Au Gratin Potatoes (Gluten-Free!)

This is a fun and easy side-dish for a lot of meals. And, of course, a favorite for holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas.   I've even put in those little glass pyrex dishes and sent leftovers to school in my son's lunch. He heats it up at school and loves it!

Au Gratin Potatoes (Gluten-Free)

* You have a couple options in this dish. 

You can A). use potatoes with thicker skins that you should peel/remove, or B). use potatoes with thin skins that can stay on in the recipe (wash well).

You can A). make the cheese sauce as written for a lighter dish, or B). double the cheese sauce in the recipe for a richer dish.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Use an ungreased 8x8 baking dish.   (You can line potatoes in your dish so you have one layer as an estimate for how many potatoes to use)

Thinly slice and place in cold water in a large pot:

4-6 potatoes

This is how thin I try to slice my potatoes.

Put pot over high heat and bring to boil.  You can add a bit of salt to the water, if desired. Boil potatoes 10-12 minutes until softened.  Once potatoes are done, drain and put into the 8x8 pan.

While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the cheese sauce.

In a frying pan or saucepan over medium heat put:

2 Tbsp butter

Add and cook until tender:

1 small onion, diced

Add and cook until rapidly boiling, stirring occasionally:

¾ cup milk (lactose-free works well)

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Dash of paprika (optional)

In a small bowl mix thoroughly:

¼ cup cold milk

1 scant Tbsp cornstarch

When milk in the pan is rapidly boiling, add and whisk in the milk/cornstarch mixture. 

Stirring constantly, let cook 2-3 minutes just until bubbles form and mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and add, mixing until smooth:

1 cup grated cheese (a cheddar cheese mixture works well)

Season with additional salt & pepper, to taste. (it should taste great, if not, add a bit more salt and pepper until you get it where you want it)

Pour cheese sauce over potatoes and gently fold/mix.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, just so it’s evenly distributed. 

Optional topping:

Mix and sprinkle over the top before baking:

¼ cup grated cheese

2 Tbsp cornflake crumbs OR gluten-free breadcrumbs

Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes.   This recipe can easily be doubled and made in a 9x13 pan for bigger occasions. 

Enjoy!