French: Potatoes au Gratin

Recipe by Paul Young <info@cooking-with-paul.com>

(serves 8)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1½ cup half-and-half
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 medium new potatoes, scrubbed, very thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1½  ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
• 3 ounces Havarti cheese, grated or finely shredded, divided
• ⅓ cup white wine
• Fresh thyme leaves for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Make the sauce: saute onion in butter until soft
3. Add the minced garlic, saute briefly (about 1 minute)
4. Sprinkle in the flour and cook under low heat stirring constantly for about 2 minutes (do not let the flour burn)
5. Add the half-and-half, stir until sauce is smooth
6. Add 1½ ounces of Havarti to sauce in small handfuls, allowing cheese to melt before adding more. Sauce should be slightly thick at this step.
7. Add wine to sauce (sauce should be a smooth consistency that is now thin enough to flow throughout potatoes when poured over the top.)
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste
9. Pour ½ of the sauce into a deep 8x8-inch baking pan
10. Arrange potato slices on top of sauce like overlapping shingles
11. Pour rest of sauce over potatoes
12. Bake potatoes until tender and creamy, 60–75 minutes
13. Top potatoes with Gruyère, Parmesan and remaining Havarti cheese
14. Broil under high heat until cheese is bubbling and top of gratin is golden brown, 5–10 minutes
15. Garnish with thyme leaves if desired