Potatoes au Gratin a la Slow Cooker
I am living in a house with no oven. This is actually quite devastating to my way of life. I use my oven nearly every day to bake bread, and then often for supper. So when the cooling fan needed it's semi annual cleaning, I waited until the last possible moment. All went well...except the hubby didn't look well enough at the connections. Long story short, he broke the motor of the fan, and no oven for me. We are speaking again...I guess.
So it is slow cooker and stove top meals until the new fan comes. That and trips to moms house to bake bread...sigh.
Potatoes in the slow cooker usually don't come close in taste and texture to oven baked. Well, no longer! This is an amazing recipe, these potatoes will give the oven ones a serious run for their money. You can make these as your Christmas potatoes, and keep your oven clear for the turkey. They are really that delicious. The key I think is the paper towel on the top...it keeps the potatoes from getting soggy and they almost crisp up.
Can you imagine in the summer, oven potato taste without the oven heat. You must try these, you will not be disappointed!
6-8 medium pototoes, sliced to about 0.5 cm thick
Urban and Porcini salt
1/2 package bacon, chopped
1 large onion, diced
8-10 mushrooms, sliced
1 can ham
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 tbsp herb and garlic dip mix
1 tbsp country onion dip mix
1.5 c milk
1 c sour cream
1.5 c grated cheese
Slice your potatoes, and set aside. Put chopped bacon, onions, mushrooms and ham into a pan, and fry until all are nicely browned and cripsy (bacon).
Spray your slow cooker very very well (or grease it). Put a layer of sliced potato in the bottom. Generously sprinkle with Porcini and Urban specialty salts.
Sprinkle on a layer of the ham/bacon/mushroom/onion mix. Repeat until all potatoes are gone, finishing with the bacon mix on top. Don't forget to salt each layer!
In the same pan, melt butter. Add the flour and spices, and cook until a thick dough is formed. Slowly add the milk, whisking until it is all smooth and incorporated. When sauce is thick, remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cheese. Mix until cheese is melted and incorporated. Pour over top the potatoes, shaking the dish to help it go down through the layers.
Cook on high for approximately 5 hours, until potatoes in the center are done. When the potatoes settle down from the lid, take 3 paper towels and lay them across the top of the slow cooker, under the lid. This helps remove the excess moisture, and keeps the potatoes from getting soggy. You will need to replace them halfway through, they will get that wet!
You and your family will love the convenience and amazing taste of this recipe. If you don't like mushrooms, you can easily remove them from the recipe. In fact you can just do the potato layers without any of the meat/onions. Or add in any of your other favorites.
I think the next time I make this, I would use half potatoes and half sweet potatoes or carrots so that it because a one pot meal full of veggie goodness!
