Italian Au Gratin Potatoes

Nothing like a lot of rain and wind, some good music and a Sunday afternoon with no Wild hockey game to send me into the kitchen to make some comfort food.  I had cleaned my refrigerator and found 3 packages of Fontina cheese so I needed to make something with at least one package.  I also had some Prosciutto in the freezer so I took that out and used it to make this dish.

Italian Au Gratin Potatoes

7 medium sized potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 oz prosciutto cubed, cooked and drained
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp Italian seasonings
8 oz Fontina cheese, grated
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated


In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.  Stir in the flour and allow to cook for a couple minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.  Gradually stir in milk, allowing to thicken and then stir some more in.  Add in spices and then the cheese and allow to melt completely.  In a greased casserole dish, layer the potatoes, onions and prosciutto in 3 layers.  Pour cheese mixture over potatoes.  Place in the over for an hour (depending on the thickness of the potatoes at 350°.  Remove from the oven, top with an additional 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan and bake for another 10 minutes.