Think of this as a streamlined and guilt-free version of scalloped potatoes. It's a toss-and-dump dish, in which I toss sliced potatoes with a little melted butter, dump them in a dish, then cover them with milk—healthier than heavy cream—that I've thickened slightly with a bit of flour (the flour keeps the milk from separating). The cheese topping is optional; with or without it, in less than an hour you will be rewarded with lusciously creamy potatoes along with that all-important browned crust.
Editors' Note: Kemp Minifie reimagined the foil tray frozen dinner for Gourmet Live. Her updated menu includes: meatloaf made from grass-fed beef, scalloped potatoes, lemony green veggies, and your new favorite brownies for dessert.
•The term Yukon gold now loosely refers to any yellow-fleshed potato, no matter what its official name might be. Any yellow-fleshed potato will work well, as will other boiling potatoes, such as large red-skinned ones or the all-purpose type grown in Maine. Avoid baking varieties (a.k.a. russets or Idahos) for this gratin, because they become too starchy, to the point of being mushy.
•If you are making the scalloped potatoes along with the meatloaf, you can bake them side by side on the same rack in the oven. If your pans wont fit side by side, put the meatloaf in the upper third and the potatoes in the lower third. When it comes to broiling, though, broil each one separately, so that you have more control over how much each dish browns.
