Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

For Christmas, we normally always have funeral potatoes, or yummy cheesy potatoes as one of the sides. But, this year, we invited some families over and I was not in charge of potatoes. However, the family that was going to bring the potatoes had to cancel due to illness and so I was then in charge of potatoes. I found this out about 3 hours before dinner. So, luckily, I had potatoes in the house, and luckily this awesome blog saved me! I made these in no time at all and I had all ingredients on hand, which is rare for me, and they are delicious! Everyone loved them, even the kids. SO so good! My husband is not normally an au gratin potato fan, but even he ate these all up! This complements any meal, but was especially delicious with our ham.

from My Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

*Note: the key to this dish is the evenly and very thinly sliced potatoes. It will be nearly impossible to accomplish this feat by hand, since the potatoes need to be sliced 1/8-inch thick. I don't have a mandoline, which would work perfectly, however, a slicing disk on a food processor/shredder works great and in a pinch, I've used the slicing side of my box grater. I used the slicing disk on food processor like mentioned, and it worked like a charm.

*Serves 6

1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. In a large bowl, toss the cheeses and cornstarch together until evenly coated.

In a large gratin dish (about a 2- to 3-quart dish), shingle half of the potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with the remaining potatoes, shingling them neatly and evenly. Sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper evenly over the top.

Combine the cream and the broth in a large measuring cup and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Top with the remaining cheese mixture and bake until golden brown and a fork inserted into the center slides in easily with little resistance, 75 to 85 minutes. Let the potatoes cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

Heidi's Note: I put this dish in a 9 by 13 inch pan, and because of this, my potatoes cooked in about 60 minutes rather than 75-85 minutes.