This casserole is a lot like the man who invented it—larger than life, over the top, and guaranteed to make you happy. Bud’s the name behind Royers Round Top Café, a “contemporary comfort food” oasis in, no surprise—Round Top, a 1 1/2-hour drive from Austin—that serves up heaping portions and Bud’s famous pies. Bud’s casserole is a side dish that’s hearty enough to qualify as a main course, and a great option if you have vegetarian guests coming for dinner.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 to 10

　　5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered (about 15 medium potatoes)

　　1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

　　1/2 cup sour cream

　　1/2 (1/2-ounce) package ranch dressing mix

　　1 (1-pound) bag frozen corn

　　1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

　　1 (16-ounce) can creamed corn

　　1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1/2 cup diced red onion

　　1 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 4 ounces)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a large, deep casserole with butter or cooking spray.

　　

Step 2

Place the potatoes in a large stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately decrease the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender (literally when you stick a fork in a spud, it slides out with ease), about 20 minutes; drain. Return the warm potatoes to the pot and mash with the 1/2 cup melted butter, sour cream, and ranch mix, leaving just a few chunks of potato. Set aside.

　　

Step 3

In a saucepan set over medium heat, stir together the corn kernels and the remaining 1/2 cup butter until the corn is heated through. Stir in the creamed corn, cream cheese, salt, and pepper and cook until the cream cheese has melted and combined with the rest of the ingredients.

　　

Step 4

Stir the creamed corn mixture into the potato mixture and turn it out into the prepared casserole. Bake until hot, about 30 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle the onion and blue cheese over the top of the casserole. Serve immediately.

　　

do it early

Step 5

The casserole can be assembled up to 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Bake just before serving.

　　Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. In 2007, Rebecca opened her eponymous restaurant, serving dinner nightly, just a few blocks from the café.  Rebecca is the author of THE PASTRY QUEEN, and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, Saveur, and O, The Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t in the bakery or on horseback, Rebecca enjoys the sweet life in Fredericksburg, where she tends to her beloved backyard garden and menagerie, and eagerly awaits visits from her college-age daughter, Frances.Alison Oresman has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. She has written and edited for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. As an entertainment editor for the Miami Herald, she oversaw the paper’s restaurant coverage and wrote a weekly column as a restaurant critic. After settling in Washington State, she also covered restaurants in the greater Seattle area as a critic with a weekly column. A dedicated home baker, Alison is often in the kitchen when she isn't writing. Alison lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband, Warren, and their children, Danny and Callie.