Hatch Potatoes Au Gratin
I made these for Easter dinner. That is not why this is called “Hatch Potatoes Au Gratin”, but it does fit nicely with the whole Easter theme! I used Hatch Green Chiles to spice this up, which we adore – the dish was creamy, cheesy and spicy (the perfect flavor combination as far as I’m concerned). The chiles can, however, be left out if you want a more traditional approach.
1 1/2 – 2 pounds potatoes (any kind, peeled or unpeeled, whatever your preference is)
3 cups milk, or half and half, or heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups cheese (I used cheddar)
3/4 cup roasted Hatch green chiles (optional)
white pepper/pepper/salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Wash potatoes (peel them if you want) and thinly slice.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour (yes, you start with a roux, but this will be a very light roux). Stir constantly for a few minutes until the flour is a very light golden brown. Add the milk/half and half/heavy cream, whisk constantly until mixture starts coming to a boil and thickens, about 5-10 minutes. Add cheese and green chiles, continue stirring until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened and creamy. Season to taste with white pepper and salt.
Spray a casserole pan with non-stick spray. Place 1/3 of the potatoes in a layer in the pan and lightly salt them. Pour 1/3 of the cheese sauce over the first layer. Repeat layers two more times, ending with sauce on top. Bake for 1 hour, check potatoes for doneness, continue baking if needed.
Variations:
There are lots of things that could be done with this recipe. Be creative with the kinds of cheese you use – try gruyere, colby jack, jarlsberg, swiss – or a combination of several kinds, e.g. 1 cup chedder plus 1/2 cup fresh parmesean – the possibilities are endless. Jalapenos would be a good substitute for the green chiles. So would sun-dried tomatoes. You can also turn this dish into macaroni and cheese simply by substituting cooked macaroni for the potatoes (layer in the same method as described for the potatoes).