Potato Gratin with Gruyere, Horseradish & Sweet Onion

I saw Geoffrey Zakarian make this on a recent episode of The Kitchen on Food Network. It looked so delicious - and it really was!

His tip was to buy FRESH horseradish - because if you use the bottled kind - the vinegar in it will curdle the cream sauce.

Potato Gratin with Gruyere, Horseradish & Sweet Onion
2 cups heavy cream
1 c half and half
1/2 c grated FRESH horseradish
1/2 t grated nutmeg
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 Vidalia or sweet onion, sliced as thinly as possible
Salt and pepper to taste
3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes sliced about 1/8" thick
2 c grated Gruyere
1 c breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the cream, half-and-half, horseradish, nutmeg, garlic and onion in a medium saucepan and slowly bring the mixture to a simmer. Be sure to stir on occasion to prevent scorching. Season with salt and pepper. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, spoon a thin layer of the cream and onion mixture onto the bottom. Layer the potatoes, followed by a sprinkle of cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Repeat this process until the dish is filled and the gratin is moist. Combine the breadcrumbs and thyme and sprinkle on top. Bake until the potatoes are tender and the gratin is caramelized on top and bubbly on the edges, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly before serving. 

*At this point - we were SO OVER Holiday food - BUT this recipe is seriously AMAZING - so... I ended up making the leftovers into a soup. I put the leftovers into my blender with a 1/2 - 1 cup chicken broth (or whatever you have on hand) the amount of liquid depends on the consistency you want for your soup. 

Luxurious. Decadent. If you're going to go for it - GET IT!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is another dish I've made forever - but it's so simple it doesn't feel like a "recipe" to me. But my family loves it so much - I thought I'd share.

We're back to school and sports around here - which means our week nights are insane. To save money and tummies - I like to have the 6 of us eat ANYTHING but fast food. It's a challenge - but one I feel I've done a good job at.

I made this last night and it was gone in a flash. I think next time I'll double the recipe by stacking the ingredients - if I do I'll give you an update.

Fastest Chicken Cordon Bleu in the West
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 can Cream of chicken soup
S & P
6 slices Swiss Cheese
12 slices deli ham
6 breaded chicken patties*

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine heavy cream and cream of chicken soup, salt and pepper to taste. Microwave mixture for about 60 seconds to make it easier to incorporate.

Drizzle about 1/4 of the cream sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish - spread it around with a spatula. This just helps anything from sticking.

Place the chicken patties in the casserole dish. Top with 2 slices of ham and 1 slice of swiss cheese each. Pour the remaining cream sauce over the entire dish.

Bake for 30 minutes. DELISH!

*I use Foster Farms frozen chicken patties - you don't even have to thaw them!

UPDATE: I made this again - but this time I made it in my crockpot bc crazy week nights... So I doubled the liquid - put half in the bottom of the crockpot, added 8 chicken patties, a package of diced ham and 8 slices of cheese then added the rest of the liquid on top - set on low for 2 - 3 hours - or high for 1 hour. Everyone gets a nice warm dinner when they have time!