When one thinks of “scalloped potatoes,” memories of long, cozy sit-down dinners around the table often arise. Though, many scalloped potato recipes involve pre-cooking potatoes, making a white sauce, thinly slicing potatoes and gently layering the ingredients before baking. Yeah, it’s a special recipe, often reserved for holidays and family gatherings.

No more, I say! I want to be able to make scalloped potatoes whenever. This recipe eliminates half the work, which can all happen magically in the oven while the potatoes cook, and the stars of the show, Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar and Wisconsin Parmesan, really make this dish shine.

Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar & Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes, with a few touches of spiciness, are going to rock the meatloaf, pork chops, steaks, roasts beef, broccoli, kale, Brussel sprouts or any of the other comfort meals you’re putting together.

I have a few cheese confessions – I may be a food blogger with an audience watching me cook each day but:

1. I rarely cook with recipes because I am afraid of the unknown
2. I am good with “throw together” dishes but I am not comfortable with anything baked or doughy
3. I am afraid of fire and heat, and therefore afraid of the stove and oven
4. I don’t like recipes that create a mess, on my hands or my countertops
5. I generally make my husband, who is a baker, handle the above kitchen duties when we cook

So many confessions!

So when asked to test a Chef Michael Symon’s recipe from his new online cooking series, Favorite Foods with Chef Michael Symon, I was instantly drawn to the Wisconsin Parmesan Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage (recipe here), because it would be a challenge for me, and I knew the challenge had to be 100 percent mine – even if my expert husband was hanging over my shoulder.

This gnocchi recipe was all about Wisconsin Cheese – using cheese in place of the potato in a traditional gnocchi recipe – Wisconsin Parmesan and Ricotta to be precise.

I am a true cheese lover – I liked Brie, as much as bread when I was little! My heart still sings to the tune of Blue cheese and great sharp Cheddar.

I also have to confess, I am not the biggest fan of Ricotta. My memory takes me back to gloppy lasagnas and bland ravioli. But while hunting for ingredients for the gnocchi, I found one and I fell in LOVE! This version tasted like cream!

AND it was low fat! It’s true – I substituted whole milk for low-fat ricotta. It was a bold move, but I can now say I don’t regret it. The low-fat version was still plenty tasty and the final dish turned out great. (I would not, however, recommend fat-free ricotta!)

Another healthy swap: We used half whole-wheat flour. Because, why not?

Add back some fiber, nutrients and flavor. The dish turned out perfect (as you will soon see) so I was pleased with this choice as well.

We also halved the recipe (it served two perfectly) and omitted the shallots because I don’t eat onions or onion relative – just a personal preference.

The Parmesan was freshly grated.

The lemon freshly zested.

Aside from the Wisconsin Cheese, of course, the lemon zest was my favorite part of this recipe – and reason why I should use both recipes and lemon zest more often! I never think to add zest to food, but my goodness it really brightened up the whole dish. The dough reminded me of a lemon square! It also pairs perfectly with the creamy Ricotta cheese and the tang of the Parmesan.

After adding the ricotta, egg and flours, I had dough.

I started out mixing with a spoon.

But this is where my expert baker of a husband interrupted his duties as a photographer and told me to just use my hands. Excellent idea! It was much easier. See – I told you I’m afraid to get dirty!

The whole dough process was easier than I’d imagined.

And soon enough I had two snakes.

Which went into the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes. (That’s all the patience I have!)

Don’t forget to enjoy some dough!

When the snakes were chilled, I cut them into pieces. (Also much easier than anticipated.)

Then plopped them one by one into my pan of lightly frothing butter. (My butter actually frothed like the recipe said! Score!)

I was a bit scared of the hot butter – but not too much.

The gnocchi browned up quickly and I had a bit of trouble flipping them, but after reducing the heat, all was well.

The rest of the party: Sage, garlic, lemon, Parmesan. I also need to cook with fresh herbs more often!

The Parmesan melted right in at the end.

Another nutritious swap from a Registered Dietitian: serve over a hearty portion of spinach dressed in lemon juice! We also added sea salt and black pepper to the top. This balanced out our rich, buttery dish.

The gnocchi were absolutely delicious. The butter and Parmesan and lemon worked so well.

And I LOVED the Ricotta and Parmesan base. In contrast to potato, the cheeses made the gnocchi fluffy and each bite reminded me of a lemony cheese Danish. Perfect for over a salad or in a hearty dish with a delicious creamy sauce!

This recipe definitely exceeded my expectations – and I’m hard to please! The only ingredient that was missing was a glass of Chardonnay to enjoy it with. Guess I’ll have to make it again!

Kath Younger, RD writes a popular healthy food blog, Kath Eats Real Food, which you’ll find at www.KathEats.com, featuring photos of Kath’s meals while also sharing stories about her life and the recipes she and her husband create. Having lost over 30 pounds since graduating from college, Kath is a Registered Dietitian and is opening a Great Harvest Bread Company with her husband in Charlottesville, VA.

Chef Michael Symon Tip – When cooking with flour, let the dough rest so the flour can come together. “Anything you’re making with flour, you want to let it rest a little bit. So put it in the refrigerator.”

Wisconsin Parmesan Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage is the star of this week’s episode of Favorite Food with Chef Michael Symon.

