Sage and Bacon Infused Scalloped Potatoes

Ok....I know it's been forever since I posted. I'm sorry!! I have had a lot going on in my life and will continue to have a lot going on until my oldest son......*sniff sniff* graduates from high school. I am having a really really hard time with this......idk why but its very gut wrenching and heart breaking to me!! The thought that my son....my baby....is graduating and could potentially move out of my house....is just a little over whelming. So I've been in a funk lately and then planning a HUGE party for him and he got a job so I've been driving him to yet another place. Let's just say.......I've been busy!! ;)

Now you may notice that I'm posting a scallop potato recipe and my last recipe was a scallop potato recipe............BUT in my defense.....I was laying in bed one night thinking......I wonder what scallop potatoes would taste like with sage and bacon in the sauce?? Then I couldn't get that thought out of my mind until I tried it!! It was AMAZING the sage and bacon transformed the sauce/roux into something even more creamy and rich and extravagant....I can't even describe it enough to you, you will have to try it on your own to see what I'm talking about!!

So you basically follow the exact same recipe as before only this time right after pouring the milk in you add 1 T of fresh minced sage leaves and 4 slices of chopped cooked bacon. You want to add it before the sauce thickens so it has time to infuse all its wonderful flavor into the creamy sauce!! Here is the recipe from the previous post to make it easy on you!!

5 potatoes, sliced into thin slices
3 T flour
3 T fat (butter, oil, shortening, bacon fat...that's what I used)
2 cups milk
3 cups of cheese, any kind ie: cheddar, jack, pepper jack, swiss, mozzarella etc
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp season salt
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Grease a 1 qt baking dish with butter and preheat oven to 425 degrees. It's not necessary, but I stuck my potatoes in the microwave for 7 minutes before putting the casserole together. Next, in a small saucepan, place the fat and flour and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes stirring with a whisk. Whisk in milk and continue whisking for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Add 2 cups of cheese, nutmeg, season salt, and dijon mustard. Mix well until all cheese is melted. Begin layering your casserole with potatoes in a single layer. Top with 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the remaining cheese. Continue two more times then top with the panko bread crumbs. Bake for 20-25 if you pre microwaved the potatoes and 50-60 minutes if the potatoes were raw.