What's comfort? Baking potatoes with cheese

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

My circle of friends specializes in comfort foods: All of us hold stressful jobs and, on weekends, we like to gather in each other's kitchens, cook, talk and eat, breaking to watch a video or sit outside and watch the sunset.

These scalloped potatoes are a favorite. They can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated, covered. Through trial and error, I've learned a few key things about this recipe:

• Slice potatoes thinly to provide a lot of surface for absorbing the rich flavors. I use a mandoline.

• Vary the flavors. For sinful but mild richness, use cream cheese and eliminate garlic and onion. For assertive flavor, pile on garlic, onion and herbs. Boursin, brie or other soft flavorful cheese can be used (if you use brie, carve away the rind). Or you can grate a hard cheese and mix it with cream cheese.

• It's important that the baking dish be shallow so the cream can percolate up, bubble and brown, creating a beautiful golden crust. I use Emile Henry oval bakers and have a set of three in graduated sizes so I can make a little or lot. Pyrex pans would work well.

• I've given no amounts here, but for a small dish that will feed four, you'll need 6-8 potatoes, 4-6 ounces cheese, a pint of whipping cream. My usual method is to make the cheese mixture, butter the dish or dishes and start peeling potatoes and constructing the layered mixture as I go, peeling potatoes until the dish is full.

• Be sure the dish is thoroughly cooked. Poke a fork in the center and twist slightly. The potatoes should offer no resistance.

This dish looks done before it actually is, and half-raw potatoes are not pleasant.

Decadent Scalloped Potatoes

Potatoes, baking
Goat cheese, softened
Whipping cream
Onion, yellow, minced
Garlic, minced
Flat-leaf parsley, minced
Flour
Butter, softened
Salt and pepper

Wash, peel and thinly slice as many baking potatoes as you need to fill a shallow baking dish, overlapping the rounds.

In a bowl, blend goat cheese and cream cheese with enough whipping cream to make a sort of slurry, a mixture soft enough to spoon up and spread but not so liquid as to pour easily. Blend in finely minced onion, minced garlic and parsley to taste.

Lightly butter baking dish. Lay down a layer of potatoes. Lightly sprinkle flour over potatoes and crank some salt and pepper over them. Dot with a little butter here and there. Spoon dollops of the cheese blend over the potatoes with a light hand (you needn't cover them completely).

Repeat, layering potatoes until baking dish is full. Pour in enough cream to rise almost to the surface (it will bubble up, so be sure there's room for that). Bake at 325 degrees until cooked through, bubbly and browned; this can take an hour or more, especially if the casserole was refrigerated before cooking.