It starts with mildly garlicky mashed potatoes. Take three pounds or so of russet potatoes. Peel about a third of them, quarter them all, and drop them into boiling salted water. Cook until just fork-tender. Drain well and cool slightly. Add a stick of butter, 1/2 cup sour cream, a tablespoon of garlic powder, and about a cup of good chicken stock. Mash roughly.

Make some beef gravy: make a semi-dark roux, and add beef stock. Whisk until thick.

In a bowl, layer some taters, canned corn, shredded cheddar cheese, and gravy. Apologize to your cardiologist, and dig in.

Whether you’re allergic to eggs or just too lazy to go to the store (like I was this afternoon), I present for your gastronomical pleasure a sweet, hearty, and delightfully delicious no-egg cornbread. It doesn’t hold together quite as tightly as it would with eggs, but but it under your favorite chili and you won’t notice a thing.

Buttery No-Egg Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks butter, softened, divided
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup powdered milk
• 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 2/3 cups cold water
• 2/3 cup finely ground cornmeal
• 1/3 cup granulated cornmeal (for texture; if you prefer a creamier consistency, use 1 cup total finely ground cornmeal)
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 400° F. Heavily grease a 13×9″ metal baking pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Reserve 1 tablespoon butter for topping.

In a lidded container (snap-tight container, jelly jar, etc.), combine milk powder, cornstarch, and water. Shake to combine, whisking with fork if necessary to break up clumps. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornmeals, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and remaining butter. In alternating batches, slowly add cornstarch/milk slurry and dry ingredients. Mix until just combined – batter will be loose.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes or until edges are brown and skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Rub top of bread with reserved butter immediately after removing from oven.

Cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 10-12.

Edited 1/9/10 to remove a typographical error that included 6 tablespoons of, well, nothing. – Dani

Here in Pennsylvania, we’re smack dab in the middle of peak sweet corn season. Rather than craving that fresh corny goodness, however, I’m longing for a wintertime dish that is a serious comfort food — made from pantry items and definitely not diet-friendly. This corn soufflé, known affectionately in our house as “Corn Thang”, is a sinfully rich side dish.

Corn Soufflé (AKA “Corn Thang”)

Ingredients:

• 10-12 ounces canned sweet corn, drained
• 8-10 ounces canned creamed corn
• 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
• 1 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients except cheese. Pour into greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with cheese; return to oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Serves 6-8