Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

(pic courtesy Mel's Kitchen Cafe)



I think Christian consumed 3,000 calories of these. He literally ate half the pan. They were soooo yummy! Oh, and I didn't have all of the cheeses she called for, so I just used medium cheddar and parmesan cheese (shredded) and it was delish!

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe 

Note: the key to this dish is the evenly sliced potatoes. It will be nearly impossible to accomplish this feat by hand, since the potatoes need to be sliced 1/8-inch thick. I don’t have a mandoline, which would work perfectly, however, a slicing disk on a food processor/shredder works great and in a pinch, I’ve used the slicing side of my box grater.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. In a large bowl, toss the cheeses and cornstarch together until evenly coated.
2. In a large gratin dish (about a 2- to 3-quart dish), shingle half of the potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with the remaining potatoes, shingling them neatly and evenly. Sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper evenly over the top.
3. Combine the cream and the broth in a large measuring cup and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Top with the remaining cheese mixture and bake until golden brown and a fork inserted into the center slides in easily with little resistance, 75 to 85 minutes. Let the potatoes cool for 10 minutes. Serve.