A Casserole (Potatoes Au Gratin)

[jmcquown]

I haven't made this in a while. Today just feels like a blustery main
dish dinner kind of day. :)

I use my food processor to uniformly slice potatoes. You might prefer a
mandolin. Sheldon might bitch about how none of us have knife skills to
slice potatoes. Whatever. ;)

Layer the thinly sliced raw russet potatoes in a greased or buttered 2
quart baking dish. Feel free to add sauteed onion, garlic and other
aromatics in butter and add to the potatoes. Today I added 1/3 lb.
diced andouille sausage. You could add ground beef, diced ham, or skip
the added meat.

Prepare 2 cups bechamel sauce. Pour the sauce over the potatoes in the
baking dish, making sure all is coated well. Top with about 2 cups of
shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs. Bake at
375F for about 45 minutues until potatoes are tender and mixture is
bubbly and nicely browned on top.

Serve this with a vegetable or a side salad if you wish.

Jill

[U.S. Janet B.]

On Tue, 26 Mar 2019 16:40:42 -0400, jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net>
wrote:

that sounds excellent! I always like a potato dish when it is nasty
outside. I ran across this one on the potato bag the other day and
thought I might halve the recipe and try it out toward the end of this
week.
Baked Mashed Russet Potatoes
8 cups cooked russet potatoes
cooking spray
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
5 green onions, finely chopped
8 butter crackers, crushed
Preheat oven to 350F
Combine potatoes, egg, sour cream, cottage cheese and onions in bowl
of electric mixer, at medium speed
spoon mixture into 1.5 quart baking dish that has been sprayed with
cooking spray
Sprinkle with crushed crackers or shredded cheese and bake 30 minutes
I would use the shredded cheese.

I'm thinking I'll fix bratwurst with this and maybe cabbage or
Brussels sprouts.
Janet US

[jmcquown]

That sounds tasty! With the brat and cabbage or brussels sprouts. I
just used the last of the cabbage I bought when I couldn't find a corned
beef brisket, otherwise I'd have had a bit of that on the side with this.

Jill

[U.S. Janet B.]

On Tue, 26 Mar 2019 18:06:20 -0400, jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net>
wrote:

obviously we have similar tastes :-)

[jmcquown]

Took a pic of the finished casserole but couldn't be bothered to post it
last night. I was too busy eating! :)

https://i.postimg.cc/L5g5Dpkv/potatogratin.jpg

Jill

[notbob]

On 3/26/2019 2:40 PM, jmcquown wrote:

> Prepare 2 cups bechamel sauce.  Pour the sauce over the potatoes in the
> baking dish, making sure all is coated well.  Top with about 2 cups of
> shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs.

Why not jes pour 2 cups of "Mornay" sauce over potatoes? ;)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornay_sauce

nb

[Cindy Hamilton]

Mornay is not made with cheddar.

A different result is obtained by putting all the cheese on top.

Cindy Hamilton

[jmcquown]

True, and besides, I didn't have any gruyere on hand. I'm sure it would
be tasty but different. I'd have used something other than spicy
andouille sausage if I were using a mornay sauce.

Jill

[Nancy2]

One of my boys' favorites was using Betty Crocker mashed potatoes (from a box; sorry) (or
an equivalent amount of prepared mashed potatoes...mix in one small container of whipped
cream cheese with chives (or any flavor you like), and one beaten egg...put in 1 1/2 qt. casserole
dish...put a few pats of butter on top and baked at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot throughout
and slightly puffed up. Sprinkle the top with paprika. Serve immediately. I imagine any kind of
meat could be added, although we never did that. The potatoes should be at least room temp,
and preferably reasonably hot when you mix the ingredients; it helps to melt in the cream
cheese and make the egg puff up the mixture.

N.

[U.S. Janet B.]

On Wed, 27 Mar 2019 09:43:20 -0400, jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net>
wrote:


snip

>
>Took a pic of the finished casserole but couldn't be bothered to post it
>last night. I was too busy eating! :)
>
>https://i.postimg.cc/L5g5Dpkv/potatogratin.jpg
>
>Jill

Yum! You got it so nice and toasty brown. Did it taste as good as it
looks? good job
Janet US

[Dave Smith]

Isn't that pretty much what she did? She made a white sauce and put some
cheese on top. Mornay sauce is a white sauce with cheese added to it,
and Bechemal is a white sauce.

[Cindy Hamilton]

Sort of. With all of the cheese on top (instead of mixed with the sauce),
you get a big, cheesy layer on top, providing an intense hit of cheese
and a textural difference.

My husband loves cheese, so I mix it in the sauce AND put a big handful
of grated cheese on top.

Cindy Hamilton

[penm...@aol.com]

On Wed, 27 Mar 2019 09:43:20 -0400, jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net>
wrote:

What TF is so difficult about hand slicing spuds... anyways I don't
see any sliced spuds...that dish looks like it needs flushing.

[penm...@aol.com]

On Wed, 27 Mar 2019 10:40:39 -0600, U.S. Janet B. <J...@nospam.com>
wrote:

Looks like some furiner TIAD... measles... them ain't spuds.

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

Mmmmmmmmm, it does look good and love the deep brown top.

