Lighter Scalloped Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds (950 grams) Idaho® russet potatoes
• olive oil
• 2½ yellow onions, sliced thin, divided
• 2 tablespoons Litehouse® freeze-dried garlic, divided
• 3 cups (380 grams) cauliflower florets
• ¼ teaspoon paprika (optional)
• 1 cup vegetable stock (substitute with chicken stock)
• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast (substitute with grated parmesan)
• ½ tablespoon lemon juice
• salt
• 1 tablespoon Litehouse® freeze-dried chives
• 1 tablespoon Litehouse® freeze-dried garlic
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Prep the potatoes

1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Keep them immersed in water to prevent them from turning brown as you work with them.
2. Using a mandoline slicer (#3 thickness), slice the potatoes lengthwise into ⅛” slices. Keep the slices immersed in water.

Make the sauce

1. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add ½ of one onion, sliced, and sauté on medium heat with a pinch of salt until they soften. Stir ever so often to prevent burning.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of the Litehouse freeze-dried garlic, cauliflower florets, and paprika. Sauté until the cauliflower just begins to brown. This will bring out the flavor better.
3. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and let the cauliflower cook until soft.
4. Remove from heat and let cool completely uncovered.
5. Transfer to a blender. Add nutritional yeast and lemon juice and blend until smooth.
6. Adjust salt to taste. Set aside.

Caramelized onions

1. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the remaining 2 sliced onions and cook on medium-low heat with a pinch of salt until they soften and turn a light brown. Watch carefully so they don't burn.
2. Turn off heat and let cool completely. They will continue cooking and softening in the residual heat.

Assemble

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spread a thin layer of the cauliflower sauce at the bottom of the casserole dish.
3. Arrange a single layer of potato slices, overlapping them as you go.
4. Spread another layer of the cauliflower sauce.
5. Top with the caramelized onions. Sprinkle chives and freeze-dried garlic.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Then drizzle about a ½ teaspoon of olive oil.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 until you run out of the sauce, ending with a layer of potatoes.
8. Brush the potatoes generously with oil then top with the remaining caramelized onions.

Bake

1. Cover the casserole with foil.
2. Bake in the preheated oven at 400°F for 30 minutes.
3. Uncover, increase the temperature to 425°F and continue baking for another 30-35 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and the sauce is thick.
4. Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. This will allow any extra liquid to be absorbed back into the potatoes. Serve warm.
5. The casserole can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.

Notes:

* If your vegetable stock is not salted (mine is), adjust salt in the sauce accordingly.

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