Country Potatoes au Gratin

Have you ever tried to stuff onion or potato slices into a measuring cup? Ingredients like these are best measured by weight. This filling dish works well as an entrée with a side salad completing the meal. If you prefer to have it as a side dish, it will make 12 servings.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  butter
• 1  medium onion (about 5 1/2 ounces), thinly sliced
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 4  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
• 6  ounces  shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 1/2 cups), divided
• 6  ounces  diced ham (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 3  pounds  peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thick (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently. Add 4 ounces cheese and ham, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in potatoes.

Place the potato mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle potato mixture with remaining 2 ounces of cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

376 (22% from fat)

Fat:

12g (sat 7.6g,mono 2.8g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

16.7g

Carbohydrate:

50.3g

Fiber:

3.8g

Cholesterol:

46mg

Iron:

1.3mg

Sodium:

727mg

Calcium:

321mg