Pass the Cook Book Club: Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin

Welcome to the first month of Pass the Cook Book Club, hosted by Kita of Pass the Sushi. This club strives to dust off those unused cookbooks as once a month we post and share recipes from a randomly selected book. Don’t own the cookbook selected? No worries! Kita sends out three recipes to choose from to cook and share. For more info on how you can join the fun, check out the club’s Facebook page.

To kick off PCBC, we cooked from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier. I chose the perfect potato au gratin and served it with oven-fried chicken. These potatoes were incredibly easy to prepare. For some reason I was convinced I would have to use my mandoline to slice the potatoes, but was relieved to find out all I needed to use (and clean up) was a knife and cutting board. The ease of creation means these already irresistibly creamy and cheesy potatoes are even more dangerous. Good luck only eating one serving.

One year ago: Homemade Almond Butter

Two years ago: Over Easy Breakfast Bagel Sandwich

PERFECT POTATOES AU GRATIN

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2%)

1-1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

Pepper, to taste

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the potatoes into sticks, then dice. Place in a large baking dish. Combine the milk and cream in a bowl. Add the flour, garlic, salt and pepper and whisk. Pour over potatoes and dot the top with small pieces of butter.
2. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and and bake for another 20 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
3. Sprinkle on the green onions and serve hot.

Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier, page 226.