Ingredients
12 ounces center-cut bacon, chopped
3 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (Other cheese will work well.)
2 1/2 cups half and half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350*F. 

2. Add bacon to large skillet over medium heat.  Cook, stirring, until crisp.  Drain well over paper towels or sieve. 

3. Place sliced potatoes in microwave safe container and microwave for 5 minutes.  Stir and microwave for 5 more minutes. 

4. Layer half potatoes in 9- by 12-inch baking dish.  Top with half bacon and cheese, season with salt and pepper.  Layer remaining half potatoes followed by remaining bacon and cheese, season with salt and pepper.  Slowly pour half and half over potato mixture. 

5. Bake until potatoes are tender, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. 



Comments
I love au gratin potatoes but I don’t make them often.  In fact, I haven’t made them in the entire time I’ve been blogging!  I had a lot of potatoes from the CSA and wanted to do something comforting with them while I was feeling sick.  Au gratin seemed like a good candidate!  Zapping the potatoes in the microwave significantly cuts down on baking time.  My potatoes, which were about 1/8-inch thick, took about 45 minutes to bake.  Yum. 

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.