Deconstructed and Reconstructed Cheesy Taters

Yesterday, I made it to the Ribfestapalooza with a large pot (6 quarts) o' taters:

Fingerling taters (lots) I got a small basket of 'em at the Mpls Farmer's Market for $5
Leeks 4 for $1
Garlic 3 cloves
Butter 1 stick
Whipping Cream 1 qt
Knorr Herb & Garlic Sauce Mix
Thai Chili Peppers 2
Lemon Thyme
Dill
Parsley
Parmesan Cheese
Tabasco
Salt

Wot I did:

Boil a bunch of fingerling taters for around 14 minutes. (I used yellow and purple.)

-- Meanwhile --

Saute four sliced and washed leeks in 1 stick o' butter with the garlic & chili peppers until well cooked but not browned. Throw in the quart o' cream, the lemon thyme, and the Knorr mix. Add a boatload of chopped dill and chopped parsley at the end. Season with Tabasco and salt.

-- Some Assembly Required --

Rinse the lightly cooked taters under cold running water so they're easy to work with, and slice 'em all up, layering them in a large slow cooker with the sauce and Parmesan cheese. Throw in some water if it's too thick. Heat 'em all back up and serve.

It was a cool and damp day, and the steaming taters looked nice on the plates, and they tasted good too. Kind of like a Welsh Food of the Gods.

Yes, I realize this is just a gussied up scalloped potato recipe, and you could make the sauce and shove it in an oven for an hour or so. I used a lotta potatoes and didn't want to wait for them to cook in the slow cooker or in the oven. Boiling the potatoes doesn't take much more time than making the sauce, and slicing the cooked potatoes is pretty easy. (You also don't have to worry about 'em turning brown...) I used the Knorr instead of flour because it's easier and it's incredibly stable.