blue cheese potato gratin

I have to admit, boxed au gratin potatoes are like the greatest thing ever. I've yet to have a homemade version that I like as much as the fake kind, which is sad. I thought about why they are so good and realized it must have to do with the thickness of the potatoes. I've made au gratin potatoes before by just chopping them up with a knife. This time, I used a mandolin to get paper thin slices and I think that really made the difference.

I also made a traditional French Bechamel, or white sauce, which has a touch of nutmeg. It gets a grown-up kick with creamy blue cheese.

I can hardly stand to look at that picture up there. Is there anything better than cheese and potatoes? I want to dive in a pool filled with potato gratin.

Thanks for understanding. Moving on...

The sauce I made has 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of flour. Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the flour until it forms a paste. This is the roux that will thicken the sauce. Add milk, salt, pepper and just a touch of fresh grated nutmeg. Whisk over medium heat until thick, then add blue cheese. Stir it while it melts and taste for seasoning. That's the best part.

Make sure you wash your potatoes. I left the skins on, which I usually do when making potatoes. I like foods that are rustic and really look homemade. I ended up only using 3 potatoes for this.

Use a mandolin slicer to create paper thin slices.

Layer them in a greased baking dish. I layered the slices of one potato in the bottom of the dish and poured 1/3 of the white sauce over them. Then I added the slices of the second potato with 1/3 white sauce, and the same for the third potato.

Does that make sense? I am a visual learner. If you are too, please enjoy this chart:

slices of potato #1 -- 1/3 sauce -- slices of potato #2 -- 1/3 sauce -- slices of potato #3 -- remaining sauce

Now that you feel like a first grader, let's continue.

It comes out of the oven looking cheesy and delicious. Michael and I decided these are definitely better than the boxed version. The nutmeg adds a touch of warmth, and blue cheese gives it a wonderful flavor.

If blue cheese isn't your thing, add whatever cheese your heart desires. Or in my case, whatever cheese you have in the refrigerator.

And if you're wondering what that beautiful hunk of meat is sitting next to those delicious potatoes... I totally understand. I made Barbecue Spice Rubbed Pork Chops, that recipe is coming up this week! Get excited.

Here's the potato recipe!

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Blue Cheese Potato Gratin

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2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 heaping tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
3 large russet potatoes
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until a paste is formed. This is the roux that will thicken the sauce. Add milk, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Whisk over medium heat until thick, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add blue cheese. Stir it while the cheese melts and taste for seasoning.

Set the sauce aside. Wash potatoes and make paper thin slices with a mandolin, one potato at a time. Each time a potato is sliced, layer those slices in your baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the sauce over first layer of potato slices. Repeat with remaining potatoes, using the remainder of the sauce to pour over top. Use a spoon to move the potatoes around a bit, to make sure the sauce sinks in.

Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir the potatoes around to make sure sauce is well incorporated. Bake uncovered another 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

filet au poivre with hasselback potatoes

This meal is actually very easy. You will be surprised that you can make something so elegant with hardly any effort. It's also delicious in every way. The steak is super tender, the pan sauce is creamy and rich, and the potatoes are crispy and buttery. Does it get any better?

I made this for our Valentine's Day dinner last night. It was a big hit with the boyfriend, who is a true meat and potatoes lover.

By the way, how hysterical is this potato? I knew I wasn't serving an appetizer or any other side, so I wanted what little I was making to be filling. So I bought 2 of the most ginormous potatoes I could find. They look monstrous compared to a tiny filet.

So first you want to bake the potato. Hasselback potatoes are new in my life, I discovered them on Tastespotting a few months ago. You can take a plain old potato and make it super fancy.

Start by cleaning the potatoes, because you're going to be eating the skin. Then slice off a small portion of the bottom, just so it sits evenly while you slice and bake it.

Work your way down the potato with a sharp knife, cutting thin slices about 3/4 of the way through. Leave it attached at the bottom. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. I sliced up 2 garlic cloves and fit the slices into the potato, as you can see above.

This adds a nice roasted garlic flavor. I disposed of the burnt cloves before I served the potatoes.

