Simple Preparations

Potatoes Au Gratin

Now that you have the White Cheese Sauce recipe, I’ll share one dish I make with it, potatoes au gratin. This is a favorite! Oh, never heard of it? Well, maybe you have! This dish is similar to scalloped potatoes, only scalloped potatoes usually include breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. Whether you want to make this recipe au gratin or scalloped is up to you! If you have breadcrumbs on hand, why not add it (But if not, this recipe will do)?! The goal is to make plant-based cooking as simple, healthy, and delicious as possible. Amen!!

So, today, I am sharing the easy recipe recipe. This is how easy it is to put together. First, I wash my potatoes and cut about 1/4-inch slices (rounds), usually about 5 small to medium potatoes. Then I slice up my sweet onion (Vidalia) into long strips. Then I mince my garlic and add it to the pan with melted my plant-based butter. I let that sit for about 30 seconds to a minute for the garlicky flavor to infuse in the butter. Then I make my White Cheese Sauce, adding in the Monk’s pepper. From there, we’re just building the baking dish! EASY!!! Bake until it’s brown and bubbling all over (usually an hour). Done!

Before we get to the recipe, let me tell you how nutritious potatoes are! Potatoes are so beneficial to your health, containing a storehouse of nutrients. They are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C, in addition to being rich in rich in potassium, especially if you leave on the skins, and calcium, iron, phosphorus, and other minerals. In addition to these, potatoes are a hydrating vegetable with water making up 70-80 percent of their weight. Potatoes also high in fiber! They reduce inflammation, treat diarrhea, soften skin, prevent cancer, prevent heart attacks, treat scurvy, lower blood pressure, aid in digestion, among other health benefits. Potatoes are a great energy food as they are high in carbohydrates. They are used to promote weight gain, but this usually comes from fatty added ingredients, such as cheese, oil, or butter, being used in their preparation, as well as frying, but potatoes are by themselves promote a healthy weight, especially if baked (Read more in the article on potatoes from Organic Facts).

For those who want to make this without oil, you can leave out the plant-based butter and the oil from the cheese recipe. I would suggest to oil the baking dish though. Be sure to cover it with parchment paper and aluminum foil (parchment under the foil) once it comes out of the oven, as it may dry out a bit without the oil (the steam will keep it moist). I have made this without oil and it comes out fine if those precautions are taken, but please don’t just leave it sitting out. Covering your food is a good practice anyways. If you make this with oil, cover with the parchment-aluminum cover once it cools.

Now, without further ado, here is the recipe…

Potatoes Au Gratin (Plant-based)

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 organic russet potatoes, depending upon size, sliced into 1/4 inch round slices
  • 1 sweet onion, cut in half and sliced into strips
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons plant-based butter, melted (See recipe)
  • ½ teaspoon Monk’s pepper
  • 3 cups White Cheese Sauce (See recipe)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 °F. Oil a 12×9- or 13×9-inch casserole dish.
  2. Layer potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes.
  3. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, mix in the garlic. Evenly pour butter over potatoes and onions in the casserole dish.
  4. Prepare the white cheese sauce, adding the Monk’s pepper before blending smooth.
  5. Pour cheese sauce to cover the potatoes and onions.
  6. Place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until the entire top is brown and the middle is bubbling.
  7. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes before serving.
How I stack my potatoes and cut my onions. In this picture, the garlicky plant-based butter is poured over the top already.
Once the casserole dish is assembled, pour in the White Cheese Sauce. It will be watery, but it will bake up nicely. If it doesn’t, contact me.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *