Pouch Potatoes with Ementhaler Cheese and Sweet Onions

This easy potato side dish is full of creamy, steamy, cheesy flavor. With onions, Swiss Ementhaler cheese and cream then cooked in parchment paper pouches, pouch potatoes are certainly a crowd pleaser.

Meet my new favorite potato dish. Pouch Potatoes. But really, as good as potatoes are, it’s really hard to pick a favorite. Those Grilled Potatoes with Basil Mustard Vinaigrette were killer. And the Poblano and Chive Mashed Potatoes really hit the spot. And how about those little BBQ New Potatoes that we skewered, slathered in BBQ rub and grilled. Wow. I guess you can’t pick just one way to love potatoes and declare a favorite.

For this potato side dish, these lucky tubers are tucked into a parchment paper pouch, topped with grated Ementhaler Cheese, some rings of sweet onions and a drizzle of cream. The secret to making sure this cooks up just right, is to evenly slice those potatoes. And using a mandolin makes this process a breeze. Then cook them until just tender for eight minutes and they’ll steam like a charm in that cozy little pouch. There’s no need to add any oil, as the cheese brings a little fat to the party. Topped with rings of sweet yellow onion and your potato pouch is complete.

My instructor at Culinary School showed me an easy way to make a pouch that will stay sealed making sure the steam stays inside marrying those wonderful flavors into bliss. Let’s take a look:

Using a rectangular sheet of parchment paper  place your food near the bottom of the top half. I always buy parchment paper in sheets. Even though the rolls can be a little cheeper, those rolled up sheets are very hard to manage once you’ve cut them from the roll.

Simply fold the bottom half over the top. Starting at the left hand bottom corner, fold the corner inward. Then with both hands and using fingers, start folding the paper over onto itself until you’re made it all the way around. Then go back over and press the whole thing again to make a solid seal. You’re ready to steam those flavors together.

Once you’ve positioned the sliced potatoes on the parchment paper, sprinkle on grated Ementhaler cheese.

Then top with some seared rings of sweet onion. A drizzle of cream and of course some salt and pepper.

Place those beautiful little packets full of cheesy potatoes on a baking sheet and pop them into the oven. I topped each pile of potatoes with a sprig of fresh thyme, but didn’t notice that it added much to the flavor, but did add a little pop of color.

By par-cooking the potatoes and sauteeing the onion, these cook up in a flash. This is a great side dish for any protein that you wish to serve it with. But hey, a nice New York Steak sure comes to mind. As a side note, a pouch can be made by using other materials for a pouch. Like these Grilled Potatoes in Banana Leaves.

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Pouch Potatoes

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

38 mins

Total Time

58 mins

 

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 people

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

• 8 medium potatoes peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 sweet yellow onion peeled and sliced 1/4 inch think
• 2 Tablespoons Safflower oil
• 1/3 pound Ementhaler cheese grated
• 4 Tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Peel potatoes and slice 1/4 inch thick. A mandolin works best for this. Peel onion and slice in 1/4 inch slices. Separate onion slices into rings. 

3. Add potatoes to a medium sauce pan and cover with cold water. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander.

4. In the meantime heat a fry pan over medium high heat. When hot, add neutral oil, such as safflower or sunflower oil to the pan. When oil is shimmering, add onions. Turn down heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until onions are starting to brown.  Transfer to a paper towel when done.

5. To build packets, arrange rectangular pieces of parchment paper on counter. Place potatoes on the top half of the paper. Top with grated cheese, onions and 1 tablespoon cream for each pouch. Seal using method in this post. 

6. Bake for about 30 minutes. To serve, simply tear open the pouch in the middle and plate. 

Looking for more great potato side dishes?  How about:

Make Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole

Pouch Potatoes … They’re what’s for a Side Dish