Chipotle Bacon Au Gratin Potatoes

So I've been pretty good about posting my blog posts on a weekly basis before I do my segment, however, I had a bit of a slip up that prevented me from posting it on time last week.

You see I bought a mandoline for the first time. I had never seen one used before so I didn't know how dangerous they were.

But I really wanted to try making au gratin potatoes, so I did some research and chose what appears to be the flimsiest mandoline ever. It has rave reviews on Amazon and Target though, so maybe it’s the operator (me) and not the tool that was faulty! Anyway, for whatever reason, I couldn't figure out how it worked, and as I was testing it out, I sliced my thumb.

As I was looking at the blood, I started to feel faint, so I called my fiancé William and despite having just left my apartment to go back home, he drove 25 minutes back to check on me. By the time that I was all fixed up, I completely lost all of the daylight necessary for me to film and take pictures of the potatoes. But William finished slicing the potatoes on the mandoline for me, and I finished the au gratin—a little reward for him coming to check on me. I tell you what, it was truly delicious.

So here we are, five days later, and I’m just now getting you the recipe. And I must say, this is one of my favorite dishes I’ve made all year. It is so tasty! When I was trying to decide what cheeses to use, I saw smoked Gouda at the store, and I thought it would be interesting to go with a chipotle theme for the dish.

Also, I came up with a few tips that will make this au gratin come together super quick!

Firstly, use red potatoes. In addition to the fact that they're more nutritious than other types of white potatoes, you don't have to peel their skin. The reason is because the skin on red potatoes is a lot thinner than the skin on regular potatoes, and it doesn't taste bitter and papery when you eat it.

My second tip is to stack the potatoes on their edges in the casserole dish so they stand up. This is opposed to laying them down and making layers which requires you to layer the sauce. I also like this method because the edges get a little bit crispy and it prevents the potatoes from becoming a soggy soupy mess. Also, I love the way it looks when the potatoes are stacked on their sides. It looks like a wreath!

Before I let you loose to make your new favorite potato dish, I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you to BE CAREFUL with the mandoline! Always use the guard. And if the guard isn’t working, use a fork! Do not use your hands!

Chipotle Bacon Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds red potatoes, sliced thin (I used the 3/16th-inch setting on my mandoline, but it doesn't really matter! Just make sure it's thin.)
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese
• 1/2 cup smoked Gouda
• 4 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 1.5-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
2. Add half and half to pot and heat on stove with jalapeno and Chipotle powder until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses and bacon.
3. While you are waiting for it to simmer, begin stacking your potatoes on their side in the casserole dish until you have enough to circle the perimeter.
4. Once cheese is melted in sauce, pour it on top of potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
5. Remove aluminum foil after 40 minutes, and cook an additional 15 minutes uncovered.
6. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.