Lindy's Cheesecake

 I don't know that the famous cheesecake recipe was ever 'lost' as the article from the Timesunion states. We have a late 80's version of Betty Crocker recipes that lists the cheesecake recipe in it. If it was lost, it's been found. There are no words I could use that would befit this wonderfully dense and famously creamy cheesecake. It has come to epitomize what cheesecake is and should be, specifically New York style, big and bold, like the city itself.
I am not a baker. I am a cook and with the exception of breads, I can't bake to save my life. However, I'm always optimistic when baking. I tell myself every time, how hard can it be? It's certainly more rigid than cooking but as long as you follow the directions it should be easy right? If only I was good at following directions...
All this being said, I attempted this behemoth for the Holidays. It's my mother's favorite and well, we all need to be spoiled sometimes.
I'm sure there are lessons to be learned (I am always looking to improve kitchen skills), but I was extremely pleased with this final result. It was everything I wanted it to be. The Holidays are special. The end of the year should be decadent. A well worth reward for a year's hard work.

And the recipe.....Lindy's Cheesecake          

Irish Nachos

Irish nachos are basically nacho fixin's ontop of potatoes instead of tortilla chips. Invented by some guy down in Texas, there are as many versions as there are potatoes I suppose. We went out last week to an Irish pub and they had it listed on their menu. When in Rome...

It was a big mistake. The potatoes were thick and mushy, the bacon almost non-existent, the full cup of sour cream on top too much and I'm still trying to figure out if that was a cheese sauce or canned gravy ladled over the whole thing. I left determinded to make better ones.

Now I rarely cook from a recipe. I always use them more as a guideline. After researching a few recipes online of this potatoe nacho heaven I came up with what I thought was a good first start and something to revise depending on the mood, company or occasion.  

I started with sliced Russets (on the madoline), salt, pepper, olive oil. I baked them on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees until almost cooked through. Then I layered them in my cast iron skillet. In another cast iron skillet I cooked some bacon, pulled that out and to the side while I sauted some cut onions and jalepenos in the bacon fat (there is very little bacon fat when you're using your own cured bacon). I sprinkled that ontop of the layers of potatoes. Then I melted pub cheese in the microwave and drizzled that over the whole thing and stuck it back in the oven to finish the potatoes. We had ours with dollops of sour cream; however, you could also add cilantro to the potatoes, salsa at the end, the combinations are endless. Similar to my Oma's German potatoes and yet different, these Irish nachos were a huge hit in our family.