Kiss Me Baby Au Gratin Potatoes

Kiss Me Baby Au Gratin Potatoes

I have always LOVED scalloped potatoes and I love au gratin potatoes even more, so I wanted to play with Kiss Me Baby garlic and onion seasoning to ramp things up a bit. SUCCESS! Try this easy and delicious recipe guaranteed to become a family favourite!

I recently bought a mandoline - I've wanted a mandoline for ages, but I have fear... fear of finger loss. So, I also bought a chain mail glove to keep my fingers where they belong!

Buying a mandoline meant, of course, that I needed to SLICE ALL THE THINGS. So much slicing happened - an intervention may or may not have helped. Good to know, mandolines are very good at slicing potatoes, zucchini, apples, onions. Not good at slicing leeks - lesson learned. 

I gravitate to my well worn Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Cookbook when I'm looking for classic starting points (I bought this book through a mail order catalogue when I was a newlywed with zero cooking skills living in Iqaluit - Canada's isolated far north). The Au Gratin Potatoes recipe on page 393 was my launch pad for this adaptation. I hope you like it!

What you'll need:

6 good sized potatoes scrubbed and sliced 1/8" thick - I used Yukon Grain Farm white flesh potatoes (variety is not stated)

1/4 cup butter - or more as needed (don't ask me to be your conscience. I use lots and lots of butter.) 

1-2 Tbsp Twisted Gourmet Kiss Me Baby Seasoning (how much garlic do you like?)

1 medium onion, chopped (roughly 1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon flour

2 cups milk (whole milk, half & half - up to you)

2 cups shredded sharp cheese

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cracked pepper, salt to taste (be mindful of the saltiness of the feta cheese)

Get Cooking:

Scrub potatoes and slice thinly with a good sharp knife or mandoline. If using the mandoline - BE CAREFUL, wear the metal glove if you have it. If using a knife, it's helpful to cut a slice off one side of the tater so it sits flat - it's much easier to cut. 

Blanch the sliced potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes - this is a huge time saver. Let potatoes drain while you prepare the cheese sauce.

Preheat oven to 375

In a heavy bottomed pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter and add the onions. Stir occasionally, letting them soften, then add the Kiss Me Baby seasoning and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly until the flour and butter are well incorporated and the mixture is bubbly and thickened - a minute or two. Remove from the heat and incorporate the milk, stirring well til smooth. Add 11/2 cups of the grated cheese and 1/2 cup of the feta. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly to the boil. Let it boil for about a minute while you stir constantly. 

Spread potatoes in an ungreased baking dish or casserole. Layer them nicely, then pour the cheese sauce evenly over the potatoes. Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes. Crumble remaining feta, and sprinkle the cheddar and feta over the top and return to oven for another 15-20 minutes or til brown and bubbly. 

Add black pepper, sprinkle with minced parsley or green onion and dig in. It's so delicious and satisfying - I'm pretty sure it's going to be an absolute family favourite. 

*** CRAZY ADAPTATION IDEA: SWAP OUT KISS ME BABY for WILD GREEK & LEMON, add lemon zest and more feta - toss in a couple of tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes - YUMMMMM!