Scalloped Potatoes

One of my absolute favorite vegetables to eat is potatoes. I love them fried, mashed, and baked. I love it when they are a little crunchy and salty, and I admit I love them when there's enough for at least two or three servings for me. The thing about potatoes, though, is that they are filled to overflowing with calories. I have to be careful because otherwise my hips will reveal my fondness for them, so lately I've been trying to eat them in moderation.

Recently, however, I decided to resurrect a recipe I haven't made for a while: scalloped potatoes. Being vegan, you'd think that a creamy recipe like this would not really be, well, creamy or good, but this recipe is both very creamy and very tasty.

Scalloped Potatoes

• 3 tablespoons vegan butter or margarine
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 ounces fresh button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper or other spicy seasoning
• 2 1/2 cups soy milk or other vegan milk
• 6 potatoes, peeled (or not) and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter or margarine

Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a two-quart or 8"x11" baking dish.

Next work on your sauce. If the potatoes are the body of the dish, then these are its soul.

Melt three tablespoons vegan butter in a medium to large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and mushrooms in the butter for a few minutes, until tender but still slightly firm (if that makes sense). Stir in the flour, salt and pepper or spices, and continue to stir until the mixture is smooth. This will happen very fast, so be sure to watch it closely so it does not burn to the bottom of the pan.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vegan milk, then put it back on the heat again. Bring it to a boil, all the while stirring. After it has come to a boil, continue to stir and boil for one minute then turn the stove off.

Put your sliced potatoes into the greased baking dish.

Then pour the onion and mushroom sauce over the potatoes.

You may have to take a spatula and spread the mixture out a little bit, but once it is ready to go into the oven it looks like this.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Take the foil off, then bake for one hour more. Let it cool for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven.

The thing that makes this dish really over the top for me is the mushrooms. They add a complementary, yet contrasting flavor and texture that can't be beat and is reminiscent of when your mom or grandma made casseroles with a can of Campbell's Mushroom Soup.

If you don't like mushrooms, I'd suggest try adding wheat gluten or marinated tofu, or you could try something completely different like spinach or broccoli.

How do you like your scalloped potatoes? I'm always on the lookout for a good variation, so I'm open to new ideas!