Easy Potato Casserole
I had a few yukon gold potatoes laying about, as well as one of those little boxes of sliced button mushrooms that were in danger of going off if not eaten within a few days.
When I was a kid my dad occasionally threw together cream of mushroom soup, butter and thinly-sliced potatoes and baked the whole lot. The result was something resembling escalloped potatoes, sans cheese. Tasty, though.
So I figured, why not? Here is my take on it.
I apologize that my amounts may not be precise -- I generally cook by what "seems right" instead of specific amounts. So I'm using educated guesses, here.
A couple of notes:
This is a pretty rich dish. If you have unsalted earth balance, or low-sodium veg broth, use those. I could see the salt content knocking a few people over, otherwise.
Next time I make this I'm going to try it with sliced onions cooked in, and breadcrumbs on top.
Gravy:
+ 1 Cup chopped button mushrooms
+ 2 cloves garlic, minced
+ 4 Tbsp margarine (I used EB)
+ 3 Tbsp AP flour
+ 2 Cups vegetable stock
+ Salt, pepper to taste
+ 1/2 Cup soy/oat/etc milk *see note in recipe
And:
+ 3 large yukon gold potatoes, sliced thinly (~1/8")
Preheat your oven to 375*.
To prepare the gravy, melt a tablespoon of the margarine in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for a couple minutes until it begins to turn golden. Add the mushrooms, saute briefly, then drop the heat add a pinch of salt and pepper, and let sweat for about five minutes. Set this mixture aside, and in the pot prepare a roux with the remaining margarine and flour (melt the butter, whisk the flour in until it resembles paste). Raise the heat to medium and, stirring occasionally, let the roux cook until it's blonde which should only take a few minutes. Add your mushroom mixture back into the pot and whisk in the vegetable stock. Whisk in your milk; this is the one I have the most trouble remembering how much I used, so I'd say add it in 1/4 - 1/8 C increments and taste. Bring it to a slow boil, then back off the heat to a simmer. Add salt/pepper to taste.
In a buttered casserole dish, put down a layer of the sliced potatoes and cover with a thin layer of the gravy. Add another layer of potatoes, and continue alternating potatoes/gravy in this fashion until gravy and potatoes are used up. Put this in your oven and check it in about 55 minutes. You want the potatoes to be well-cooked, but still a little firm. Remove it from the oven and set out for 5 minutes, plate and serve.
Enjoy!
When I was a kid my dad occasionally threw together cream of mushroom soup, butter and thinly-sliced potatoes and baked the whole lot. The result was something resembling escalloped potatoes, sans cheese. Tasty, though.
So I figured, why not? Here is my take on it.
I apologize that my amounts may not be precise -- I generally cook by what "seems right" instead of specific amounts. So I'm using educated guesses, here.
A couple of notes:
This is a pretty rich dish. If you have unsalted earth balance, or low-sodium veg broth, use those. I could see the salt content knocking a few people over, otherwise.
Next time I make this I'm going to try it with sliced onions cooked in, and breadcrumbs on top.
Gravy:
+ 1 Cup chopped button mushrooms
+ 2 cloves garlic, minced
+ 4 Tbsp margarine (I used EB)
+ 3 Tbsp AP flour
+ 2 Cups vegetable stock
+ Salt, pepper to taste
+ 1/2 Cup soy/oat/etc milk *see note in recipe
And:
+ 3 large yukon gold potatoes, sliced thinly (~1/8")
Preheat your oven to 375*.
To prepare the gravy, melt a tablespoon of the margarine in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for a couple minutes until it begins to turn golden. Add the mushrooms, saute briefly, then drop the heat add a pinch of salt and pepper, and let sweat for about five minutes. Set this mixture aside, and in the pot prepare a roux with the remaining margarine and flour (melt the butter, whisk the flour in until it resembles paste). Raise the heat to medium and, stirring occasionally, let the roux cook until it's blonde which should only take a few minutes. Add your mushroom mixture back into the pot and whisk in the vegetable stock. Whisk in your milk; this is the one I have the most trouble remembering how much I used, so I'd say add it in 1/4 - 1/8 C increments and taste. Bring it to a slow boil, then back off the heat to a simmer. Add salt/pepper to taste.
In a buttered casserole dish, put down a layer of the sliced potatoes and cover with a thin layer of the gravy. Add another layer of potatoes, and continue alternating potatoes/gravy in this fashion until gravy and potatoes are used up. Put this in your oven and check it in about 55 minutes. You want the potatoes to be well-cooked, but still a little firm. Remove it from the oven and set out for 5 minutes, plate and serve.
Enjoy!