Kale and Potato Augratin

It's been over a week since I posted last. How did that happen? It's Christmas time!

And my new  Christmas Cactus is going crazy! For some reason, Honey has no interest in it. Thank god.

Today was most definitely the first day of a what I hope is a short round of the good ol' seasonal cold....

... but I was determined to make a decent supper and use up some things in the fridge that were on their way out. I found this recipe to use up some kale:

Kale and Potato Augratin

* 1 large bunch of kale (about 1 pound) washed, and torn
* 1 small onion
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 tablespoon butter (a little bit of margarine did the trick)
* 3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
* 2 tablespoons butter (sliced into pats) (again, just a bit of margarine)
* 1 tsp. garlic powder
* 1 tsp. salt
* ½ tsp. pepper
* 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Colby-jack or cheddar) (or a wee bit of marble)
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 2 tablespoons of butter (none of this)
* 3/4 cup milk (I used skim)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a 2-quart baking dish.

Remove kale leaves from stalks, tearing into pieces and wash. Set aside to drain.

In skillet, heat olive oil and butter. Sautee onions until almost done. Add kale to pan and cover, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted. Remove from pan and let cool.

Sautee onions and kale until just wilted.

In same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium low heat. Sift in flour, stirring constantly until smooth. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Once milk starts to thicken, add salt, garlic powder and pepper, stirring constantly. Add shredded cheese and stir until cheese has melted. Set aside.

Start with potatoes as the bottom layer.

Layer potatoes and kale mixture in baking dish, making sure you start and end with the potatoes.

Place pats of butter on each kale layer.

Once layers are complete. Pour sauce mixture over entire dish.

Cover and bake at least 45 minutes or until potatoes are done.

JASON'S REVIEW: He said the potatoes were undercooked. The oven is really driving me crazy lately. The recipe suggest 45 minutes at 350 and I had them in there at 400 for well over an hour.  Sadly, it is for this reason that I will not be making any Christmas baking this year. I can't afford to waste expensive ingredients with that unpredictable oven!

MY REVIEW: The potatoes had a nice flavor! Just undercooked I guess. Boo. Atleast we didn't eat out though. And I don't have to feel guilty about the kale in the fridge. I can only imagine how this would taste if I used all the real butter it suggested.

Also - while looking for a recipe, I came across this 365 days of kale blog. It's been bookmarked! Our kale grew so well in the garden this year but I did not know what to do with it. This should help.