Potatoes Au Gratin

Almost every Monday night my family gets together at either our parent's house or mine for dinner. We each bring a different dish to a pre-made schedule; entree, green, starch, dessert. It's a good way to bring everybody together at least once a week to catch up and especially to visit with my elderly father who suffers from Parkinson's disease among other things. No one person has the burden of the entire meal and we can all relax and visit.

It's my turn this week to bring starch and since its a cold rainy day I've decided to make my Cheddar Potatoes Au Gratin dish. It's always popular because its loaded with cheese and it travels well.  A more traditional version would have less cheese and a white sauce, which is also very good, but I like the splurge of the extra cheese. Also, without a white sauce you get more flavor from the shallots, chives and garlic.

Cheddar Potatoes Au Gratin

6 medium russet potatoes sliced very thin (I use a mandolin)

2 shallots, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 glove garlic finely minced

1 tablespoon snipped chives (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 oz white cheddar cheese shredded

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs.

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 12 inch casserole.

In a small saute pan melt the butter with the olive oil and add the shallots. Cook the shallots over medium heat for one minute. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl toss the sliced potatoes with  salt, pepper, chives and shallot/garlic mixture. Coat the potatoes well. Layer 1/4 of the potato mixture on the bottom of the greased casserole dish. Sprinkle 1/4 of the shredded white cheddar cheese on top of the potatoes. Continue layering potatoes and cheese until you have four layers. Toss the breadcrumb, melted butter and Parmesan cheese together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the last layer of cheddar cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer. If the breadcrumb mixture isn't brown and crisp put the dish under the broiler for a few minutes. Serves 6 to 8.