After posting this picture on social media I received quite a few requests for the recipe. So here it is…based on a recipe from my Mom but with some lower-calorie ingredients and specialty cheeses.

Ingredients:

4 T Butter (I use Land O Lakes canola butter)

4T All Purpose Flour

2C Milk (I use almond milk or nonfat milk)

8oz Beechers Flagship Cheese

8oz Gruyère

3 Russet Potatoes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Wash potatoes but do not peel. Use a mandolin to thinly slice the potatoes. Add the slices one by one to a bowl of cold water, this will help get rid of some of the starch. Drain the water and then refill to cover the potatoes with cold water until you are ready to cook. If you are not cooking right away you can put them in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Shred the cheese and set aside until you are ready to cook.

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, add the butter and when it’s melted add the flour one tablespoon at a time and use a whisk to blend to a dough-like consistency (you are making a rue). Slowly add the milk whisking it in until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add almost all of the cheese leaving a small amount to sprinkle on top.

Take 2 long sheets of paper towels (usually about 3 of the choose your size or two of the larger size). Lay one sheet down and lay the potatoes out in one layer and press the other paper towel sheet on top to dry. I use a 9×13 pan and cut it into 8 pieces but you can really use any size baking dish you want. Add a layer of potatoes in the pan and repeat the process. Add half of the cheese mixture and cover all the potatoes in a thin layer. Repeat this process using the rest of the potatoes and the rest of the cheese sauce then sprinkle with the cheese on top. If you want to add more cheese on top you can add some Parmesan (not included in calorie count).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees place a sheet pan on the bottom rack to catch any overflow. Cover the potatoes with foil and place in oven. It takes about 2 hours to fully cook but I check it about every 30 minutes with a sharp knife. When it goes through smoothly and the top is nice and bubbly browned it is ready to serve. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting. I precut into 8 slices for easy serving. We usually serve with a small (1.5 lb ham) that I add to the oven at about 40 minutes before the potatoes are done but you can really serve with anything.

Nutritional Info: 8 servings, 239 calories per serving