The Foodie Files

All I wanted today was potatoes and cheese.  That's it.  No protein, no greens, just potatoes and cheese.  When all was said and done I managed to keep it in check and get a few balanced meals in but you know I got some potatoes and cheese for dinner...scalloped potatoes au gratin to be specific.  It's not very summer-esque but good gracious did it hit the spot.  Put a pin in this for fall if you must but make sure you try it!

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Unsalted butter
2 medium russet potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
7 extra small red potatoes
7 extra small yukon gold potatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a saucepan, heat up the cream with the thyme, garlic and nutmeg over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.  Salt and pepper to taste.

While the cream is heating up, butter a large baking dish.  After heating for about 5 minutes, pour the cream into a large bowl with the potato slices.  Mix in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and gently coat the potatoes.  Spoon potatoes into the baking dish and pour remaining cream over the top.  Top with remaining Parmesan and a few fresh thyme sprigs.  

Cover dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.  For a crispy top (my favorite), broil  on high for about 4 minutes more and serve.