Potatoes Au Gratin

I am a big fan of cheese and potatoes, so the two together are sure to be a hit with me. I made this recipe for Easter Sunday, and there were no leftovers so I can only assume people were pleased. I tweaked a recipe from Cooking Light (which is not where I would think to look for a recipe that is dairy based) and I certainly think the flavor held up well even though it wasn't made with cream like most of the other recipes I found.

There were a few things that I particularly liked about this recipe. One, it was rich but not over the top. I felt that keeping it a little lighter was a good idea considering how much other food I was going to be eating that day. The fact that this is a less guilty version of potatoes au gratin also means I'd be more likely to make it for a regular dinner side dish. Second, I like recipes that can be made with stuff I generally stock in my kitchen. I don't generally keep cream on hand, so if I have a recipe that calls for it that means I will either be trying to find uses for the remaining cream for the rest of the week or forgetting it in the back of the fridge where good food goes to die. Third, I was able to do most of the prep ahead. I probably could have done everything ahead and then baked it at my in-laws but I ran out of time Easter morning. I ended up chopping the onion and garlic ahead of time and mixing everything else into the milk. That meant I just had a couple of Tupperware containers and a sack of potatoes to pack up to Sacramento.

Potatoes Au Gratin Light
original recipe here
Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Butter
1 medium onion
5 garlic cloves

4 Cups 2% Milk
1 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Pepper
2/3 Cup of Flour
8 oz. Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Tsp. Thyme (optional)

3 Lbs potatoes peeled and thinly sliced

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Melt butter in a pot and add the onions and garlic cooking until soft (about 5 minutes).
3) In a separate bowl mix the milk, salt, pepper, thyme and flour. Once they are well combined, pour into the pan with onions and garlic. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until it thickens slightly (about 2 minutes).
4) Add 6 oz. of cheese to the milk mixture and stir until melted.
5) Fill a 9x13 baking dish with potatoes and pour milk mixture over them. Top with remaining cheese.
6) Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover potatoes and continue to bake for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.