We bought a spiral ham for the main event, but it's always a little sad celebrating a holiday without the rest of our family, so I thought of something that might make our holiday at home a little less sad - potatoes au gratin. I mean, how can you feel like you're missing out when there are cheesy potatoes on the table? And since I was in charge of making the meal, I could make a healthier recipe, and still have room for dessert.
As I typically do when I want a healthy recipe that's guaranteed to be delicious, I checked out the Skinnytaste website. And sure enough, there was a recipe for potatoes au gratin! I made a few minor tweaks - primarily, adding additional cheese - and was very happy with the end result. I served the ham and potatoes with a side of cinnamon roasted butternut squash (recipe to come shortly!).
The best part of cooking Easter dinner for two? Plenty of leftovers! I can't wait to reheat the leftover potatoes and we have enough ham to last us for a month - does anyone know of any good leftover ham recipes?
Light Potatoes Au Gratin
(adapted slightly from Skinnytaste)
Ingredients:
2 lbs all-purpose potatoes (approximately 4-5 potatoes), peeled
2 tbsp Country Crock or other light butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups reduced fat/skim milk
pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp thyme
Directions:
1. Slice potatoes into thin rounds.
2. Add potatoes, melted butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a large bowl, and mix together well.
3. Add 1/2 of the potato mixture to a greased 9x12 inch pan, distributing the potatoes evenly across the pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese. Add the other 1/2 of the potato mixture.
4. In a small saucepan, bring the milk, nutmeg, and thyme to a boil over high heat. Pour boiling mixture evenly over the potatoes.
5. Top with the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese.
6. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 45-50 minutes. (*I was cooking the ham at 325 degrees, so I baked the potatoes at 325 for 40 minutes, then increased the oven temperature to 425 degrees for another 20 minutes.) Serve hot!
*Makes 6-8 servings
