This recipe has been part of my repertoire for so long I don’t even remember where I got it. When our kids were growing up, often on Sunday evenings we’d barbecue a big hunk of top sirloin – about 2+ pounds worth. Dave was the maestro at the grill and brought it, sizzling on a big, long white platter, into the dining room with a moderate amount of ceremony.
Dave loved telling stories to our kids about Sunday family dinners when he was growing up, and much to his grandmother’s consternation, his grandfather would throw slices of bread from one end of the table to the other. Far more interesting than passing a bowl or plate, he must have figured. Frisbees weren’t invented yet when this took place, but the stories were passed down through the family about Grandpa’s spinning the bread from where he sat at the head of his dinner table to whoever was requesting a slice. He preferred to sail the bread to the opposite end and let those people pass them on. Family sagas are made of this. And although our dining table wasn’t as long as Dave recalls his grandmother’s was, Dave has been known to toss a biscuit or a roll – much to my consternation and warnings. Everybody laughs – and still laughs when Dave brings it up. My embarrassment was if anyone else was visiting (friends of ours, or friends of our kids) to think that’s the way we behaved at our daily dinner table. My job as a mother was to instill decorum at the dinner table and teach our kids good manners. They’ll likely not remember my words of wisdom, but they’ll surely remember their Dad throwing a biscuit. Ah well, throw propriety out the door. Laugh and have fun, right?
Dave enjoyed cutting off the serving-sized hunks of the steak and putting them onto the plates stacked at his place at the head of the table. And when we were done with all the steak – it always got eaten in full – our daughter Dana wanted the juice – blood – that was pooling on the white platter – that was her favorite part. I think she still craves that part of any steak dinner at her house.
Usually I’d make baked potatoes because we all liked them. Once in awhile I’d make twice-baked potatoes, if I had the time. But this topping combines all the good stuff you like to have in a sour cream and butter topping (for baked potatoes) and puts it all in one bowl. And makes it easier for passing around the table. There’s nothing more to it than sour cream, butter, green onions (with a bit of preparation to them) and salt and pepper.
If you like more fancy additions when you eat baked potatoes, you can add garlic powder to the mix. You can fry up a couple of strips of bacon and crumble that into it too (at the last minute, I prefer). And I’ve even added a bunch of shredded cheddar cheese to it too. But this recipe above is just the plain-old basic mix. I think originally the butter was all melted, cooled, then stirred into the sour cream. Somewhere along the line I decided it was too wet and soupy that way, so I started stirring softened butter into the sour cream. But it’s got to be very, very soft (microwave it if you can master the art of stopping it before it actually melts – my microwave does a chilled cube of butter in about 12 seconds). I do suggest that you use full-fat sour cream. You can do it with light, but light sour cream is much looser as it is, and if you add the butter, it may become very, very soft. Harder to handle.
First I cut the bunch of onions in half – crosswise. The whiter part gets partly cooked in a little butter, while the green ends are chopped and minced and added raw at the end. And I usually keep back just a little bit to sprinkle on the top. Then it’s seasoned with salt and pepper. Add in the optional items (cheese, bacon, garlic powder). Done.
Sour Cream Topping for Baked Potatoes
Serving Size: 8
Notes: Leftovers make a great dip for fresh veggies. Or stir it into an already cooked pasta dish (sour cream doesn’t like to be boiled/simmered – it breaks down – so just add it at the end).
1 bunch green onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups sour cream
6 tablespoons butter — softened to room temp (very soft)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 slices bacon, fried, drained, crumbled [optional]
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder [optional]
2/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded [optional]
1. Cut off the root ends of the green onions. Trim the tops of any brown or wilted ends, leaving just the healthy green tops. Cut the bunch of onions in half (half green tops, half white/green stalks). Chop up the white part.
2. In a small saucepan melt the 2 T. butter and slowly saute the green onions for about 2-3 minutes over low heat. You do not want to brown the onions. Once cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. In a bowl combine the sour cream and the ultra-soft butter. You can put the butter in the microwave to make it almost melted, but not melted. Combine the two and stir until the butter has mostly disappeared.
4. Chop up the green onion tops – almost mince them, but not quite. Add those to the sour cream mixture along with the sauteed green onions. Season with salt and pepper. You can also add garlic powder to this if you’d like. And bacon bits, cooked and crumbled. Or shredded cheddar cheese too. Cover and chill for a couple of hours if you have time (the flavors meld a bit better if you can do this ahead).
Per Serving: 225 Calories; 24g Fat (92.1% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 57mg Cholesterol; 148mg Sodium.
A year ago: Bombay Cheese Ball (a delicious favorite appetizer)
Two years ago: Bouillabaisse
Three years ago: Southern Peach Cobbler
Pamela
said on October 7th, 2010:
What a wonderful story! I try to make our family dinners a memorable time as well. If I told my DH about the bread throwing I’m sure it would become a part of our traditions, too! Thanks for smile AND the wonderful recipe!!
I’m glad you got a chuckle out of our family history. And you’d best not tell your DH about it, I agree! . . . carolyn t
Erika
said on October 8th, 2010:
Oh Carolyn, this is brilliant! Really, what a wonderful way to serve baked potatoes to a crowd, and not have to have a dish for butter, a dish for sour cream, a dish for onions, etc. It sounds absolutely lovely, and I can’t wait to make baked potatoes and give it a try.
Just doctor it up however your family likes it. It does make it so much easier! . . . carolyn t