Make Ahead Potato Bacon Brie

We had some friends over for dinner tonight and I made this delicious make ahead potato side earlier in the day, so all I had to do was put this and our pre-marinated tri-tip in the oven and dinner was done. My husband was a little worried about the Brie cheese on the top so I made half with Brie and covered the other half with Cheddar. The original recipe called for leaving the rind on the cheese and leaving that side up when baking it. I love Brie, (actually I just love cheese in general) but I don't like the rind, so I cut that off before topping the casserole.

The Ingredients

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (usually about 6 potatoes)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 slices bacon, chopped

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup dry white wine

2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup whipping cream

2- 8oz rounds Brie cheese

At Ten O'Clock

Boil peeled potatoes for about 30 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water. While potatoes boil, in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon over medium heat for 1 minute. Add onion and garlic; cook about 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Add wine to bacon mixture and simmer, uncovered, until wine is nearly evaporated. Stir in thyme.

Slice potatoes. Rinse again with cold water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place half of the sliced potatoes in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Cover with the bacon mixture. Top with the remaining potatoes. Pour cream and broth over potato mixture.

Slice the Brie and arrange cheese slices over the potatoes. It doesn't look very pretty right now, but when you bake it and the cheese is lightly browned it looks beautiful and delicious.

Before Serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. The cheese needs to be lightly browned and insert a knife to make sure the potatoes are soft.

Family Approval
Definitely delicious! Everyone agreed that the side with Brie was much tastier than the side topped with cheddar. This is a perfect make ahead side for any kind of meat, and was especially tasty with our tri-tip.

~Jena