Classic Scalloped Potatoes

Who doesn't love scalloped potatoes, a comfort food if ever there was one. Many people give up after trying to make them and having them come out uncooked. The secret to perfect scalloped potatoes lies in using a mandoline to slice the potatoes paper thin. No matter how good your knife skills, you just can't slice them thinly enough without this simple kitchen tool.

This recipe lightens up the dish by eliminating any fat in the roux (substituting fat free chicken broth for butter) and using nonfat (or, if you choose, 1%) milk in place of cream. No taste is sacrificed by making these substitutions.

Serves 8  ( 5 PP per serving)

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced on a mandoline
1/2 cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth
1 tbs all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups nonfat milk
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 2 quart baking dish or shallow casserole with nonstick spray.

Whisk together broth and flour in medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Add milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and raise heat to medium-high. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly until slightly thickened. Remove sauce from heat.

Arrange half the potatoes in prepared baking dish, slightly overlapping slices. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and half the Gruyere. Arrange remaining potato slices on top. Pour white sauce evenly over potatoes. Set aside the rest of the cheese.

Bake uncovered for 25  minutes. Press down on potatoes with a spatula to completely submerge potatoes in sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake until potatoes are tender and top is browned, about 25 minutes longer.

Let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

NOTE:  These potatoes can be baked up to 2 hours ahead. Cover with foil and set aside until about 30 minutes before serving time. Bake the gratin at 350 until heated through, about 25 minutes.
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TASTE NOTES
Because  scalloped potatoes are so rich, a mere 1/8 of the dish is a perfect portion size. Gruyere cheese is pricey, but you can freeze leftovers (wrapped well) or eat it out of hand. It has a wonderfully nutty flavor that really can't be achieved with any substitution. I served these with pork chops and glazed carrots tonight and they'll make an encore appearance with meatloaf tomorrow night. They would probably be wonderful topped with a fried egg, too.