Potatoes with creamy cheese sauce in a casserole

Today, I'm excited to share with you a recipe that not only is delicious, but is also perfect for those days when you're looking for comfort and flavor: potatoes with cheese sauce, spinach, and bacon in casserole. And I debut the wonderful Le Creuset Marble casserole! The truth is that joy always multiplies when cooking in casserole.

Hot potatoes with cheese sauce in casserole are the ultimate comfort dish. The combination of roasted potatoes with a creamy cheese sauce is absolutely irresistible. But the real surprise here is the crispy, flavorful bacon, which blends with the creaminess of the sauce and the freshness of the spinach.

The best part of this recipe is that it's incredibly easy to make. So, without further ado, let's dive into this delicious culinary adventure together!

Ingredients

• 10 medium potatoes
• 30 ml olive oil
• 5 ml salt
• 5 ml pepper
• 100 g butter
• 60 g flour
• 3 or 4 cups hot milk (about 800 ml)
• 150 g spinach, washed and chopped
• 150 g cheddar cheese
• 250 g bacon*

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Clean the potatoes and place them in the Le Creuset cast-iron casserole. Fill the casserole with water and boil them until tender. Drain them and put them back in the same casserole.

3. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast them for 20-30 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes.

4. Let's prepare the bacon. To do this, cut the bacon into large cubes (otherwise they'll end up too dry after sautéing and then baking), and place it in a saucepan or Shallow Casserole (I find the Poleón or a low casserole). Saute it over the heat for a few minutes, until lightly browned in its own fat (don't overdo it; it will finish cooking later in the oven). Remove it from the Shallow Casserole and set aside.

5. Let's make the sauce. Put the butter, cut into cubes, in the same saucepan or Shallow Casserole you used for the bacon, and melt it. Sprinkle in the flour while whisking vigorously and cook the mixture for 2 minutes, until smooth. Pour in the milk while whisking and let it heat up and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the spinach and half of the cheese. Stir until melted and combined, then set aside, placing plastic wrap in direct contact with the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming.

6. Return to the casserole with the potatoes. Make cross cuts in the potatoes and press them to open the top. Pour the sauce over them, then add the reserved bacon and the remaining cheese. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese melts and is golden. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

• You can turn the recipe into a vegetarian dish simply by omitting the cheese. Instead, if you like, you can add some garlic-sautéed mushrooms, they go very well with this dish.
• If you like the taste of garlic, you can add some when sautéing the bacon, or put some in the casserole along with the potatoes when you put them in the oven.