Sometimes the cold requires...

... something delicious, decadent, and totally rich. I made this sort of bootleg version of scalloped potatoes a week or so ago. On a sunday night I got home simply craving a soothing, warming potato dish. A quick perusal of my refrigerator (and trust me, this was not a "I'll just run to the store and pick up a few more things kind of evening) led me to cream, cheese (both parmesan and gruyere), parsley, an onion, and some leftover chicken broth. Was it sophisticated? Hardly. Was in healthy? Not in the least. Did it warm my poor little hands and help build me up for another cold week ahead? Why yes, yes it did.

Bootleg scalloped potatoes

Ingredients
4 russet potatoes
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbs dried thyme
3 tbs fresh chopped parsley
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tbs butter
1 cup of your favorite cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat over to 375.

Heat the butter over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add in the milk and cream, turn heat down, and let simmer.

Meanwhile, peal and then slice the potatoes. If you had a mandonlin, this would be a good time to use it. Otherwise, just bust out your best santoku knife and cut, so the slices are about 1/8 inch thick.

Add in the herbs to the milk mixture, stir, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Pour some of the milk mixture into a loaf pan (the kind you use for making banana bread in). Add in a layer of potatoes. Now a layer of cheese. Now a splash of the broth, and then some more of the milk mixture. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up, and finish up with some more cheese on top.

Bake until the potatoes are soft. Don't worry if it looks a little soupy at the end - that's the good stuff!

If you want to be healthy, serve with an arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette. If you don't care, enjoy with a big glass of red wine.