Deluxe Scalloped King Oyster Mushrooms and Potatoes

You don't have to be a vegetarian to celebrate this spectacular mushroom and potato dish sans the ham. If you have big King Oysters (often only available by growing your own), you can slice up the stem all the way to the very top and cut out all kinds of shapes from the coined slices. Definitely easier than fiddling and rolling sugar cookie dough. Scraps can be chopped and used in any dish. This particular presentation is meant as a special Valentine's Day (or ANY day) treat, but can be more easily made by just slicing the Kings into rounds or even lengthwise to capture the impressive trumpet shape of this mushroom.

Ingredients:
3 T butter melted/olive oil for roasting King Oysters and brushing pan
1 c heavy or light cream
1 clove mashed minced garlic
1 t fresh thyme or ¼ t dried
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb scrubbed and sliced potatoes (Yukon Golds work well)
¼ c grated asiago or parmesan cheese
¾ c grated cheese, (Gruyere, Mozzarella, Fontina)
1 to 1 ½ lb King Oysters (you'll need a larger amount if you are cutting shapes)

Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 450F. Lightly oil an 8" x 8" cake pan.

Slice the King Oysters about ¼ inch thick and lay slices out on a cookie sheet as you would do with a sugar cookie. Brush the butter/oil on the top of the mushrooms with a pastry brush and sprinkle with salt. Bake about 10-15 minutes; once you smell the mushrooms you know they are about ready! Remove the mushrooms from the oven once they start to brown a little and set aside.

Prepare the cream: Heat up cream with the garlic and thyme, season with ¼ t salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Butter a piece of parchment and lay it on the bottom of the cake pan. Place the mushrooms in a single layer on the bottom, then layer the potatoes on top. Sprinkle evenly with salt and half of the hard cheese. Drizzle the hot cream mix over the potatoes.

Cover the pan and bake until the potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes). Remove the foil and sprinkle the softer cheese, and finally the remaining hard cheese on top and slide pan back into oven. Bake another 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Cool slightly, then flip the pan onto a serving plate and cut into wedges. Enjoy!

Note: this can be served hot but is also excellent at room temperature. Quick & Easy Option: Layer mushroom rounds with the potatoes instead of making a decorative cutout "crust", and skip the flip.