Meet Super Ham's Trusty Sidekicks....

Every Super Hero Ham needs a trusty sidekick dish to help pull off the feat of dinner time success. To conquer the terrifying villain (planning and preparing a dinner party for 8-10 guests) I (and my Super Hero Ham (which is a dinner time hero because it is effortlessly cooked in the crockpot and comes out tender and juicy)) needed to team up with some sidekicks dishes that were just as easy and delicious but did not take away from the star of this Kitchen Comic but only enhanced it's story. What better a partner in dinner time crime than dinner rolls that take about 2 hours to make from start to finish and some new and improved mashed potatoes.

First meet sidekick Parker House Rolls, buttery, soft and tasty. Next meet sidekick: Herbed Mashed Red Potatoes, smooth and flavorful. With their powers combined....

The dinner time villain is demolished! Now go conquer your own dinner villains with the help of Super Ham and it's sidekicks Parker House Rolls and Herbed Mashed Red Potatoes! May the force be with you...

P.S. I know I am weird. I have been told that since I was a toddler. But I feel it keeps life interesting.

Parker House Rolls (Two Hour Roll Recipe)
Printable Version
Prep Time: 15 minutes Rise Time: 11/2 hours Bake Tim: 18-20 minutes Makes 16-18 rolls

1/2 cup sugar
2 cups hot water
1/2 cup oil
6 – 7 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/4 cup butter, melted, for shaping rolls

Add hot water to sugar and oil and beat with electric mixer (or by hand). Add eggs and salt; beat well. When mixture is lukewarm, add yeast and keep beating. Add flour until a soft dough forms. Do not knead. Let rise in covered, oil bowl for one hour.

Form rolls. To make Parker House rolls, roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness and cut circles with round cutter, about 3 inches in diameter. Spread melted butter on one side of dough circle. Fold in half on baking sheet and pinch edges together to seal (don’t be afraid of this step – use your index and middle finger to indent the edges of the roll together all the way to the bottom of the sheet pan otherwise they will pop open while baking). Brush additional melted butter on top of folded roll. Arrange folded dough in rows in pan, each nearly touching the other. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Serve warm with additional butter if desired.

adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Herbed Mashed Red Potatoes
by Heather of Kitchen Concoctions
Printable Version
Prep Time: 10 minuets Cook time: 15-20 minutes Serves 6

4 pounds red potatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup half and half

Wash and dice potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When water starts to boil add potatoes. Boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain water and return potatoes to pot. Add remaining ingredients to potatoes and using an electric mixer, whip potatoes until smooth and creamy.

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