Chris Eylert's Scalloped Cheese Potatoes

This dish was a recipe that my grandmother on my dad's side used to make for us when we visited her in Germany. I'm uncertain of the origins of it, however, my family is German, so we'll go with a European dish. Us, the kids, would beg for it every Christmas at least, and my mom would do her best to reject the idea because of the amount of potatoes she would have to peel, but we always won. The dish goes great with just about anything; turkey, beef, fish. Hope you guys like it.

Directions for preparation:
Calculate 3 regular sized potatoes (the red skinned ones) per person.
Peal potatoes and cut into thin slices. Precook the potatoes about 10 minutes (once the water with salt boils, 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce:
In a saucepan I melt half a stick of margarine (approx. 3 – 4 tablespoons). Add chopped onions (approx. a quarter of a Vidalia or Sweet Onion) and let the onions glaze (turn transparent). Add approx. 3 tablespoons of flour, mix with the melted margarine/onions and slowly add milk, constantly stirring, to make a smooth sauce. Add cheese (Monterrey Jack or the Gouda slices) and grated parmesan cheese (the one for noodles) and stir. Add a little sugar (half a teaspoon) and salt to taste.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and put in the dish or pan into which you’re going to put the potatoes, with some margarine so it can melt and prevent everything from sticking to the pan too much. Once it’s melted, and the potatoes have precooked, drain the potatoes and put them into the pan and pour the cheese sauce over it. Put in the oven for approx. 1 hour. Watch the potatoes, if they brown too much on the top, lower the temp to 250 or 200 degrees. You can have them in the oven at 200 for a good 2 hours, while you prepare the barbeque or whatever else you’re going to serve with the potatoes. Once they’re brown on the top, they’re ready to serve.

Bon Appetit.