Au Gratin Potatoes...the ultimate comfort food.

It's frigid and cold outside.  So cold your breath freezes before your face.  Time for some warm, gooey, comfort food.   In my "neck of the woods" these are commonly referred to as "funeral potatoes" because they are often served after funerals to the grieving family.  You would know these as a version of Au Gratin potatoes. 

It's the time of year for parties and this recipe is a winner.  It's rich and creamy...just like your grandma made for Christmas dinner (if you were lucky).  Now we don't indulge in this kind of food very often but it's Christmas, so here we go.

We threw a church party for 150 of our closest Young Single Adult friends so I made a roasting pan full.  Every bit got eaten, no surprise.  Here it is prior to baking.

And here's the pan I made for my freezer. 

I like to line a glass baking pan with foil, fill it with a ready to bake casserole, freeze the pan until the contents are solid, and then remove the packet from the glass pan.  Next, I wrap the whole frozen block with several layers of plastic and foil to avoid "freezer burn" and I store the labeled frozen block in my freezer.  When I need the item for a surprise dinner, I just unwrap the outer layers and pop the foil into the same pan and bake.

 The block takes up less room in my freezer and frees up my glass pan for using in the interim.  I often double a recipe and freeze half so I have a frozen item on hand for a busy day.

 Just look at the golden brown, crunchy, buttery topping after baking.  Yummmmmmmmmmmm.

 

Go on...indulge after all it's the holidays.

Au Gratin Potatoes

 6 cups of diced potatoes

1-10 ounce can of cream of chicken soup

4 ounces of butter, melted

½ cup of milk

1 cup of sour cream

2 cups of cheddar cheese, grated

¼ cup of sweet onion, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

¾ cup of Panko (Japanese bread flakes) bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons of melted butter for topping

Wash and peel potatoes.  Bake at 350º F. for 45-60 minutes until they are cooked through.  Cool and dice them.  You may substitute frozen diced potatoes if desired. 

Combine the soup, 4 ounces of butter, sour cream, milk, cheese, and onion.  Season if needed.

Mix well.  Add the potatoes and stir to combine.

Place the mixture in a 9x13-inch baking pan or a 2-3 quart casserole dish.

Mix the 2 Tablespoons of melted butter and the Panko bread crumbs.  Sprinkle the crumbs over the potatoes.

Heat the oven to 350º F.  Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly and browned.