Scalloped Potatoes

We decided to stay in and cook again on Saturday night . Whenever we stay home instead of going out to eat, it seems that we always choose to cook beef.

Saturday night I picked up 2 filet mignons. I couldn't get Ruth's Chris off my mind after looking at the steak, so I decided to make scalloped potatoes and roasted asparagus. I had never made scalloped potatoes before - they are one of Jon's specialties. However, I wanted to tackle it on my own and try to make mine better than his!

My Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients

• 5 baking potatoes, sliced into rounds (about 1/8 inch thick)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 pint light cream
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 cups shredded cheese; I used a mixture of sharp cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

• Melt butter in a pot, add flour and stir to make a roux
• Whisk in the cream and red pepper flakes and bring to a steady simmer.
• After about 3-4 minutes of simmering, remove the cream from the heat and let sit for about 2 minutes.
• Whisk in the cheese - adding the cheese after removing the pot from the heat is the trick for getting a smooth sauce. When I have added cheese to cream over heat, my sauce sometimes would become chalky (when making mac n cheese)
• Season with salt and pepper
• Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer in some potatoes, onions, and garlic. Pour more sauce and continue with the layers until your dish is full.
• Cover and bake on 400 for 25-30minutes; uncover and cook for another 10 minutes.

My sauce was delicious, but I used just a bit too much. Of course that didn't stop me from eating them with dinner on Saturday AND Sunday (ok, I confess - I had them for lunch today too!).

So Jon's potatoes win the challenge but only because of the sauce to potato ratio. I think one day we'll have to stage a showdown in our kitchen!!