Au Gratin Potatoes (#13)





The Ingredients :-)

This recipe was not a success with the entire family. :-( I, personally, thought they tasted WONDERFUL. Pretty? No. But, I know the reason for their challenges esthetically - and I am OK with the trade-off. So, here it goes. I had to search quite some time for a recipe that wasn't heavy on the cream and milk. I found one, and it seemed too good to be creamy, but I was going to give it a shot anyway. Here is what the recipe called for:

 

1/4 pound of diced cooked bacon

4 thinly sliced potatoes

1/2 pound of shredded cheese

salt and pepper

butter

2 medium thinly sliced onions

 

I made some adjustments, so here is what I used:

 

4 thinly sliced potatoes

1/8 cup of fat free Turkey Bacos, the real kind

1/2 pound of FF shredded cheese

2 wedges of Garden Vegetable Laughing Cow Cheese

Salt & Pepper

2 Garlic Cloves, grated

 

Lined CP, full of DELICIOUSNESS

You then want to line your Crockpot with aluminum foil, and layer the potatoes (that have been seasoned with S&P) with cheese, bacon and garlic. Complete until you have used all the ingredients. The original recipe called for butter to be dotted on top. I was going to use butter, but during the last minute, I substituted the butter for Laughing Cow cheese. :-) I love that stuff. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. I then went to work and left the CP with the family. Called on my way home to have the hubby turn it on WARM, so it would not burn. He informed me that it smelled wonderful, but did look like it burned a little. :-( I was kind of sad to hear that. The entire time I was pregnant with my first, I could sit and eat an ENTIRE box of these. So, I got home, and assessed the situation.

Final product.

 

What I realized had happened, is that FF cheese does not melt the way regular cheese does. This resulted in delicious potatoes, and the Laughing Cow cheese was creamy, but the sharp was not. I had found a recipe that utilized Cheddar Cheese soup, but you cannot find a low fat version of that soup. The hubby and I enjoyed them. To the eye, they were not pretty. To the belly, they were GORGEOUS. And who knows, maybe the kids will eat them one day, but they are on a mashed potato kick. So, there. My first not so successful attempt for April. Made a good side, and an excellent lunch the next day. Happy Crockin...