So today is a special day in the USA,
which is celebrated with special food.
So I thought I'd try . . . POTATOES AU GRATIN
from Preppy Kitchen . . .
except that I changed the recipe a bit. As usual.
And made POTATOES AU GRATIN ET DU JAMBON
which is basically potatoes with cheese & ham.
Putting-it-all-together station . . .
Neal had again brought home these potatoes;
they were of three varieties, but nowhere on the bag
was there information about what the three varieties were.
As with the POTATOES, HAM & EGGS BAKE,
no washing, peeling or slicing was needed -
just run 'em thru the Cuisinart . . .
A beautiful sight . . .
. . . altho I'd never seen PURPLE potatoes before.
I didn't 'shingle' the slices,
for obvious reasons . . .
Adding the green onions . . .
. . . and the ham . . .
Milk & cream, sharp cheddar cheese & six-Italian cheeses,
salt & pepper for the sauce . . .
. . . milk & cream added to the heated butter & flour . . .
. . . and the cheeses & seasonings added and melted . . .
Ready to go into the oven . . .
. . . covered with foil for the first hour . . .
After the first baking . . .
Then back into the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
After the second baking . . .
Things I did wrong:
1) I overheated the butter/flour mixture.
It was AFTER adding the milk/cream that the sauce
was to be brought to bubbling and thickening. Oops!
(Browned butter is GREAT for frostings;
not so much for potatoes.)
2) As I didn't 'shingle' the potato slices,
I didn't season enough with salt & pepper.
3) Casserole dish should've been sprayed with PAM™
4) Onions & ham should be mixed in with the potatoes,
rather than just sprinkled on top.
5) Ham should be larger DICED pieces.
6) The gruyere cheese called for in the recipe
would give this an entirely different (and stronger) taste.
7) Baking times should've been a bit shorter,
as the potato slices were so much smaller than
sliced Russet potatoes would've been.
CONCLUSION:
It was OK; nothing to email home about.
I have another bag of these potatoes, so MAYBE
I'll try this again, following directions this time.
BONUS FEATURE
For those who are not going out
into the craziness of Black Friday
(As with Thanksgiving foods, not all of these will be to everyone's taste.
So enjoy the ones you like, and ignore the ones you don't.)
DECORATING BEFORE OR AFTER THANKSGIVING
TRYING TO HOST THANKSGIVING
10 COMMANDMENTS OF SOUTHERN THANKSGIVING
MOMS vs DADS ON THANKSGIVING
EIGHT FUNNY THANKSGIVING SONGSS
IF WEIRD AL NARRATED YOUR THANKSGIVING
WKRP'S TURKEY DROP
(last video on this page is the complete episode,
which is much funnier than just a clip of the event)
ALICE'S RESTAURANT
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