This is an easy recipe for home made au gratin potatoes. This dish takes about an hour and a half all told and to prepare it well you will need one piece of specialty equipment, a Mandolin. For those who are unaware a mandolin in cooking is a bladed slicer that is set into a guide rail, allowing you to do the same slice in mass.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of flour
2 and a half cups of milk
roughly 1 pound of potatoes (4-6 medium sized ones)
16 ounce block of Swiss cheese shredded fine. (or if you prefer a saltier cheese you are looking for about 2 cups)


Peel the potatoes and then slice them rapidly on the mandolin. As you cut down each potato I recommend placing the slices into a water bath to hold them until you are ready to construct your dish. Once the potatoes are sliced set your oven to 300 degrees.

Place a saucepan on the stove and melt the butter slowly over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the flour in and begins to whisk vigorously immediately to form a roux. Allow the roux to cook for roughly 1 minute to form a "blond" roux. whisk in the milk and whisk together to form a thickened liquid mixture. Once the milk has mixed thoroughly begin to add the shredded cheese in handfuls, mixing rapidly to combine till smooth.

Layer the potato slices into a baking dish. You can add a layer of onions in between two layers of potatoes if you like the taste (I do not usually add them myself). Pour the hot liquid over the potatoes and gently jiggle the baking dish to allow the liquid cheese mixture to settle into the dish. Layer a piece of tinfoil over the baking dish and bake the dish for 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Serve and enjoy.