Potatoes Au Gratin

This was a recipe from tonight: I had a hankerin' for potatoes with cheese- and we'd not made this

for a long time.

Potatoes au Gratin

Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Prep Time:

25 min

Inactive Prep Time:

hr min

Cook Time:

15 min

Level:

Serves:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
Salt and white pepper
1 1/2 pounds new red potatoes, cooked and sliced 1/2-inch thick
3 ounces grated Cheddar cheese
3 ounces grated Monterey cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8 cup rectangular baking dish with
1 tablespoon butter. In a nonreactive saucepan, over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Stir in the flour
and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook until the liquid is slightly thick and coats the back of a
spoon, about 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. In a mixing bowl, toss the
sliced new potatoes with salt and pepper. Fold in the cream sauce and pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the
top of the potatoes with the grated cheese. Place the pan in the oven and bake until golden brown and bubbly,

about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for a couple of minutes before serving.

Potato Leek Soup

We made this recipe from Treehugger tonight:

2 large leeks
2 pound yukon gold potatoes, cubed
5 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup whipping cream (optional)

1. Remove the leeks' root and tough outer; halve lengthwise.

2. Soak in 10 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar for 30 minutes.

3. Rinse well and chop.

4. Melt butter in a large stock pot over a medium-high heat.

5. Add chopped leeks, cook till softened.

6. Add the remaining ingredients.

7. Simmer over a medium-low heat until the potatoes fall apart (about 1 hour).

8. Remove from heat.

9. Using an immersion blender, puree to desired thickness.

Changes: We used 3.5c Veg stock and 1.5 cup Chicken stock (since we ran out of veg stock and had to replace the remaining portion). We used dry dill, same quantity (so it imbued more flavor). We used whipping cream, and added it just before pureeing. While pureeing it seemed a bit thin, so I thickened it with 2 tsp of Arrowroot.

Instead of white wine, we used a New Belgian trippel to deglaze the pan after the leeks had sauteed.

We served it with sourdough bread for dipping, and garnished with the chives.

This soup was EXTREMELY delicious. It was hearty, and has left me feeling very full for the relatively low caloric content.

Slats Night: Steaks

Steaks

As Necessary Butter for Skillet 1/2 lb Sirloin Steak (two of them for four people) To Taste Salt and Pepper 1/4 tsp Ground Mustard From: Slats

-Lightly coat a seasoned cast iron skillet with butter and heat it in the oven at 500F. Let it remain in the oven while you prepare the steaks. -Season the steaks with salt and pepper to taste, on both sides. -Sprinkle both sides with the ground mustard -Place the steaks on the skillet, and set the oven to broil. - Cook for about 3 minutes a side. - Remove steaks and allow them to rest for ten minutes on the skillet

French fries ( for steak)

4 Idaho Potatoes To Taste Seasoned Salt To Taste Olive Oil From: Slats

- Cut Potatoes into a shape resembling a french fry. - Lay them out on a large cookie sheet and spray with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoned salt - Bake them in the oven at 500F (while the skillet is heating from making the steaks) - Continue to cook them on the bottom rack while the steaks broil on the top rack. - When the steaks are removed to rest, continue cooking the potatoes until they look golden brown. You can switch the oven from broil to 500F baking. -If the potatoes are not golden brown by the time the steaks are ready to serve, set them right under the broiler to help them along.