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Quick and easy Potato Gratin - layers of potato and sliced onion with a cheesy white roux sauce. Can be prepared or cooked ahead for busy weeknights. |
Ingredients
Serves 4
50 gm butter
2 large dessertspoons ordinary plain wheat flour
1/2 c water
1 cup full cream milk
About 1/2 cup grated tasty or full-bodied cheese
1 tsp horseradish sauce
1/2 tsp instant chicken stock
ground salt and pepper
4-5 medium-large waxy potatoes, washed
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Method
Melt butter on low heat in a medium saucepan.
Remove saucepan temporarily from heat, add flour and whisk to smooth. Add a splash of milk, whisk, further splash, whisk and so on until the flour and butter mixture is combined with the liquid with no lumps. Add the additional water, horseradish, instant chicken stock, salt and pepper.
Return to heat on low and continue slowly whisking as the sauce comes to a low simmer and the cheese melts. Sauce will thicken on cooking in only a few minutes. Remove from heat as soon as sauce has thickened to avoid it burning on the bottom. For this recipe the sauce can be a little runny, it doesn't have to be thick.
If a thicker sauce is desired, add 1 tablespoon of corn or maize flour mixed to a paste with a small amount of water. If a thinner sauce is desired, add further milk or water to suit. If a cheesier taste is desired, add more grated cheese.
Peel and thinly slice onions. Slice unpeeled washed potatoes 1-2 at a time into lengths about 1.5cm (little finger-width thick). Only slice the rest of the potatoes as you need to fill your baking dish.
Place a layer of sauce on bottom of your selected deep baking dish. Add a layer of potatoes, and a layer of thinly sliced onion followed by a layer of sauce. Repeat until all used. Tip any remaining sauce over the layered potatoes.
Add a layer of grated cheese such on top. Mozzarella is nice along with a good grate of parmesan.
Heat oven to 180 C and cook covered for 45 minutes. A layer of tin foil will suffice if dish doesn't have its own lid. Check potatoes are cooked with a skewer or thin knife. If not cooked, allow a further 15 minutes. Once cooked, change to fan grill function, increase heat to 200 C, uncover dish and grill for 5-10 minutes or until the gratin is nicely browned on top.
**If in a hurry put the entire prepared dish into the microwave and cook for 10-12 minutes on high to reduce oven cooking time, then grill to brown on top.
Carefully remove from heat and serve.