I received a mandoline slicer for my birthday this year which is something I’ve been wanting for a while now. I had planned on making au gratin potatoes for our Christmas feast here and figured I’d be slicing potatoes for an entire day. My birthday is just before Christmas so I was so happy to open the gift and know that my Christmas day prep would be that much easier! The classic, cheesy recipe turned out great on Christmas day but I was itching to slice some more, so I made these loaded au gratin potatoes for dinner this week.
Loaded Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe
8 slices bacon – cooked and chopped fine (6 for the potatoes, 2 for topping)
5 russet potatoes – peeled and sliced thin
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 oz. shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
Black pepper
Green onions for garnish
Get your bacon cooked and cooled. I bake mine at 400-degrees for 15-20 minutes until it’s crispy. Chop into little pieces and set aside. Bake it on a wire rack to keep cleanup super easy!
Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees for the potatoes.
To start, you’ll get your potatoes peeled and sliced. You can use a knife to slice them pretty thin, but you may need to cook some additional time as they’ll likely be thicker than mandoline sliced potatoes.
In a medium sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat until it starts to bubble. Add your flour and garlic.
Cook until the entire mixture is bubbly and just starts to turn a pale brown.
Pour in your milk while whisking and then stir pretty frequently for about 10 minutes until you have a thick sauce.
Add your cheeses, sour cream, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, onion powder and stir until the cheese melts and you have a creamy sauce.
Take half of your sliced potatoes and create a layer on the bottom of your pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, 3 slices of chopped bacon, and then drizzle half of your cheese sauce on top.
Layer the rest of the potatoes on and then cover with 3 more slices of chopped bacon (reserving 2 slices to chop for the top) and cheese sauce. I set aside a little additional bacon for garnish at the end, but that’s optional.
Bake for 45 minutes at 400-degrees covered with foil. After 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly and you can slide a knife or fork through the potatoes easily.
Finish with some thinly sliced green onions and enjoy!
I’m probably going to be snowed in for the rest of the weekend, but I’m stocked up on ingredients to cook so I’m set ;) Everyone expecting to get hit with this storm, I hope you stay safe and warm!
