Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

We decided to bring Farmer Eric & his wife some food since they had a newborn baby girl recently.  We thought it might be nice for them to take a night (or two, with leftovers) off from cooking.  They requested the whiskey & coke pulled pork, and I was all too happy to oblige.  But I needed to come up with a side dish.

I was walking through the grocery store when I saw these nice big potatoes.  Then I decided to make scalloped potatoes.  I walked over to the dairy cooler and found a smoked swiss & cheddar cheese.  I love smoked cheese, and I was hoping the others would as well.

I made this recipe up entirely in my head.  I made a bechamel (lite) by starting with 2 tbsp of flour and a 1/2 cup of milk.  Both of those are estimates, though, because I was eyeballing the whole thing. Then I started to add the shredded cheese little by little making sure it melted well.  I then added 2 tbsp of sour cream, cayenne & black peppers.

I kept stirring it and adjusting how much milk to add until I reached the consistency I was after.  I wanted it to have some thickness to it, yet still be pretty liquid.  And here is the most important piece of advice:  I was constantly tasting it.  I would adjust the seasoning level, add a little more cheese, a little more sour cream, etc. until it had the right consistency and tasted the way I wanted.

I also sliced half of a medium sized yellow onion into really thin strips.  I stirred that into my bechamel so the onions would cook a little and incorporate their flavor.  I think onions are a really versatile ingredient because they are savory, but they have a natural sweetness.  Plus they add a nice textural crunch to a dish.

Preheat your oven to 350-degrees.  Slice the potatoes into nice thin rounds, and then slice them in half so they are bite-sized.  I put them into a mixing bowl and poured the cheese sauce over them.  Stir it all together and transfer them to a casserole dish.

Cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Then remove the foil and cook for another 40-50 minutes.  It was a total experiment of a dish, but I'm pretty sure it worked out great.  It was rich, creamy, smokey, and delicious.  I'm going to have to keep this recipe for sure!