Scalloped Potatoes

This was made special to accompany ham for Easter dinner. The garlic and thyme are fresh from the garden. I also used some delicious home-made chicken stock stashed away in the freezer.
This is a fabulous (and not low fat!) recipe. To save some time I did all the chopping the night before. While it began to cook, I was able to peel and use a mandoline to quickly thin slice the potatoes.





Scalloped Potatoes

Serves 4-6

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium onion, minced

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 1/2 lbs (about 5 med) russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

2 bay leaves

4 oz cheddar cheese (or other fine cheeses you happen to have on hand), shredded

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes, broth, cream, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of a potato slice with some resistance), about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

3. Transfer the mixture to a 1 1/2 quart gratin dish (check dish volume by seeing how/if it holds 6 cups water).

Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.