Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Potatoes Au Gratin


Potatoes Au Gratin... all I can say is yum! This was easy, and delicious - how can you make a box mix again after eating this you ask? You can't! It's that good...

Ingredients:
5-6 potatoes
1 med. onion
2-3 cloves garlic
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
5 tsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Do you have a mandoline? No not a mandolin instrument, a mandoline veggie slicer... I think they're spelled differently... eh hem - back on topic > you should get one! I got a cheap one and it works great, it was like $10. It'll last me just as long as the $20-$30 ones as long as I take good care of it and it's totally worth the care! Now I can make uniform french fries - out of potatoes or other veggies!

Preheat oven to 400.
Peel and slice your potatoes (unless you're using red skin potatoes or another thin skinned potato - then you can just clean and slice if you'd like).
To keep your potatoes from turning brown while slicing/peeling the others have them submerged in a bowl of water.
Cook the slices of potato over medium high heat, when water starts to boil turn off the heat and drain.
Peel and slice the onion while potatoes are cooking. Also peel and slice/dice/crush (whatever you'd like!) the garlic.

*now, why didn't we finish cooking the potatoes?! Well, we still want them firm and not completely cooked... you'll be putting them in the oven so they'll finish cooking in there!

Butter a baking dish and layer in the potatoes and rings of onions like so >
potatoes, onions, potatoes, onions...

Now for the most important part! The CHEESE SAUCE!
In a small pan melt the butter over medium heat.
Add in milk and heat up - but don't boil.
Once it's hot add in 1 cup of cheddar cheese. (I like using sharp cheddar - you could also use a mixture with some parmesan) Stir often if not constantly until the cheese has melted and mixed in with the milk and butter. Make sure not to let any stick to the bottom of the pan and/or burn.
Now add in salt, pepper, and the garlic.
Turn the heat to simmer and let it blend for about 2 minutes, stirring often.
Pour cheese sauce over the layered potatoes.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake for 45 minutes or until potatoes are just getting soft and cheese is browning.




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