Mom wanted to have pork chops today for the 4th of July (I don' think there is any significance related to it, however). I tried to think of a good side dish and I have wanted to make potatoes au gratin for awhile (they are like scalloped potatoes but with cheese added to the sauce) so I went forward with it. I began grating/slicing the potatoes, using the side of the grater like a mandolin; when I put the first layer of potatoes in the pan I heard a clinking sound. I looked through the potatoes and found the magnetic number 8 from our fridge. I mentioned it to Mom and she said that is one of Harvey's favorite things to do, drop the numbers and letters down through the grater, and he was here the other day. I thought nothing about it and went on with the preparations. As we were sitting eating the potatoes, Jim pulled something out of his mouth and said something like, "What is this doing in the potatoes?" It was the magnetic letter C. I never thought to stop and look for another interloper. The potatoes turned out decent but there are some things I will do differently if I make them again. Here's the recipe if anyone would care to try it.
Potatoes Au Gratin
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp salt (we thought they were too salty, maybe because I used salted butter, but I would cut it back to 1 tsp
1/8 tsp pepper (Mom bought white pepper awhile back and I used it)
3 cups milk
1 to 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese
6-8 medium potatoes (pared or not) sliced thin (I did not pare mine, I never pare my potatoes but always leave the skin on for all my recipes)
2 tbsp chopped onion (I think it could have used more onions)
Make white sauce out of first 5 ingredients. Add Cheddar cheese to white sauce when it thickens and heat until thoroughly combined and melted.
Place half the potatoes in a greased 2 quart casserole dish (I used a 2 1/2 casserole dish and the 2 quart dish might be too small). Cover with the onions and half the sauce. Repeat layers. Place 2-3 pieces of bacon on top (I did not have any bacon and it turned out just fine.) Cover and bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer. Serves 4-6.
Grandma used to make au gratin potatoes and I loved them growing up. Enjoy!
4 comments:
That's a funny story, Dad. Happy 4th to you guys!
That is totally awesome.
That gave me a good laugh. I have to double check every pan I use for Harvey's loving additions. Jimmy could skip the orange juice that day since he'd already gotten his vitamin "C". Hardee-har-har.
That should have read Harvey-har-har, Heather.
That is a good story. We've been shying away from cheese lately, but I'll tuck this one away for a special occassion. Mmmm...
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