Gratin Potatoes

I don't know about you, but I try to be as frugal as possible at the grocery store while still getting fresh, flavorful ingredients. I shop the sales and use coupons. I've been this way as long as I can remember, probably from helping my mom shop for the groceries for our family of five on a budget. Turns out, it's a good skill to have in order to offset the gluten-free splurging.

This week I did our grocery shopping at Target, one of my all-time favorite places. I even managed to stay focused and kept myself in the food aisles instead of the shoes, clothes, or home goods. Impressive. While wondering through the produce section gathering my weekly installment of fruit (bananas, grapes, tomatoes, and avocado this week), I noticed that they had a five pound bag of red potatoes on sale. Score! I decided to try a new recipe with them - Gratin Potatoes. I found a great recipe in the Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook that we received as a wedding gift - and it was a hit! I split the recipe in half since it's just The Hubby and me, and I made a couple of small modifications. Here's what I did:

4-5 large red potatoes, sliced thin (about 1/8 inch thick)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup half-and-half (I used fat-free)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (in the jar - good stuff)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (goes on top, so use as much as you like!)

Preheat the oven to 400°. After slicing the potatoes (I left the skin on, but that part is up to you), add the slices and all of the ingredients except the shredded cheese to a large saucepan.

Bring the mixture up to a boil, then take it down to a simmer for 10-12 minutes. The sauce will start to thicken and the potatoes will soften slightly. Transfer the mixture to a greased 8x8 square casserole dish, making sure the slices are semi-layered and evenly distributed. Top with the shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes. When ready, sauce and cheese will be bubbly and potatoes will be tender.

I plan on attempting to make it a little prettier next time...but otherwise, that's it! The whole process took about 30 minutes. While the potatoes were baking I was able to make a yummy salad...

...and cook a couple of chicken breasts, which were also on sale at Target this week. I ended up with a great meal that only took half an hour!

I have to tell you, this recipe was fantastic, and The Hubby thought so too. It was a nice change-up to our weeknight meals. I'm trying to do better about incorporating new recipes and dishes into our routine.

Now I'm working on dessert. More on that later.

Kelly