Endulge once in a while!

   Everybody is so busy recently and it's been a while since we had our friends over for dinner, so it was high time to change it. I had so many ideas about what to make, but nothing really "spoke" to me, until I thought about potato gratin. Once it got to my head there was no turning back... creamy, cheesy potato casserole... seriously how great does that sound? To make it more interesting I added a layer of yams, and some fresh scallions. Supper yummy! I served it with whole roasted chicken (you can find the recipe here) and simple fresh green salad.

Ingredients:

*  4 medium Idaho potatoes
*  1 medium yam
*  2-3 scallions, chopped
*  1 cup shredded cheese (I used mixture of mozzarella, asiago and gruyere)
*  3 cups 1% milk
*  2 tbsp Dijon mustard
*  2 tbsp flour
*  pinch of nutmeg
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a bowl whisk together milk, flour, Dijon mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
2. Peel and thinly slice potatoes and yam.
3. In the medium baking dish layer half of the Idaho potatoes, sprinkle with 1/3 cheese, 1/3 scallions, and 1/3 of milk mixture.
4. Arrange a layer of sliced yams, repeat cheese, scallions and milk.
5. Arrange the last layer of Idaho potatoes, top with remaining cheese, scallions and milk.
6. Cover with foil and bake at 385F for 60 minutes. Remove foil and bake for additional 30 minutes untill potatoes are soft and golden brown on top.

   I won't lie to you... it's not a diet dish, but everybody can have a day off once in a while. Rich, creamy, and starchy... all of my favorite things. Potatoes are nice and tender, but not overcooked and still hold their shape and texture. I love it!

Enjoy,
Magda