Now your side dish is done. It look like 5 minutes to prepare and after an hour in the oven, you have a crispy, delicious potato. I think I will make this all the time.

Next comes some beautiful filets. I love this cut of meat. It's so tender and low in fat.

Start by heating up an oven safe skillet on high heat. Melt some butter and coat the steaks in salt and freshly ground black pepper. Traditionally, steak au poivre uses peppercorns.

Sear the steaks for about 1-2 minutes on each side, until you are confident there is a nice crust. To achieve this, don't move the steak while they are searing, only to flip them. It's a beautiful thing when you turn them over. I saw the above and I yelled from the kitchen, "MOM COME LOOK AT THIS!"

Stick them in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes to finish cooking.

The pan sauce is easy too. Immediately take the steaks out of the pan when they are done. Put the pan back on low heat, it will be hot from the oven so be careful. Swirl around a tablespoon of butter while scraping the bottom of the pan with a whisk. Add dijon mustard, beef broth and cream. Whisk it and try to stop drooling.

Then spoon the sauce over both the steak and the potato. It's out of control.

I hope you try it!

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Filet au Poivre

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2 whole beef filets
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 cup beef broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat up an oven safe skillet over high heat.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper, then sear steaks about 2 minutes on each side. Place skillet in hot oven for 5 to 6 minutes to finish cooking, for medium well. Remove from the oven and immediately put the steaks on a separate plate and set aside to rest.

Put the skillet over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and stir with a whisk to scrape bits off the bottom of the pan. Add dijon mustard and whisk. Add beef broth and heavy cream. Season with more salt and pepper. Whisk everything together until the sauce bubbles up and thickens. Remove from heat and pour over steak.

Serves: 2

Hasselback Potatoes

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2 large russet potatoes
2 cloves garlic (or 1 large)
2 tablespoons butter
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub potatoes. Slice a small section off the bottom of the potatoes to give them stability. Slice each potato into thin slices, about 3/4 of the way through leaving the bottom attached.

Slice garlic into thin slices. Slide the garlic into several layers of the potato, being careful not to split the bottom. Place potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle generously with olive oil, salt and pepper. But 1 tablespoon of butter on each potato. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

30 minutes through the cooking, drizzle the potatoes with olive oil again. This will make sure it has crispy skin. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serves: 2

cheesy hash brown casserole

Potatoes and cheese. Always good. Shredded potatoes with a crispy, cheesy crust... Even better.

I know this is a classic recipe and you've probably had it many times before, but it's so good it deserves to be made again! It's also really easy to make. Just throw a bunch of stuff in a big bowl, dump it into a greased 13x9, put the topping on and bake. That's my kinda recipe.

It starts with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Then add salt, pepper, chili powder and cream of chicken soup. I know, not too appetizing right? It will be soon...

Ahh. There we go. Drizzle in some melted butter and mix it all up. I like the slightly smoky flavor the chili powder gives this dish. It's very subtle, just makes it taste warm.

I like crushed up corn flakes for the topping. It gets so crispy and crunchy. Just put a couple cups of corn flakes in your food processor. Then scatter a few pieces of butter over the whole casserole. This will help the crisping process while it's in the oven.

Look at that pretty thing in there. Trust me, it smells SO good.

Oh gosh. The crispy, cheesy crust. I made this for my parents and Michael. They couldn't wait to dig in.

This has such a great texture and flavor. I know you will love it.

Here's the recipe:

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

adapted from Cooking Light

1 8oz. container sour cream (about a cup)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 10.75 ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz. can chicken broth (about a cup)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon butter, diced
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 or 3 teaspoons chili powder, depending on your spice preference
15-20 ounces of shredded hash browns*
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed corn flakes

Combine sour cream, cheese, soup, spices and broth in a large bowl. Add hash browns and combine. Spread evenly in a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cornflakes over whole dish, spreading out evenly. Dot with small pieces of butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, until bubbly and golden brown. Serve immediately.

*If you are using frozen hash browns, make sure they are thawed.