Best Ever Mushroom Scalloped Potatoes & Awards

Before I continue with the recipe I would like to thank Jan of What Do I Want to Cook Today and Sylvie of A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit for passing on this award to me. Even though Jan and Sylvie are blogging out of England and I from Canada we have very similar tastes and philosophies in cooking...forget the exact measurements and just go with it...within reason of course....and substitute!!It will nearly always turn out fine.

I would also like to thank my blog sister Ivy of Kopiaste for these two awards. Ivy is always a major influence in my own cooking style. I love to see what she comes up with day after day in cooking for her family in Athens. Her food is perfect for those special occasions or every day fare. Cooking delicious food takes time, patience and love. It says a lot for Ivy's love of cooking and love for her family.

Now on to the recipe....I have made this potato dish many times. Mushroom soup makes delicious scalloped potatoes in case you weren't already aware of this fact. They are quick to prepare which is a bonus. This time around however I deviated a great deal from my usual recipe which I have supplied here. I opted for using the leftover soup from my Barefoot Bloggers challenge Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup. The soup had plenty of cream and leeks so I simply just layered the soup with the Cheddar cheese and baked. It was delicious with the addition of the wine as well. Homemade mushroom soup adds a great deal to the flavour of these potatoes I must say!!!!

**BEST EVER MUSHROOM SCALLOPED POTATOES**

8 cups thinly sliced & peeled potatoes
1 large onion
1 T butter/garlic butter
8-12 large fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup milk (skim, 1%, 2%)
1 -1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste

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Combine soup, milk and spices in a bowl. Sauté thinly sliced onion rings in 1 tablespoon butter.
Lightly oil a casserole dish or glass lasagna pan with olive oil.
Arrange potatoes in a single layer in bottom of dish. Drizzle soup mixture over top.
Arrange onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle cheese over each layer.
Continue to layer in this manner until all ingredients are used up.
Bake at 375°F for approximately 1 hour or until potatoes reach desired texture.
For a crispy top layer, uncover during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time.