Recipe - Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

The other day my mom reminded me that when I was a girl still living at home during my first year of college, I would burst through the back door at night after a long day of school and work, smell her good dinner cooking, and exclaim, "I am soooo hungry!"  I had to chuckle remembering this, and it made me think of how my own children also started to develop a greater appreciation for the comforts of home the closer they came to leaving it. So many memories at this season of the year seem to center around meals shared with loved ones. As the years go by the faces at our tables may leave, come back, and sometimes multiply, but one thing seems to stay the same--the smell of dinner cooking, especially on a frosty winter's night, makes people everywhere just glad to be home.

This week I thought I'd feature one of the most common of all comfort foods--potatoes.  To be specific, scalloped potatoes, which I have dressed up a bit to become the hero of an ordinary weeknight meal.  I call them Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes.  It's a dish I've tweaked over time to the point where I think it's something you'll enjoy trying out. I like to use a combination of Swiss and cheddar cheese in mine, but if your family prefers, it's fine to just use cheddar. Also, if you want to cut fat calories a bit, you can replace the cream with milk.  Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, there are lots of ordinary family meals to prepare. So when folks at your house come clamoring through the back door announcing how hungry they are, the smell of these creamy, cheesy potatoes in the oven may be the perfect beginning to an enjoyable winter's evening for all.

 Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

• ½ stick butter
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 4 level tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk plus 1 cup cream
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese  
• 2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 10 to 12 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
• Paprika

Note:  You can substitute more medium cheddar for the swiss if desired.  But if you don’t use Swiss cheese, eliminate the thyme.  For a lower fat version, you can also substitute the cream with an additional cup of milk instead if you would like.Preheat the oven to 375°.  Peel potatoes and cover with cold water until ready to slice.In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Saute the onion until softened. Stir in the flour until well incorporated, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Gradually stir in the milk and cream. Cook, stirring,until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the salt, pepper, and thyme.Slice the potatoes as uniformly as possible, about 1/4 inch thick or so.  I use my trusty Cuisinart food processor for this, but an ordinary slicing knife is fine too.Layer half of the potato slices in large buttered baking dish. Spoon half of the sauce mixture over the potatoes, then top with 1/3 of the cheese and the remaining potatoes.Spoon the remaining sauce over all and another 1/3 of the cheese.Cover and bake for 1 hour.  Remove the lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes longer, or until the potatoes are tender.  Top with the rest of the cheese, sprinkle with paprika, and return to oven uncovered for another 10 minutes.  Let stand a few minutes before serving.