Yummy Cheesy Potatoes

Tonight I've got a recipe to share.... Yummy Cheesy Potatoes. I made these for dinner and they were a big hit. Even the big boy who HATES potatoes actually ate several bites and said they were pretty good. That is huge.... from the boy who was moved to tears when we told him they served ONLY potatoes in Idaho, our destination for a summer vacation this year. He was heartbroken, we were amused.... he may need therapy later in life. So when he was willing to try my creation tonight and said that he didn't hate them, I knew I had a winning recipe on my hands. The other boy was scarfing down his second helping at that point.

Cheesy Potatoes

4 Servings

3 medium Russet potatoes, washed and peeled

2 Tbl butter

2 Tbl flour

1 1/2 c milk

1 1/4 c shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack)

onion powder

salt

pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees and grease a glass baking dish with a little butter. Slice potatoes very thinly. I used this mandoline that made this job a snap! Spread out 1/2 of the potatoes in the prepared dish; lightly sprinkle onion powder, salt and pepper. (I didn't measure, I just lightly sprinkled.) Layer the rest of the potatoes and sprinkle with a little more onion powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a saucepan on the stove, melt butter and flour. Wisk it together as it melts and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Add in milk and wisk to blend all together without any lumps. Cook this over medium heat, wisking until it thickens. You're going for the consistency of egg nog or Pepto Bismol, whichever one your most familiar with. Add in cheese and stir. Sauce will come together really nicely when all the cheese is melted; remove from heat. Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes and cover with foil. Bake it at 400 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. For the last 1/2 hour, I took off the foil and the top got nice and bubbly brown.

**Note: If you haven't made a simple cheese sauce like this, don't be afraid to try it. It's actually really simple. This is the same way you would make your own macaroni and cheese. There are lots of recipes using canned soup and other creamy bases, but I think it's healthier and probably cheaper just to whip it up yourself with stuff you have in your fridge and pantry! Maybe you can even add this dish to one of your holiday meals..... Enjoy!