To make the dish, chop up an onion (the amount you would like because I was taught by my mom to never measure), and place in a pan with about 2 T. of butter. Stir and cook over moderate heat until the onions turn clear. Wisk into the mixture, about 3 T. of flour until it is well mixed without any lumps. Add to this mixture about 3 ½ cups of milk. Simmer the mixture and prepare the potatoes.
While the sauce is simmering, peel about 4 large potatoes or more if they are small. Slice the potatoes very thinly! Butter the bottom of your baking dish and layer the bottom with the first layer of potatoes. Cover that layer with some of the sauce mixture. Continue the layering process leaving the top layer as sauce. Cut ½ cube of butter into bits and place around the top of the mixture.
Cover the baking sheet with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and golden (press a fork into the potatoes to check tenderness).
*You can grate cheese and add to the top if you like the last 5 minutes of baking.
When my mom wasn't baking she could be found cleaning, canning, doing embrodry, sewing, quilting, or painting. I never saw my mother sit still much except to read the daily paper or watch our nightly dose of "Perry Mason" on late night TV (during my sleep deprived teen years). She did get hooked on the show Dallas, but I doubt she would ever admit it!
This beautiful painting, I believe, is in the possession of her son Ellis or Ed as her prefers to be called. It is a rendition of Horseshoe Mountain, a favorite spot for all us North Sanpete folk.
