Cheesy Taters

aka: cheesy au gratin potatoes.

This is a delicious side dish for winter time, and you can reheat it for a warm lunch through the week. the cheeses i used can be modified to taste (there's my favorite phrase in cooking again)

I tend to keep mine at about 3/16 of an inch but honestly you can make them thicker or thinner depending on your preference. I used yukon gold potatoes in this instructable because they have a creamier texture and no need to peel them, but you can use any type of potato you have on hand.

Boil the sliced potatoes until they are just starting to get soft (they will finish in the oven)

mince your shallots, garlic, and cooked bacon(optional)

slice your onion as thin as possible.

prepare a baking dish by buttering it liberally.

layer the potatoes and onions into the baking dish, sprinkle each layer with some of the minced garlic,shallots,bacon.

Continue layering until about near to top, I like to finish mine with a layer of onion, but an arguement could be made for potatoes as last layer too.

Set this aside.

On this particular night I used a mix of white cheddar and gruyere, orange cheddar and jack.

roux is the fancy word for the base of all cream sauces. use an equal amount of butter and flour , cook this in a pan on low heat for about 5 minutes (until the flour no longer tastes/smells raw). Remove this from heat. Add your milk/cream (depending on how rich you want this dish to be, milk works fine and saves you a ton of calories, but for special occasions I use half and half) Add the milk a little at a time and whisk it into the flour completely before adding more (this is how you prevent your sauce from getting lumpy). I sometimes add a splash of white wine at this time too. Once your liquid is incorporated. Put the pan back on med heat and cook stirring occasionally until it starts to thicken.

Add the cheese about 1/2 cup at a time, and let it melt completely before adding more. I used 4 cheeses, about 1/2 cup each but you can use any combination, thats the fun part!

Add a pinch of nutmeg (optional). I really like the depth of flavor this adds.

sprinkle with a layer of cheese and put in 350 degree preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes, until cheese is brown and bubbly and potatoes are cooked completely

8 x 11 pan

enough potatoes to fill the pan to about 1/2 inch from top

1/2 onion

1/4 cup shallot

1/8 cup garlic

1/4 cup cooked bacon

2 cups cheese (of your choice) + 1/2 cup cheese to sprinkle on top

4 cups milk or cream or half and half

2 tbs butter (plus more for preparing the baking dish)

2 tbs flour

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg(optional)

1/2 cup dry white wine (optional) or an additional 1/2 cup milk/cream

(and don't forget to vote for me if you like this instructable!)