BUTTERMILK-BLUE POTATOES AU GRATIN

BUTTERMILK-BLUE POTATOES AU GRATIN image

Each holiday my husband asks me to make something new that I have never made before, & this is one of the 5 dishes that I came up with. Not only is it an impressive dish but it really does taste great. Our daughter Briana drove in from Ohio, just in time to help prepare all of the food, all three of us was in the kitchen,...

Provided by Rose Mary Mogan

Time 1h50m

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

7-8 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed, boiled, cooked & sliced as desired
2 1/2 Tbsp butter
3-6 clove garlic, crushed or minced
2 medium shallots, minced
2-3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 c milk, room temperature
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 c mayonnaise
1 tsp di jon mustard
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
2 oz blue cheese, crumbled & divided
1 c buttermilk, room temperature
12 oz canned sliced mushrooms, drained or use 3 cups fresh if desired
1 1/2 c shredded monterey jack cheese, divided in half
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided in half
1 1/2 c coarsely crushed potato chips
2-2 1/2 c steamed fresh broccoli
1/2 c roasted red pepper strips or use 2 tbs. chopped pimento for garnish

Steps:

1. PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350 DEGREES F. Butter a 9 X 12 or 2 1/2 quart size casserole dish & set aside till needed. The original version of this recipe came from a cookbook called "THE OLD FARMERS GARDEN FRESH ALMANAC COOKBOOK", I DID MAKE A FEW minor variations and additions to the original recipe. WE REALLY LOVED THIS RECIPE.
2. Boil potatoes till partially cooked through, or fully cooked if desired. Allow potatoes to cool enough to handle. Then slice half of them and arrange in bottom of prepared casserole dish. I chose to leave the skins on for added fiber, but you can peel if desired.
3. Drain mushrooms if using canned and arrange over top of potatoes.
4. Slice the remaining potatoes and set aside till needed.
5. Mince the shallots and garlic. Then using a medium sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter, add the garlic & shallots & sauté for 1 minute. Add the flour. Stir or whisk till blended, and cook for about 3 minutes more. Add the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens & bubbles. Then remove the sauce pan from the heat.
6. Now add in the pepper, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and half of the blue cheese, and stir till blended together. We used about twice as much blue cheese because we really love blue cheese. Now add in the buttermilk and stir.
7. Spread or pour half of the cheese sauce on top of the mushrooms, then sprinkle with half of each the Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese.
8. Now layer the remaining potatoes over the cheese, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Blue Cheese, cheddar & shredded Monterey Jack. Bake for 45 minutes if potatoes were not fully cooked. I cooked mine completely, and only baked for 30 minutes.
9. Now add the crushed potato chips, over the top, and bake for 10 additional minutes. While casserole is baking for the 10 minutes. Steam the broccoli in a sauce pan or in microwave until crisp tender.
10. Now arrange the broccoli around the outer edge of the casserole, and garnish with roasted red pepper strips or chopped pimentos. Bake for 5 additional minutes. Serve while still hot.