“There’s not much I enjoy more in life than making pasta,” says Michael. “Traditionally gnocchi is made with potato, but I make this gnocchi recipe with cheese, both Wisconsin Parmesan and Wisconsin Ricotta, because it can be put together quickly, adds another layer of flavor, and produces a gnocchi that is lighter than potato-based gnocchi.”

To watch Favorite Foods with Chef Michael Symon and for this week’s recipe and recipes from weeks past, visit EatWisconsinCheese.com. A new episode in the 12-part cooking series will be posted weekly.

Hungry yet? Imagine preparing Chef Michael Symon’s favorite foods with new, free Viking appliances. Enter weekly for a chance to win a 3-piece Viking Professional cutlery set, and a chance for the Grand Prize, a Viking range and refrigerator.

Can’t get enough of Chef Michael Symon and Wisconsin Cheese? Follow Wisconsin Cheese on Facebook and Twitter for exclusive photos and updates.

A 2007 Four Graces Pinot Noir is our Wisconsin Cheese Cupid Pairing of the Week. This pinot, from Willamette Valley, Oregon, was ranked the 21^st most popular pinot noir in the 20^th Annual Wine and Spirits Restaurant Poll.

Known for being soft, smooth, earthy and elegant, this vintage is aged for over 10 months in French oak barrels. It has vibrant flavors of strawberry and blackberry, with concentrated tannins and notes of wild mushrooms. Because of its bright flavors and aged focus, this pinot noir pairs well with nearly all types of Wisconsin Cheese. Stella Fontinella, BelGioioso Parmesan, and Seymour Green Crest Gorgonzola are all delicious cheeses to try with this unique “New World Burgundy.”

Stella Fontinella is a variation of the semi-soft cheese Fontina. Fontina first became popular in the United States when it was imported from Sweden. Made only by Stella Cheese, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Fontinella is a sweet and creamy cheese with a slight hint of tanginess. Serve a glass of Four Graces Pinot Noir with Stella Fontinella and cured meats such as prosciutto and salami, crusty bread, and delicate fruits like peaches, melons, and figs.

A hard cheese, Parmesan is sweet, nutty, and granular in texture, becoming rich and intense with age. Parmesan is very popular in the United States, which has led to the production of many U.S. award-winning Parmesans, including BelGioioso located in Denmark, Wisconsin, which won first place at the 2009 World Cheese Awards. Made from part-skim milk and aged for over 10 months, BelGioioso Parmesan is delicious when grated on pasta, rice, soup, and salads.

Gorgonzola is named after the town located in the Po Valley, near Milan, Italy, where it has been made since 879 A.D. Italian-style Gorgonzola ripens to yield a soft, creamy texture and a flavor that is more earthy than sharp. Wisconsin Italian-style Gorgonzola resembles the dolce latte or sweet milk Gorgonzolas of Italy that are especially creamy. Seymour Green Crest Gorgonzola features a green mold that is imported directly from Italy. Seymour Green Crest Gorgonzola pairs well with apples, nuts, poultry, and a glass of Four Graces Pinot Noir. Spoil yourself and a loved one with a glass of Four Graces Pinot Noir and a Wisconsin Gorgonzola Orzo Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette, Calabrese Salami, Rock Shrimp, and Baby Arugula tonight.

Welcome in February, a well-known month of passion and desire, by bringing out the reds. This week’s Wisconsin Cheese Cupid Pairing of the Week is a classic Washington State merlot, The Velvet Devil.

This 2007 vintage, from Charles Smith Wines in Columbia Valley, is a smooth wine for a moderate buy. The ruby-red merlot begins with a soft, plum scent. It has a light and balanced fruity nose. Overall smooth on the palate, this fruity merlot finishes with flavors of black cherry and cedar. Pair it with poultry, game, pork, red meat, and pasta.

Enjoy a glass of The Velvet Devil with BelGioioso Creamy Gorgonzola, Lorraine Swiss, Stella Parmesan, Sartori Reserve SarVecchio, or Fayette Creamery Avondale Truckle.

BelGioioso Creamy Gorgonzola is a soft, blue-green veined cheese, aged for 90 days. It has a full, earthy flavor and creamy texture. BelGioioso Creamy Gorgonzola won Bronze at the 2009 World Cheese Awards.

Lorraine Swiss, from Saputo Cheese USA, is a Wisconsin Swiss created to be the perfect deli cheese. It is creamier than traditional Swiss and has a lacy, light texture that lets the cheese pile easily on sandwiches and platters.

Stella Parmesan, from Saputo Cheese USA, is aged over 10 months. Parmesan, one of the most well-known Italian cheeses, tastes sweet and buttery compared with the sharper flavor of Romano.

Award-winning Sartori Reserve SarVecchio Parmesan is consistently judged the best U.S. Parmesan; in fact, it won the U.S. Cheese Championship in 2009. SarVecchio is aged at least 20 months and has a distinctive fruity flavor with lightly roasted caramel notes.

Avondale Truckle, a cloth-wrapped Cheddar, is sold under Brunkow Cheese’s Fayette Creamery label. Made from raw cow’s milk, this Cheddar is aged for 6 to 18 months and develops a full flavor with wild, earthy aromas.

Looking for a recipe for these Wisconsin Cheeses? Something to pair with your glass of Velvet Devil? Snuggle up on a cold February night with a bowl of Tuscan Onion Soup with Shaved Wisconsin Parmesan.