winter season.
In a classic potato casserole, there's usually heavy cream and sometimes eggs. But in this version, I used a whole lot of hearty homemade cashew cream. It's a perfect and healthy substitute! I also added a load of onions, because I love them so much. They get super sweet and tender in this dish. A dash of ground nutmeg is also great in here, because it gives the potatoes such a nice nostalgic flavor. When I made the cashew cream, I added some nutritional yeast, but if you don't have it, the casserole will be still wonderful. This recipe needs a little patience. First you need to thinly slice the potatoes and then the dish needs to cook about an hour. But I promise you, it's worth it!
January has been rather good to me this year. At least so far. On Friday, I had a super fun private cooking workshop. It felt like I was more partying than working. Definitely a positive boost! I've also been doing yoga, gone swimming and working out to some YouTube videos. I love to move myself! I know the hardest part is to put your training clothes on, but it's worth it every time. And it has to be fun! Don't be too hard on yourself. Proper R&R is really important! And if you can eat a casserole like this after a sweaty and fun workout, then there are no complaints!
Preparation time: 20 - 30 minutes active, an hour passive. Total: about an hour and a half
Serves: 6 - 8 people (12 x 9 inch / 32 x 24 baking dish)
Cashew sauce:
- 1 ¼ cup / 200 g cashews or half the amount of sunflower seeds (boil them for 15 minutes or soak them for a couple of hours)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 heaping Tbsp nutritional yeast (you can leave it out!)
- 2 cups + 2 Tbsp / 500 ml water
For the potatoes:
- 3 lbs / 1400 g smaller potatoes
- 3 large onions
- 1 ½ - 2 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C. If you don't have time to soak the cashews, you can boil them for 15 minutes. In the meantime, peel the potatoes and cut them into very thin rounds. Put the potatoes into an oiled medium-sized deep baking dish. Peel the onions, cut them into half and slice them. Add onions to the potatoes along with salt. Mix everything with your hands and press the potatoes down.
Now make the cashew sauce. Drain and rinse the cashes. Put them into a blender along with salt, pepper, nutmeg, nutritional yeast, and water. Blend for a minute or two, until smooth. Pour the sauce evenly onto the potatoes. Bake the casserole for an hour or until the potatoes are completely soft.
