Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

I needed to make these for a family function and asked Emily to find me a recipe, so she did. There was not a single bad comment on recipe (and there were 98+ comments). I enjoyed them very much as did Joe's family. They just needed a little more salt/pepper/seasoning. So I adjusted the recipe accordingly.

Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes, sliced (I used 6 medium sized ones)
1 onion, sliced (I didn't use a large one)
salt and pepper to taste (I used garlic salt and pepper and a little cayenne)
3 tablespoons butter
3 +tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
2. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with generous amounts of garlic salt, pepper and cayenne (not so generous on the cayenne or your spouse might not eat it!) Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. *NOTE* I thought I used a lot of seasoning, but apparently I didn't because I seasoned them more once they were done cooking.
   
3. In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. (This is REALLY liquid. I thought it was weird, but it did thicken a little, especially once I added the cheese.) Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese mixture over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
4. Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

The thinner you slice the potatoes, the less time you have to bake them. I sliced them pretty thin and it only baked for an hour. This was really yummy-especially since I had never made anything like it before! You can go here for the recipe reviews and any other variations they might have suggested.