Potatoes Au Gratin, With a Kick

I've been on a big soy cheese kick lately. Namely, mozzarella. I think it may have something to do with comfort food and fall coming. Cold weather and garlic cheesy bread or seitan parmesan just go together. They scream hybernation. And fat. Although it hasn't been a very chilly fall so far. Just dark. And humid.

Anyway, I don't think these are like traditional potatoes au gratin at all. I've never really had them, but they always seemed really delicious in my mind. For me, these are the ideal way I'd want them to taste [[because I dream about what potatoes au gratin taste like?]]. Rich with a creole kick. And they're really not that bad for you. You could even use olive oil instead of the earth balance and just keep out the tofutti sour cream. Then you're just eating soy milk and potatoes. I'm not making this sound very appetizing, but I swear these are great. Even if you keep the recipe the same, red potatoes instead of white and a little spinach makes me feel better anyway.

[[Potatoes Au Gratin]]

5 red potatoes, boiled
1/2 cup shredded FYH mozzarella soy cheese
whole wheat bread crumbs for sprinkling
spinach for layering
2 tbs earth balance
2 tbs unbleached white flour
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup red onions, chopped finely
1 3/4 cup plain soy milk
1 tbs tofutti sour cream
1 tbs creole seasoning

-- Preheat oven to 350 F.
-- Boil potatoes until easily pierced with a fork. Set aside and allow to cool.
-- Heat earth balance, onions, and garlic in a pan. Cook until onions are translucent. Add flour.
-- Whisk flour together with butter/onion/garlic mixture until fully incorporated. Heat while stirring for 5 minutes.
-- Add milk and whisk quickly to dissolve flour mixture completely. Let boil on medium heat for 5-10 minutes in order to thicken. Stir occasionally.
-- Add seasoning and sour cream, whisk together thoroughly. Set aside.

-- Slice your cooked red skin potatoes into 1/4 inch slices.
-- Grease a deep baking dish. Make a single layer of the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Top with a layer of spinach. Fully coat with a scoop of sauce. And repeat until you have used all your sauce and potatoes. Make sure the top layer has sauce!
-- On the very top layer, top with shredded mozzarella soy cheese and sprinkle some bread crumbs on top.
-- Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and place under broiler for 2 minutes to crisp.