Purple Potato and Blue Cheese Gratin

 

I am feeling better didn't get much of the cold I thought I was going to get...the ginger tea and Emergen-C must of worked. Now my daughter and husband both picked up something, they have a cough that won't stop and it wasn't from me! I know because mine didn't last the weekend, a whole week before.

Anyway I have to think of things that sound good and comforting for a cold. I already made my daughter a big pot of chicken noodle soup, and then my husband finished it when he can down hard with the same thing. I was thinking mashed potatoes...because when I first felt bad we went out for dinner our Friday night usual...we went to a new place where we could watch the Tampa Bay Rays play. I just ordered mashed potatoes, they described it s a house specialty. OMG it looked like motor oil poured on top, and it didn't taste much better. I have never had such a thick, dark gravy on mashed potatoes before. The waitress said it was a mushroom based, it reminded me of Marmite, and that was the only good thing about it...or it is what knocked the "cold" out of me. Haha! I joked with them we should go back and order that for them!

Well, instead I had some beautiful purple potatoes, and wanted to do something a little different, so this is what I came up with...mostly with good tasting things that I had on hand!

Purple Potato and Blue Cheese Gratin

Ingredients

• 8 purple potatoes, thinly sliced
•  1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt or salt and pepper
• 1 leek sliced thin
• 1/2 cup cream   or half and half
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter.
Overlapping each slice, place a layer of potatoes, and leeks in the baking dish. Season each layer with salt and pepper, or seasoned salt, adding crumbled blue cheese as you go.
Pour the half and half and minced garlic into the dish; push down on potatoes to evenly distribute the half and half. Top with grated cheese.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Carefully remove the foil, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top and the potatoes are tender and gratin is not runny. Remove from oven and top with a little more blue cheese if desired.

This doesn't look that pretty in the photo, a little better in person, but it sure did taste good! Of course I like blue cheese, and with the purple potatoes it just seemed to go together!

We are having staff appreciation week as school this week. We should have some nice things happening all week. Tomorrow they are bringing in breakfast! I'll keep you posted!