Oh. My. Goodness.
These are the only words I have to describe this delicious dish. I printed off this recipe when it caught my eye in January of 2010. My only regret was that I waited so stinkin’ long to make it. It was last fall before I made it for the first time. And I’ve had several chances to make it since. I love it so much that I made it for myself on Mother’s Day, that’s right…it’s that awesome.
My only disclaimer here – this is not health food and we definitely don’t make it all the time. But every now and then, when I need a great dish to take some where or I’m just craving some creamy, garlicky goodness, I’ll make this and it never disappoints. It is absolutely divine served with these Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches.
Be sure to allow enough time for cooking. It takes about an hour all together and is totally worth the wait!
PERFECT POTATOES AU GRATIN
4 RUSSET POTATOES, scrubbed clean
2 Tablespoons BUTTER, softened
1 1/2 cups HEAVY CREAM
1/2 cup WHOLE MILK
2 Tablespoons FLOUR
4 cloves GARLIC, finely minced
1 teaspoon SALT
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 cup SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE, freshly grated (if you can!)
Preheat oven to 400°.
Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.
Slice potatoes* then cut slices into fourths.
In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, garlic, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture of the potatoes. Repeat this two more times ending with the cream mixture.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 more minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and really bubbly. Add grated cheese to the top and bake for about 5 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Let stand a few minutes before serving.
*I found it was best to slice the potatoes pretty thin, this ensured that they cooked completely through.
Recipe Source: Tasty Kitchen
