Potatoes Au Gratin with Fennel and Bacon

SUBMITTED BY: TX_Brad PHOTO BY: TX_Brad

"Delectable creamy Au Gratin Potatoes are enhanced with subtle flavors of fennel and bacon. Caution: this recipe will make people break your door down for some more. I never measure unless baking, always use eyeball judgement, so feel free to adjust to your personal feel and taste. To create a more crispy top, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs over the top when there is about 15 minutes left to cook. "

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PREP TIME	40 Min
COOK TIME	1 Hr 50 Min
READY IN	2 Hrs 30 Min

SERVINGS

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Servings
USMETRIC

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

1 pound sliced bacon
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk, or as needed
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
7 leaves fresh basil, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry bacon in a large skillet until browned. Drain on paper towels. Chop or crumble, and set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth and starting to bubble. Gradually whisk in milk while stirring constantly so that no lumps form. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with white pepper, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until smooth, adding a handful at a time. Set aside.
Use 1/3 of the potatoes to make a layer in the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with 1/3 of the fennel, 1/3 of the bacon and 1/3 of the basil. Pour about 1/3 of the cheese sauce over everything. Repeat layers two more times or until you run out of room. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the cover during the last 30 minutes to allow the top to brown if desired.

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REVIEWS

Reviewed on Jul. 25, 2008 by brownstreetmama

Wow, this was so good I am craving more as I write this review. Every single person in my... MORE

Reviewed on Aug. 4, 2008 by lisa j

The prep took me over an hour. Par boil the potatoes to lessen cooking time. I cooked it for... MORE

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Recipe Submitter:

TX_Brad

	Cooking Level: Intermediate Home Town: Bryan, Texas, USA Living In: San Diego, California, USA
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