Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes - potatoes

Method

• Preheat oven to 400*F. Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
• Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
• Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
• Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute.
• Stir in milk.
• Cook until mixture has thickened.
• Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds.
• Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake 1-1/2 hours in the preheated oven.
• MY Notes: I'm constantly asked to make a update version of this recipe.
• Here's what I do differently that I think makes it bit better.
• 1.
• No onion rings.
• (I think they just get in the way of the potato and cheese flavor) 2.
• Make extra cheese sauce (I think an extra half recipe of sauce will do it) 3.
• Put extra cheese in the sauce.
• (at least an extra half cup, but to your taste) 4.
• Layer cheese sauce between layers of potatoes.
• (make sure to grease the pan well or it's hard to get off after baked) 5.
• Sprinkle bread crumbs on top for extra crispiness.
• I made two huge pans of this for a party with 30+ people and it all went.
• Definitely a favorite of mine.
• I adore all sorts of cuisinesThai, Middle Eastern, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, you name itbut once in a while a lightly seasoned dish that lets you taste the potato, the cheese, the simple flour-and-milk sauce -- once in a while that simplicity is the pefect complement to your meal.
• I loved that it was so user friendly and easy to cook in the crock pot.
• It is a must have to choose side dishes that can cook in a crock at the holidays.
• Finally, we like our potatoes to be golden brown on top, therefore I removed the foil for the last 15 - 20 minutes of cooking time.
• This is the same cheese sauce my family uses for homemade mac n cheese, if you use this recipe and pour it over cooked elbow macaroni and add extra shredded cheese on top then bake just a bit to melt, it's the best mac n cheese you've ever had!
• You could make a double batch and have the mac the next night with baked chicken.