suemunzlinger's Recipe

Potatoes Gruyere

Category: Side dish

3 tablespoons butter
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick (about 4 medium-sized potatoes)
1 large yellow onions or 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives (optional)
1/4 teas cayenne pepper
2 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
2 1/2 cups gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 cups half-and-half
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350F; butter a large casserole dish with 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter. If you use a casserole dish that is about 9x13, you will have more surface area, more of the potatoes will brown, and the cooking time will be faster.


Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with 1/3 of the potato slices.


Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Layer on 1/2 of the sliced onions and 1/2 cup of the Gruyere cheese.

Layer on 1/2 of the bacon, 1/2 of the parsley and chives.

Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

Repeat by layering on 1/3 of the potato slices, sprinkle again with salt and pepper.


Layer on the remaining sliced onions, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere cheese, the remaining bacon, parsley and chives.


Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

Top the casserole with the remaining potato slices. Add the half and half. Dot the potatoes with the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter.

Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for one hour. After an hour, remove from the oven, remove the foil, sprinkle on the remaining cheese.


Return to the oven for an additional 30-40 minutes.


When done, the potatoes should be tender, but not mushy, and the liquid should be mostly absorbed.


Note: For a faster cooking time, you can parboil the sliced potatoes for 8 minutes first, patting them dry, before layering them in the casserole pan. In this case the total oven cooking time is about 35-45 minutes.