Sometimes, when life gets a little busy grocery runs don’t happen. When I don’t get to the grocery store, we are left with no protein in the house.  This means it’s potatoes and salad for dinner, which I have no problem with.  Many times I don’t understand why I am not a vegetarian, and then I visit a baseball game and eat a stadium hot dog and it all comes back to me.  Anyway, nights that rely on meatless dishes make me the happiest.  Last night started out as baked potatoes and salad, then I decided to take some creative license and potatoes au gratin happened.  It was delicious, but if I had any complaint it would be that it was not spiced enough.  I still need to work on perfecting that part (and I think my next step in perfecting is to try some dry mustard), but until then it makes for a pretty tasty dinner.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 4 yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 onion, sliced into rings
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbs. butter
• 3 tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1  1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 tbs fresh chives, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 1 quart casserole dish. Pierce potatoes with a fork and microwave all at once for about 6 minutes.  Use a mandolin slicer or a sharp knife to slice potatoes into 1/4 inch slices.  Layer 1/2 of the potatoes and 1/2 the onions into bottom of the prepared casserole dish.  In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour, salt, garlic, and onion powders, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour 1/2 the cheese over the potatoes, top with the rest of the potatoes and onions, then put the rest of the cheese on top of the potatoes.   Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven.  Top with chopped chives.