We decided to have an old-fashioned meal of steak and potatoes and couldn't resist throwing in the competitive edge to it by involving Betty. We have been experimenting with our new sous vide (pronounced "Sue Veed") machine so we decided to use it to cook steaks. Basically, you vacume-seal your food then put it in a very low heat water bath in the machine. It cooks slowly and retains the juices of whatever you're cooking. Since Connie doesn't eat meat, that job goes to Bruce!
For this week's competition we are featuring Au Gratin Potatoes to go with the steak. This was Connie's favorite dish growing up and she couldn't resist making it. We don't typically eat white potatoes and cheese at our house, so this is a decadent treat!
Bruce is serving as Betty this week with her recipe:
Betty's Au Gratin Potatoes:
6 medium potatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded natural sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
Paprika
Peel and slice potatoes into thin slices.
Cook and stir onion in margarine in 2 quarrt saucepan until onion is tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Place potatoes in ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Pour cheese sauce on potatoes. Cook uncovered in 325 degree oven 1 hour 20 minutes or in 375 degree oven for 1 hour.
Mix remaining cheese and the bread crumbs; sprinkle over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Cook uncovered until top is brown and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes longer. 6 servings.
The Challenger's Au Gratin Potatoes:
This is Connie's original recipe adapted from the dish she enjoyed as a child...
3 large baking potatoes 1 tablespoon flour
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 slices of American cheese
1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make the cream sauce:
In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for 3 minutes. Add the cream and milk and stir until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
Slice the potatoes thinly. Spray a 9 x 13 inch casserole with canola oil. Spread 1/3 of the potatoes in an even layer in the casserole. Top with slivers of 1 tablespoon of butter, 1/3 of the cream sauce, 1/3 of the salt, pepper, and garlic powder, 1 slice of American cheese (cut into strips), and 1/3 of the Cheddar cheese. Repeat for the next two layers.
Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and cook for 1 hour. Remove the foil and cook for approximately 15 more minutes until the top is golden brown.
So, who do you think will win this week's potato challenge...Betty or Connie???
