Our family has grown over the past few years. Blessed with three amazing children, we now have three bonus kids (and a grandpooch!) who have brought us much joy. Always a foodie family, we started a new Christmas tradition in 2015 where we broke into teams and started cooking competitively. This year, we rented a home in Saugatuck, MI, for three nights to get away from it all and focus on food and each other. This year, each couple had an evening to impress our group with their culinary creativity. Son-in-law Nathan had an idea to add an activity to our nightly gatherings and we believe this component will be a keeper. Read on for the results and be inspired with the creative twists each couple brought to the table.

Eastown Hunts – Thom & Erica (2020 Cook Off Winners!)

The Eastown Hunts opened with an Apple cider Prosecco salted caramel Stoli cocktail garnished with cinnamon sticks and apple slices. The apple vibes easily went hand in hand with their appetizer, potato and onion latkes, topped with sour cream and smoked salmon (with one topped with marinated shaved carrots). The Eastown Hunts masterfully followed this up with Bavarian style Pretzel Rolls, thoroughly stuffed with a smokey Hungarian Chicken Paprikash, with roasted brussels sprouts and bacon topped with pepitas and shaved parmesan on the side. The Eastown Hunts really brought it home with chocolate peanut butter hand-pies garnished with mini buckeyes and mini pretzel twists. The backdrop to the meal was punctuated with triumphant anthems of the soviet red army and the family all joined in for several rounds of Secret Hitler following the meal.

Cutie Booties – Libby & Nathan (2020 Cook Off Runner Up)

This year, the Cutie Booties kicked off the Hunt Family cook-off with a trip down to New Orleans. The night started off with some NOLA Gin Fizzes, consisting of a mixture of gin, citrus juices, cream, egg white, bubbly water, and a dried orange for garnish. Nathan demonstrated his impeccable shucking skills, and the team presented not only one, but two delicious variations of oysters: garlic butter and three cheese. Taping into the history of New Orleans, the Cutie Booties presented a second round of appetizers with shrimp and pork belly po-boys with homemade remoulade and creole mayo. The Cutie Booties didn’t stop with appetizers; they went on to present an incredible main course! Their chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, accompanied by fluffy rice and French bread, filled the family with the perfect balance of spice and warmth. For dessert, the Cutie Booties took their own Christmas twist on a classic New Orleans treat. The warm cranberry bread pudding with a bourbon caramel drizzle tasted as if it were created by angels. Because the Cutie Booties can’t stop won’t stop, they also treated the family to sweet classic New Orleans pralines. The night ended with a round of wine, whiskey, and candy tasting to prove that the Matriarchs of the family, Leigh and Erica Hunt, truly have the most sophisticated taste buds.

Nashville Hunts – John & Abby (2020 Cook Off Runner Up)

This year’s Best meal award goes to the Nashville Hunt’s. A festive “Jingle in the Jungle Juice” (pomegranate vodka punch) kicked off the evening. This was followed by a tangy and delicious feta cheese spread, served with toasted pita, carrots, and celery. The main course consisted of a freshly ground 1/2 lb jalapeño popper burger, garnished with romaine lettuce and a raspberry chipotle reduction. Dessert was a homemade cookie, served with homemade hot fudge and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A fun and very animated game of spoons (actually candy canes to fit with the season), followed the dinner.

I was originally asked to make Au Gratin/Scalloped Potatoes to serve with ham at a mid-December holiday party for about 30 people. I didn’t really have a tried and true recipe to call on so I went to “the google” and found an almost overwhelming number of options. I zeroed in on one (adding a few tweaks) that sounded the most tasty on Gimme Some Oven. The outcome was a combination of melt-in-your-mouth potato cheesiness and a slightly crunchy browned topping that everyone loved.

So, let’s get cooking!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons butter
1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 cups milk (I recommend 2% or whole milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
4 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
2 cups freshly-grated sharp cheddar cheese*, divided (feel free to add more cheese if you’d like)
1 cup freshly-grated gruyere cheese, divided
1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the flour until it is evenly combined and cook for 1 more minute. Gradually pour in the stock, and whisk until combined. Add in the milk, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sauce just barely begins to simmer around the edges of the pan (avoid letting it come to a boil) and thickens. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce. (I strained out all of the onions and added them here too.) Then sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, half of gruyere and half of the parmesan cheese. Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the other half of the cream sauce, and the remaining cheeses.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. The sauce should be nice and bubbly around the edges. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack, and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of thyme and extra Parmesan. Serve warm.