Potatoes!

You say potato, I say "Potatoes Au Gratin" tonight... 

My in-laws sent me home with some fresh produce from their garden the other day, which included some very pretty red-skinned potatoes.  I have been thinking about these potatoes all day long and CRAVING Au gratin style, so guess what I am cooking tonight?!?

I don't have a secret family recipe, and to tell the truth, I had to pull out my trusty smart phone while shopping at the store to remember how to make them.  I found what is panning out to be the very best Au gratin recipe that I have ever attempted.

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1.  A BUNCH of potatoes -- I don't know how many, but it was enough to slice and fill a casserole dish.
2.  1 Red Onion -- I really like the flavor and color of red onions.
3.  A touch of salt & pepper

After cutting the potatoes and onions into "thinnish" pieces, I layered them in a random way in the greased casserole dish. In a separate pan, I cooked

4.  4 tablespoons butter, melted and hot
6.  4 tablespoons flour
6.  A tiny bit of salt
7.  1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic

I constantly stirred the butter & flour mixture until it boiled for one full minute, then I added

8.  2 cups milk

I cooked & stirred until this mixture thickened, then I added

9.  2 cups grated, smoke flavored cheese -- the recipe itself seemed a little bland so I splurged on the cost of the smoked cheese (yum!)

I cooked & stirred this mixture until all the cheese melted. Then I poured the mixture over the layers of sliced potatoes & onions.  Covered the dish with foil, then baked at 400-degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

I'm sure that I could somehow figure out the fat and calorie content, but to be honest... they are so good that I don't really care.  

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I plan to serve these yummy potatoes with chicken that I boiled in the pressure cooker.  (My favorite kitchen pan is my pressure cooker!) 

:)