Kitchen Sense: Creamy Potatoes Gratin

It's now time for another entry into the Kitchen Sense category. All of these recipes come straight from the new cookbook called Kitchen Sense by Mitchell Davis. I had some pretty harsh words for Davis' book, but the recipes themselves seemed to have worked out pretty well until now. I was really excited to try this cheesy potato recipe. It's cheese; it's potatoes. It's all good. The picture looks good, all golden brown and delicious, but underneath is a watery grave for those slices to swim in.

I don't know what happened to this one. The cheese and onions were done and delicious. Even the taters themselves were good. But they were swimming in this watery substance that looked like the whey from separated milk.

Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 5 large baking potatoes such as Russet or Yukon Gold
- 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
- 2.5 cups grated Emmentaler, Gruyere, or Fontina cheese
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme or rosemary
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 2.5-3 cups of half and half or milk
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease a large gratin dish or shallow 3-quart baking dish with half the butter.

Scatter the garlic on the bottom of the pan. Arrange about one fourth of the potato slices in a layer on the bottom of the pan. Scatter one-third of the onions on top of the potatoes. Top with 1/2 cup of the Emmantaler cheese and 1/4 teaspoon of the thyme. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Repeat this layering process ending with a layer of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour enough half-and-half to just about submerge the potatoes. Dot the top with 1.5 tablespoons butter. Cove the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour

When the hour is up, remove the foil. Top the potatoes with the remaining Emmantaler cheese and the grated Parmesan Reggiano and continue baking, uncovered, for another 30 to 40 minutes, until the cheese has melted and browned and a small knife inserted in the center goes easily through the gratin. The liquid should have been absorbed or evaporated. Remove from the oven and serve.