French Potato Casserole

Serves 8

Ingredients :

4 pounds of Russet potatoes
one cup of melted butter (use real butter)
one half cup of grated onion (white, yellow or shallots)
salt and pepper
paprika

This is an amazingly simple dish and even without any kind of cheese these potatoes taste incredibly rich. Must be all that butter!

Peel the potatoes. Put them in a deep bowl with water so they don't brown while you prepare them.

You'll need a 9 X 13" oven proof casserole. (The size can vary a bit but you'll find out soon that everyone wants some of the "crust" so keep it larger).

Slice the potatoes paper thin. I use my mandolin for this project. On level 2, I get potato slices that are a sixteenth of an inch. Uniform --and you can cut them really fast. Use your guard so you don't slip and cut yourself. If you don't have a mandolin use a very sharp knife and be careful.

After the first potato is cut put a layer of slices in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle on a Tbl of grated onion and salt and pepper. Now put on the next layer. After this layer drizzle on some of the butter. You're going to continue like this until all of the potatoes are gone. Don't use salt and pepper on every layer. That might be a bit much. Keep an eye on how much onion you put on between layers so it can last until the last of the potatoes. Same with the butter. You want one last drizzle on top. Then top it off with a light dusting of paprika for color and even a crack of black pepper so you have those specks on top too.

Cover the potato casserole with aluminum foil. Pop this in your 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes take off the foil and let it bake 30 minutes more. You should form a nice medium browned crust on the top. The crust is going to be a major hit. Believe me.. Cut with a serving spoon or sharp knife and use a spatula to take it out of the casserole. It will be steaming hot.

This makes great leftovers to go with breakfast or perfect for a brunch table.

Enjoy!