Vargr
Vargr
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Note, with the amount of butter, half & half, and potatoes and such, this is definitely not a "lo cal" dish. However, when you want to splurge with a thick, rich, creamy potato dish, you won't go wrong here.
Vargr’s Rich and Decadent Escalloped Potatoes
Ingredients:
Sauce;
3 T Butter
3 T Flour
1/2 Qt Milk
1 C Half & Half
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Dalmatian Sage
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1-2 tsp black pepper (to taste)
1-2 tsp Salt (to taste)
Onions;
1 T Butter
1 sm onion, diced
Potatoes;
5-6 Russet potatoes, sliced thin (1/8 inch)
Approx 2 Qt water
1/2 T Garlic Powder
1/2 T Onion Powder
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 T Dried Parsley
Topping;
“Panko†bread crumbs
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a large pot over high heat, put the potatoes in the seasoned water and boil until almost, but not completely ready to serve. The potatoes will cook a bit more when the sauce is added and they are baked later, and you don’t want them to get too mushy.
While the potatoes are boiling, in a large skillet or sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When it stops foaming and begins to turn slightly brown, whisk in the flour and continue to cook for a minute or two, whisking frequently, until the floury taste cooks out some.
Add the spices to the cooked flour mixture and whisk them in.
Add the half & half and most of the milk. Whisk together until the mixture begins to simmer. The sauce will begin thickening when the temperature reaches a simmer/light boiling point. The sauce should be somewhat thicker than heavy cream; it still has to pour and work its way between the potato slices. If it’s too thick, gradually whisk in more milk and allow it to come back to a simmer before adding additional milk, until it reaches the consistency you want. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
In another skillet over med-high heat, melt the 1 T of butter and when it begins foaming, add the diced onions. Sauté the onions until they are translucent and beginning to brown slightly. Reduce heat to very low to keep the onions warm.
Drain the boiled potatoes.
Butter a 10†square, 4 (or more) inch deep baking dish. Place a layer of sliced potatoes on the bottom. Cover with half the cooked onions. Cover with approx half the warm sauce. Repeat with another layer of the remaining potatoes, onions, and sauce.
Cover the top with the Panko and cheese mixture.
Bake in a 375 degree oven until the top is golden brown and toasted in spots, and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges. Estimating it’ll take about 15-20 minutes for this.
Allow to cool at least 3-5 minutes before service to let the sauce set up a little.
*Note – The dish can be covered and refrigerated overnight once the potatoes are in the oven dish. Add the panko crumb topping just prior to baking. It will take about 30-45 minutes in the oven after refrigerating.
Note 2 - As an experiment, we ran these potatoes through the smoker to add a little wood-smoked flavor, and they really turned out very well. To modify the recipe above for smoker cooking:
- Delay adding the panko/parmesean topping, and place the layered potatoes with onions and sauce in the smoker instead of the indoor oven.
- Smoke at approximately 250 degrees for at least 30 minutes (or longer). The top layer will turn tan/brown from the infusion of smoke flavor.
- Remove from smoker. Can be covered with tinfoil at this point and either "held" until nearly serving time (if other smoked goods are yet to be finished), or refrigerated for the next day.
- Sprinkle the panko/parmesean topping over the smoked potatoes.
- Place in a hot oven (375 - 400 degrees f) and bake until the topping is golden brown and sauce is bubbly. If you have refrigerated the smoked potatoes from the day before, use a 'medium' oven (approx 325) instead, so the interior is properly warmed before the top gets too browned).
- Allow the potatoes to rest a few minutes before serving for the sauce to thicken and bind it all together
[edited to correct a few typos and add the smoker steps]
[Edited to revise the quantities of herbs and spices - the first try, the spices were somewhat "aged" and had lost a lot of strength. Using the original quantities of fresh spice resulted in a rather overpowering flavor. The current version should let a lot more of the cream, butter, and potato flavor come through.]
Last edited on Sat Dec 4th, 2010 07:13 pm by Vargr
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