Scalloped Potato Gratin
To say I hate potatoes would be too harsh, so let us say that the potato and I tolerate one another, like frenemies. For simple Japanese dishes that require the use of my enemy, the potato, I will cook with it, and season it lovingly, but when it comes time to eat, I will only take a few small bites of the large starchy root. In other dishes such as clam chowder, curry, or stew, I secretly hope that I over-cook my enemy so that it shrinks to a tolerable size where I will not be too offended if it finds it’s way on my plate. Otherwise, it will find itself cold, alone, and sadly awaiting the garbage disposal. If it’s lucky, bebe dada will volunteer to save it from disposal.
In good times, the potato and I are friends. Good times are when my friend, the potato, helps me to make delicious korokke (oh, I must make this sinful dish soon), or when bebe dada makes homemade hash browns, or on a blue moon when I find myself enjoying some really good, greasy french fries at Islands or In-N-Out. Oh, and I must not forget our friend the tater tot. Yes, the unhealthful tater tot rarely finds it’s way back to our home from the frozen foods section of the supermarket, but when it does, the tater tot is my best friend in Cat’s tater casserole.
When I started to think about what to make as a side dish for our meals-on-wheels chicken dinner tonight, I thought it would be ideal to rid the kitchen of the red potatoes still lingering from last week’s meals-on-wheels hash. :) I hopped on FoodNetwork.com and I was inspired by Tyler Florence’s scalloped potato gratin. It looked delicious; however, since I wanted to use ingredients that I already had in the kitchen, I ended-up changing a few minor elements. While tonight’s chicken was marinating, I went ahead and made the side dish.
Scalloped Potatoes
- 10 – 12 red potatoes, sliced thin with skin on
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 cups low-fat milk
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella & Mexican cheese blend (mixed)
- Salt and pepper
- Dash of dried thyme
1) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) In a small pot, warm low-fat milk on low heat and add chopped garlic. The original recipe calls for heavy cream but since I didn’t have any, I used low-fat milk and slowly whisked in a bit of flour a little at a time to thicken it. Add a dash of dried thyme. I let this simmer for a few minutes to infuse the garlic flavor.
3) Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with Pam canola oil cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom, then layer with sliced onion, season with salt and pepper and then add shredded cheese of your choice. (Tyler Florence used parmesan, but I had mozzarella and Mexican cheese blend so I went with these.) Repeat and make two more layers.
4) Pour milk mixture over the potatoes. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
Enjoy!
Judy | bebe mama
Recipe inspired by Tyler Florence
- 10 - 12 red potatoes, sliced thin with skin on
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 cups low-fat milk
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella & Mexican cheese blend (mixed) (or try parmesan)
- Salt and pepper
- Dash of dried thyme
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small pot, warm low-fat milk on low heat and add chopped garlic. The original recipe calls for heavy cream but since I didn't have any, I used low-fat milk and slowly whisked in a bit of flour a little at a time to thicken it. Add a dash of dried thyme. I let this simmer for a few minutes to infuse the garlic flavor.
- Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with Pam canola oil cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom, then layer with sliced onion, season with salt and pepper and then add shredded cheese of your choice. Repeat and make two more layers.
- Pour milk mixture over the potatoes. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.
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