4 medium potatoes
3 cups cheddar cheese (grated)
1 medium onion
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1 tblspn butter
1 cup milk or cream
4 rashers smoked streaky bacon

Peel the potatoes and cut them into full round slices about 1/4-inch thick. Try to make them about equal in width (use a slicer or mandolin, if available). Put them in a saucepan of water and par boil. Two minutes only at full boil is plenty. Preheat oven to 200c.

Chop the onion into fine pieces. Fry or microwave the bacon (2 mins in 800w). In another saucepan melt the butter and cook the onions until they are soft. Grate the cheese, slice the bacon into bits, and when the onions are done, add all of these ingredients, except for a small bit of grated cheese,  plus the creme fraiche and milk to the pan. Continue cooking, but do not overboil or the mix will separate.

Layer the potato slices into the casserole. Pour the sauce over the potatoes layer by layer. Sprinkle a layer of cheese over the top. Reduce the oven heat to 180c. Place the casserole on a medium rack for 20-30 minutes, checking to prevent burning frequently.

At 20 minutes, increase heat to 200c for five minutes. At this point, the dish should have a nicely browned cheese topping and is ready to serve. Let it sit for five minutes and then scoop servings out of the casserole with a spatula.

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