Dave’s from Arizona, and I learned the basics of cooking in a French farmhouse. Seriously. This one’s a little of him, and a little of me. But everybody likes it! And as our house is a constant test kitchen environment full of fickle critics, trust me when I tell you it will always be good. The original inspiration came from this Southern Living Chipotle Scalloped Potatoes recipe. Yum! We serve it with a green salad, so we can feel virtuous. You can also scatter some cilantro on there. I’m a huge fan; other family members, less so.
Southwest Potatoes au Gratin
You can painstakingly peel and mandolin these potatoes by hand, OR you can wash them, halve or quarter them, and throw them through the food processor. In about a fifth or tenth of the time. Your call! Go heavy on the salt and pepper in the flavor booster, as you're going to dilute it with the cream.
Ingredients
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
- 2 TB herbes sales (see post)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups whipping cream
- Vegetable cooking spray
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch slices
- 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
- 3/4 pound Mexican chorizo, browned and drained
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 400°. Slice up potatoes with a food processor. Blend ingredients through salt and pepper in a blender until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in whipping cream.
- Step 2 Lightly grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread potatoes in prepared dish
- Step 3 top with cream mixture. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes.
- Step 4 Brown chorizo. After the 50 minutes, sprinkle potato casserole with cheese and chorizo. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes and devour.