Creamy Garlic Scalloped Potatoes

Cold temperatures, looking for an excuse to crank up my oven and thus pump more heat into my kitchen. The ultimate comfort food (at least today?) Scalloped Potatoes.

These potatoes have a wonderfully creamy sauce infused with garlic flavor, don't be alarmed by the amount I've included, it mellows nicely during baking.

Garlic Scalloped Potatoes

8 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (the only kind to use here!)

1 large, sweet onion (Walla Walla Sweets please - I live in Washington, what can I say...)

2 cups non-dairy milk (I love using the Unsweetened flavor of So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage here, when I have it - nice and creamy but not "coconut-y". Try it!!)

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup vegan Tofutti "sour cream"

2 Tbsp. vegan margarine

1/3 cup flour

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp black pepper

3 tsp each onion powder & garlic powder
4 - 8 cloves fresh garlic, run thru garlic press or food processor

optional - seasoned bread crumbs for the topping

Preheat oven to 400°.
If you're using a thick-skinned baking potato, you may want to peel them. I use "Yukon Gold" which have very thin, tender skins, so I just scrub them really well and leave the skins on.

Mix flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a small bowl.

Put milk and broth in a small pan and heat (stirring occasionally) to boiling.

Slice the potatoes and onion as thin as you can - I use a mandolin slicer.

Heavily grease a 9 X 12 baking dish. Place a a thin, even layer of potatoes and onions into a 9"x13" baking pan (about a third of the potatoes/onions). Sprinkle with about 1/3 of the flour mixture.

After milk/broth has heated to boiling, add the vegan "sour cream", margarine, garlic and onion powders. Add pressed (or food-processed) garlic cloves. Whisk until the sour cream has melted into the hot milk.

Pour about a third of mixture over layer of potatoes.

Add another layer of potato slices, and repeat the flour, spices sprinkling and more hot 'milk' sauce. Do this until all potato slices are used up and top with final layer of sauce.

Cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when you poke them with a knife. Add the topping (seasoned bread crumbs) if you want, and place under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes or until it's browned. Serve hot. Often I don't add bread crumbs and it's just fine too, depends on my mood...

Makes enough for 4 - 6 people.

(Well, that's the theory, though I always have to make double for the 4 of us!!)