For this live session, this recipe is from, I had my sous vide working for pork tenderloins, so I sliced my potatoes first, placed them in a vacuum seal bag, and cooked them in a water bath at 140° for two hours before assembling and baking. While I loved this method, it only makes sense if the sous vide is already running. For this recipe, the instructions will par-cook the potatoes with a more conventional method.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds gold potatoes

• 1 cup shredded cheddar

• 6 slices of bacon, diced

• 1 1/2 Tbsp ranch seasoning

• 1 cup cream -salt and pepper

• 10 buttery crackers

• Green onions for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Wash and peel your potatoes. Use a mandolin to slice the potatoes into 1/8" slices, immediately putting them in a bowl of cold water to prevent browning.

3. In a large stock pot, heat just enough water to cover the potatoes to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and the potatoes. Let the water come back to a slow boil, carefully stirring occasionally. Let these cook until almost done but still have some bite to them. Do not let these overcook! I would go under rather than over.

4. While the potatoes are cooking, dice the bacon and cook on medium low for a few minutes. Once the bacon has rendered some fat, raise the heat to medium to crisp up the bacon. Remove the bacon from heat with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels. Remove all but 1 Tbsp of the grease from the pan.

5. Crush the crackers in a bag. Add those to the bacon grease, and let the crumbs cook until just toasted and remove from heat.

6. Drain the potatoes and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Grease a cooking dish that fits the potatoes. Layer 1/3 of the potatoes, then sprinkle some ranch seasoning, then layer 1/3 of the cheese and bacon. Continue this two more times, then pour the cream around the edges in the dish. Tilt the pan to ensure the cream isn't all in one spot. Add the crumbs, then bake 15-20 minutes, optionally broiling the last minute for a crispy top.

7. Remove from the oven and garnish with green onions