Potatoes au Gratin Back to Colleen's Recipes

Cooking Light Magazine is just the best! I didn't even know you could make potatoes au gratin without a box and a ton of fat. These are really yummy!

I found this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine, April 2002.

If you are following Weight Watchers points, each serving is 4 points. We found the servings to be a little small, even with a salad, so try 1 1/2 servings for 6 points each.

3 cups 2% lowfat milk
2 pounds small red potatoes, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinkly sliced I used crushed garlic from a jar.
2 bay leaves
4 ounces haricots verts, trimmed These are thin green beans - frozen work fine
Cooking spray
1/2 cup thinly sliced deli smoked ham
1 cup (4 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese Trader Joe's has it.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup milk mixture. Discard bay leaves.
  3. Cook haricots verts in boiling water for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse in cold water; drain.
  4. Arrange half of potatoes in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange haricots verts and ham over potatoes. Sprinkle with half of cheese, salt, and pepper. Top with remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir nutmeg into reserved milk mixture; pour over potatoes.
  5. Cover with foil; cut 3 (1-inch) slits in foil. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
8 small servings

Calories 208; Fat 6.8; Protein 11.5; Carb 26.2; Fiber 2.3; Chol 27; Iron 1.2; Sodium 352; Calc 270.

The recipe recommends varying the recipe by substituting 6 gresh thyme sprigs fro bay leaves, 6 ounces baby carrots (about 1 1/2 cups) for haricots verts, and 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese for Gruyere. OR 8 ounces baby spinach for haricots verts (cook 30 seconds), 1/2 cup chopped deli smoked turkey for ham, and 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp white cheddar cheese for Gruyere.

05/07/02