DELMONICO POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter an 11 x 7 inch baking dish or other 8-cup baking dish.
• In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the unpeeled whole potatoes until just tender when pierced with a small knife, about 25 minutes.
• Drain, let cool, and peel.
• Cut the potatoes into small dice.
• Transfer to a large bowl and add ½ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
• Toss to coat.
• Add 1 cup of the cheese and ½ cup of the cream; mix well.
• In a small, heavy sauce, melt 1 T of the butter over med-low heat.
• Whisk in the flour, dry mustard, cloves, and cayenne and cook for 1 minute.
• Whisk in the milk and the remaining ½ cup cream.
• Increase heat to med-high and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat.
• Add ½ cup of the cheese, ¾ tsp kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper and whisk until the cheese melts.
• Pour the sauce over the potatoes and stir to blend.
• Transfer to the prepared dish.
• In a heavy frying pan, melt the remaining 2 T butter over medium heat.
• Add the shallot and summer savory and sauté until the shallot softens, about 3 minutes.
• Add the bread crumbs and stir until they are crisp and golden, about 7 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Stir in the remaining ½ cup cheese and ¼ tsp black pepper; set aside.
• Bake the potatoes, uncovered, until the sauce is bubbling thickly and the potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the potatoes.
• Continue to bake until the topping is crisp and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.