Pancetta Potatoes Au Gratin

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Sauce preparation: Approximately 5-8 minutes

In a small sauce pan melt 1/2 stick of butter with 2 cups heavy cream on medium heat. Add two cups ricotta cheese to the heavy cream and butter. Stir until completely melted. Be careful not to scald the milk. Add 1/4 teaspoon of herbs. Set aside.

Pancetta topping: Approximately 10 minutes

Dice the pancetta, 2 garlic cloves and 3 new onions into small/fine pieces.

In a skillet on medium heat with 1 teaspoon olive oil saute the meat, garlic & onions until the pancetta is crispy. Bacon is meat candy! Especially Italian bacon.

In a bowl mix the pancetta and 6 Tablespoons of bread crumbs. Set aside.

Potatoes: Approximately 10 minutes

Wash and peel your potatoes.

Slice the potatoes into thin circles. A mandolin works best. Salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble in Stages: Approximately 5-8 minutes.

In a 2 quart baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray, begin layering the potatoes evenly along the bottom. Make the first layer of potatoes approximately two rows deep. Then pour 1/3 of the creamy cheese sauce over the potatoes. Add another layer of potatoes approximately two rows deep on top of the first layer. Pour another 1/3 of the creamy cheese sauce over the potatoes.

Repeat the layering process until you have covered the potatoes with all of the sauce.

Sprinkle the pancetta bread crumb mixture across the top.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for approximately an hour and a half. Uncover for the last few minutes to get that perfect golden brown color.

*Note: You can sprinkle some extra breadcrumbs over the crumble if you need to fill in some gaps*

Ya-hum-mi! Dice some garlic chives into tiny pieces for a garnish. Include the flower if you have some fresh. The flower is edible as well as beautiful.

I hope ya’ll enjoy giving this a try.

Red