Potatoes Au Gratin

Potatoes are awesome. Carbs are awesome. I don’t know how to say it any better than that. They are a great vessel for other amazing things like butter, cheese….. did I mention butter? During this crazy quarantine, potatoes have been a staple around our house because they are easy to find. They are a comforting thing to eat and pretty easy to throw together. We have done some baked potatoes but I had a request for Potatoes Au Gratin. I love Potatoes Au Gratin, but we don’t have a mandolin slicer at the place we are quarantining. I tried to offer up suggestions like mashed potatoes, maybe even twice baked potatoes, but no! The Potatoes Au Gratin was on everyone’s mind.

I decided this is a labor of love. I carefully washed and peeled each potato, then it was time to get to work. I sliced 5 pounds of potatoes as thinly as I could and layered them in a pretty design. It was actually quite soothing. I threw in some fresh rosemary as it is the only fresh herb I had access to. It was delicious! I hope you give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds russet potatoes

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 5 cups whole milk

• 1/2 red onion

• 4-5 smashed garlic cloves

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• fresh rosemary

• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and peel all russet potatoes. Use a mandolin slicer to create medallions or slice thinly with a knife. About 1/4 inch thick is ideal.

2. Now it’s time to start a roux. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and slowly whisk in the flour. If it is too runny, add in a little more flour one teaspoon at a time. Begin whisking in the whole milk slowly. Once you’ve added all of the milk, add in the crushed garlic cloves, a sprig of rosemary and a half of a red onion (you could also use a shallot or white onion). Let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes until it has thickened quite a bit. Then remove the solids from the liquid and season with salt and pepper.

3. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a baking dish or cast iron pan. Add in potatoes to create a bottom layer. I added all of the potatoes ends here so that they didn’t mess up the pretty top layer. Cover with 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and some salt/ pepper. (You can use any cheese but this is all we had).

4. Next, let’s work on the top layer. I layered these so that they overlapped. Once you’ve finished layering, take the milk mixture ( now a “béchamel sauce”) and pour over the potatoes. Top with salt, pepper and the other 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

5. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for about an hour until the potatoes have softened and you have a nice, browned crust. Let the entire dish rest for at least 5-10 minutes before serving so that it can properly emulsify together. Enjoy!