Jalapeño Potatoes Au Gratin


Jalapeño Potatoes Au Gratin

 

3 – 4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cube butter

½ cup flour

3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

6 cups milk, divided      

1 lb. grated jack cheese, divided

6 slices cheddar cheese

1 jalapeño, quartered, with seeds      

Salt and pepper

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Add quartered jalapeño to four cups milk and heat to simmering. Simmer ten minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter and add flour. Cook and stir one to two minutes.

Strain hot milk into roux* gradually, whisking until smooth. Discard jalapeño with seeds. When all the milk is added and the sauce is smooth, stir in the remaining two cups of milk. Stir until well combined. Heat until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir in half the jack cheese and mix until melted.

Lay half the sliced potatoes in the bottom of a greased 9x13” baking dish, keeping the slices tightly packed. Sprinkle with half the onions. Pour in half the sauce. Repeat with remaining potatoes, onions, and sauce. Cover with foil and place in oven. (The pan will be very full. Put a foil-lined baking sheet under the baking dish to catch drips. If the drips start to smoke, take the pan out and replace the foil.)

Bake 60 minutes. Remove from oven and remove foil. Sprinkle with remaining jack cheese. Lay cheddar slices on top. Return to oven. Bake 30 minutes more or until golden and bubbly. Let stand five to ten minutes before slicing.


Note: This is my effort to recreate Fleming's Steakhouse's signature potatoes. After only eating them once, I became obsessed. Now, I look for any excuse to serve them. Perfect for a fancy dinner.

Note 2: Don't like spicy food? (This isn't super spicy because the jalapeño is removed after the milk is simmered, but it may still be too much for delicate palates.) Just leave out the jalapeño, and skip the step of simmering the milk. In that case, you'll need to reduce the amount of milk by half a cup as the simmering reduces the volume a bit. 


*Roux = paste of fat and flour


 

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