Herbed Gruyere & Bacon Au Gratin Potatoes
What you need:
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 large onion, sliced thinly
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. dried chives
- 1/2 tsp. ground thyme
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced very thinly
- 6 to 8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
- 8 oz. grated Gruyere cheese
- 1 to 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into tiny cubes
Directions:
- In a large saucepan, add heavy cream, onion, bay leaves, garlic, parsley, chives, thyme, cayenne, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Ladle a little of the spiced cream into the bottom of a 9x13" casserole dish. Enough to cover the bottom.
- Place your potatoes in a large bowl and pour the remaining cream over the top (with the onions). Toss gently.
- With a slotted spoon, spoon 1/3 of the potatoes and onions into the casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Top with 1 cup of cheese, half of the bacon, and then 1/3 of the cream from the bowl. Repeat the layers once.
- Then top the casserole with the last of the potatoes and onions. Pour the rest of the cream over the top.
- Top with the small cubes of butter.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400* for 1 hour.
- Remove the dish from the oven, remove foil, and top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
- Bake for another 10 minutes. Prick the potatoes with a fork to see if they are tender, if not, keep baking in 5 to 10 minute increments.
- Broil until the potatoes are golden brown.
Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings