I always forget about potatoes. They sit in my pantry, slowly shriveling and growing roots, but then I remember that potatoes are delicious!

Here’s a potato casserole dish that’s perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s a flexible recipe. If you don’t care for mushrooms, add sautéed Swiss chard or cooked broccoli instead.

Potatoes au Gratin with Bacon and Mushrooms

Serves 8
Prep/Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds thin-skinned potatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons 00 flour (or AP flour)
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced (or vegetable of your choice)
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• chopped chives, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 9×13″ casserole dish and set aside. Clean your potatoes (no need to peel them if you don’t feel like it), and slice them paper thin using a mandoline or a food processor slicer. Set these aside while you make the béchamel.

Measure your milk and microwave it for 90 seconds. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk till incorporated. Cook this roux for 30 seconds or so to get rid of the raw flour taste, whisking all the while. Turn the heat down to low and start slowly adding the hot milk, whisking the entire time, until you have a thick sauce. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Back to the potatoes: layer half of the sliced potatoes in the casserole dish. The potatoes don’t have to be perfectly fanned out like a fancy French cookbook. Just evenly disperse them in the dish. Sprinkle with a little bit of granulated onion then spread half the béchamel over the layer of potatoes using an offset spatula. Layer in the remaining potatoes, sprinkle with a little granulated onion and add the remaining sauce, spreading it evenly over the potatoes.

Place uncovered in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Now it’s bacon time. While the potatoes are in the oven, cook your bacon bits till crispy. Place on a paper towel lined plate for later. Discard most of the bacon grease, but save some in the pan because that’s flavor country, baby! Add the mushrooms (or vegetable of your choice) to the pan and toss with the bacon grease. Cook until mushrooms are browned (or until veggies are tender). Set aside.

After 45 minutes, remove the potatoes from the oven. Sprinkle on the mushrooms, then the bacon, and top with the cheeses. Place back in the oven and bake another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh chives. Serve immediately. I also love this dish the next day when it’s cold!