Pancetta Potatoes Au Gratin - butter

Method

• Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Sauce preparation: Approximately 5-8 minutes
• In a small sauce pan melt 1/2 stick of butter with 2 cups heavy cream on medium heat. Add two cups ricotta cheese to the heavy cream and butter. Stir until completely melted. Be careful not to scald the milk. Add 1/4 teaspoon of herbs. Set aside.
• Pancetta topping: Approximately 10 minutes
• Dice the pancetta, 2 garlic cloves and 3 new onions into small/fine pieces.
• In a skillet on medium heat with 1 teaspoon olive oil saute the meat, garlic & onions until the pancetta is crispy. Bacon is meat candy! Especially Italian bacon.
• In a bowl mix the pancetta and 6 Tablespoons of bread crumbs. Set aside.
• Potatoes: Approximately 10 minutes
• Wash and peel your potatoes.
• Slice the potatoes into thin circles. A mandolin works best. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Assemble in Stages: Approximately 5-8 minutes.
• In a 2 quart baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray, begin layering the potatoes evenly along the bottom. Make the first layer of potatoes approximately two rows deep. Then pour 1/3 of the creamy cheese sauce over the potatoes. Add another layer of potatoes approximately two rows deep on top of the first layer. Pour another 1/3 of the creamy cheese sauce over the potatoes.
• Repeat the layering process until you have covered the potatoes with all of the sauce.
• Sprinkle the pancetta bread crumb mixture across the top.
• Cover with foil and bake at 375 for approximately an hour and a half. Uncover for the last few minutes to get that perfect golden brown color.
• *Note: You can sprinkle some extra breadcrumbs over the crumble if you need to fill in some gaps*
• Ya-hum-mi! Dice some garlic chives into tiny pieces for a garnish. Include the flower if you have some fresh. The flower is edible as well as beautiful.
• I hope ya'll enjoy giving this a try.
• Red