Saturday, February 10, 2018

Fire Roasted Potatoes Au Gratin

I've had a couple of people already ask about the Fire Roasted Potatoes Au Gratin from my post this week for the Beef Medallions with Cipollini Onion Red Wine Sauce.

Fire roasted potatoes au gratin recipe for the grill is a good grilled side dish.

Potatoes au gratin has been one of my favorite comfort foods as far back as I can remember.  I learned this from my mother.  It was one of those "some of this and a little of that" type of recipes, based on what she had on hand.  I haven't changed it much.  

I've done fancier versions where I make reduced and seasoned cream sauce, similar to bechamel.  But I use this "old reliable" recipe more times than not.  Yes, it uses condensed soup, but I'm okay with that, just like I'm okay with some Velveeta in my mac and cheese sauce.  

Fire Roasted Potatoes Au Gratin

Ingredients
  • 6 Yukon gold potatoes, thin sliced
  • 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and thin sliced
  • 1 cup shredded Gouda or Fontina cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese blend
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 can reduced sodium condensed mushroom soup
  • 1 tablespoon NMT Beef Rub v.2
  • panko breadcrumbs for sprinkling on top 


Instructions

  1. Set up your grill for indirect heat and preheat it to 400°f.
  2. Whisk together the cream, soup, and beef rub.
  3. Grease a casserole dish and layer potatoes, onion, cheeses, and cream sauce. Repeat 1-2 more times depending on the depth of your casserole dish.  
  4. Sprinkle the top with panko breadcrumbs.  I like a light to moderate amount but go as heavy as you like.
  5. Place in the grill, close the lid, and fire roast until golden and bubbly on top, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  6. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Yukon gold potatoes are my preferred variety for this dish because of their texture and buttery flavor.  

Using a Kitchenaid Spiralizer is a way to make short work out of slicing potatoes.
This is an excellent time to use your spiralizer if you have one.  Just spiral it, then slice down one side and you have a bunch of potato slices.

Just before New Years Day, I cold smoked a bunch of cheeses, and they have been aging.  I went with the smoked champagne aged cheddar and Dutch gouda.  You can use whatever cheeses but I try to have a sharply flavored cheese (Vermont white cheddar, NY Sharp cheddar)  and a pleasant melting cheese (Fontina, Gruyère, or Gouda)

Fire roasting potatoes au gratin on a kamado grill, such as; Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Primo, or Grilla Kong
I was using a kamado grill, one of our Big Green Eggs, with a heat deflector to create the indirect heat.  I also used a few small casseroles instead of one big one.

There's a definite chance that your sauce will run over the sides so if doing this in your oven, it's a good idea to have a drip pan underneath.

The crispy top, melty cheese, and layers of creamy potatoes put a smile on my face.

These are definitely one of my favorite grilled side dishes.  Thanks, Mom.