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

On Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at 2:59:44 PM UTC-5, Sheldon wrote:
>
> What TF is so difficult about hand slicing spuds... anyways I don't
> see any sliced spuds...that dish looks like it needs flushing.
>

You're not going to see spuds with a lovely brown crust on top like that.
I guess if she's been stingy with the sauce you'd perhaps have seen a few
taters sticking out here and there.

The potatoes don't have to be visible for it to taste good.

[Julie Bove]

penm...@aol.com Sheldon wrote :

> that dish looks like it needs flushing.
>

Like this?

https://imgur.com/a/N3fxZ lol

[Hank Rogers]

Bet yoose would trow it out yoose window, right Popeye?

[Hank Rogers]

It does for Popeye.

[notbob]

On 3/27/2019 11:49 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:

> My husband loves cheese, so I mix it in the sauce AND put a big handful
> of grated cheese on top.

Minus the "political correctness" (PC), it's what I'd do! Perhaps with
a top-layer of Parmesan or Pecorino. At least, a Gruyere or Comte. ;)

nb

[U.S. Janet B.]

On Tue, 26 Mar 2019 16:40:42 -0400, jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net>
wrote:

this is one of those threads that is giving me a craving and I will
have to get some potatoes so I can make au gratin pretty darn quick.
Janet US

[Cindy Hamilton]

What political correctness?

Cindy Hamilton

[notbob]

On 3/27/2019 8:01 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:

> Mornay is not made with cheddar.

So, who's lying?

"Some variations use different combinations of Gruyère, Emmental cheese,
or white Cheddar"

Must be WikipediA, cuz Cindy H. knows all! ;)

nb

[A Moose in Love]

i learned gruyere and parmesan. other cheese would of course work, but is it then a mornay sauce?
here is one definition:.
https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/mornay-sauce-recipe/

[tert in seattle]

not...@q.com writes:
>On 3/27/2019 8:01 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>
>> Mornay is not made with cheddar.
>
>So, who's lying?
>

>"Some variations use different combinations of GruyA"re, Emmental cheese,

>or white Cheddar"
>
>Must be WikipediA, cuz Cindy H. knows all! ;)
>
>nb

I wouldn't accuse amateurs writing about sauce of lying but wikipedia
entries have been known to contain errors

[Cindy Hamilton]

On Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 11:19:43 AM UTC-4, notbob wrote:

I'd defer to a real source, such as Julia Child or Escoffier, rather than a
crowdsourced encyclopedia.

Cindy Hamilton

[tert in seattle]

angelica...@yahoo.com writes:
>On Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 11:19:43 AM UTC-4, notbob wrote:
>> On 3/27/2019 8:01 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>>
>> > Mornay is not made with cheddar.
>>
>> So, who's lying?
>>

>> "Some variations use different combinations of GruyA"re, Emmental cheese,

>> or white Cheddar"
>>
>> Must be WikipediA, cuz Cindy H. knows all! ;)
>>
>> nb
>
>I'd defer to a real source, such as Julia Child or Escoffier, rather than a
>crowdsourced encyclopedia.
>
>Cindy Hamilton

I checked the Uncyclopedia for the unBob but there wasn't a listing
for mornay

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Search?query=mornay

[Ed Pawlowski]

Classic Mornay is Gruyere. Like the vodka martini, people get loose
with definitions to suit themselves. Millions of people use the
bastardized recipes, but that does not make it true to form.

[Dave Smith]

It may not be as much of a bastardization of Mornay sauce as it is to
make up a white sauce with Parmesan and call it Alfredo. Vodka martini,
IMO is acceptable, but I do object when they go all shishi with sweet
liqueurs and cream and stuff and call it martini because of the shape of
the glass.

[Bruce]

The French Wikipedia defines Mornay sauce as Bechamel sauce to which
is added an egg yolk and a grated hard cheese.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauce_Mornay

[jmcquown]

It did indeed taste very good! :)

Jill

[jmcquown]

That craving thing happens to me a lot! I had some russets I needed to
use up and this seemed like the perfect way to do so. :)

Jill

[jmcquown]

It tasted great! When it comes to Sheldon and pics of food, you're
damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Jill

[jmcquown]

I was taught Mornay sauce is made with Gruyere. Doesn't matter; I
didn't *have* any Gruyere, Emmental or White Cheddar. :)

Jill

[John Kuthe]

I ALWAYS have some Gruyere Cheese! I'm about to grate some on my Nuked Potato RIGHT NOW!! Before the Cheddar! And WHILE COOKING MY VEGGIES MORE!

John Kuthe, Climate Anarchist and Kind-a-sewer Of The Yummy Things In Life!

[graham]

Michel Roux' recipe specifies those three alternatives.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I don't know why anyone would question it. The dark top sure looks good
to me. I think it looks perfect.

[Ophelia]

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message news:ZhdnE.458917$tS5.1...@fx48.iad...

==

Boy, I would be happy to have it on our table!! Pah some people just
want to pull done anything:(

[Nancy2]

The dark slices on top and the crusty part around the edges, are the best part of that dish.
;-))

N.

[notbob]

On 2019-03-28, jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net> wrote:

> That craving thing happens to me a lot!

Likewise.

I used a French made commercial "mandoline". Those are strictly fer a
prep station, as they need to be "mastered" by a good prep-chef.

I'm trying yer method --cheese on top of Bechamel sauce-- no
andouille or onion. 1/4 as much cheese. ;)

nb