The word 'barbeque' comes from 'barbacoa' of Caribbean/South American derivation and refers to the "sacred fire pit". The idea of barbequing or grilling is not unique to the western hemisphere, however. Cooking meat over an open fire is pretty much a global practice (at last in warmer climes) and popular for eons. In the US, 'barbeque' has come to mean something quite specific, more of a style of cooking rather than a device, involving low heat and slow roasting and usually in a closed oven and with diffused heat rather than over open flame. It some locations, it even refers to a specific type of meat.

My favorite au gratin recipe is linked below. You'll see some reviews stating that it's soupy, but you have to whisk the roux and milk until thickened before pouring over the potatoes. It's decadent, so I only make it for special occasions ;) The sauce is wonderful over vegetables, too. I've been reading Chowhound in concert with this board and someone over there asked about a Tian. Would work for vegan, without the cheese, and vegetarian alike. Tian Here is a link that might be useful: Au Gratin Potatoes on food.com

I have made the Allrecipes version. It uses bread crumbs and grated Romano cheese as well as butter and salt and pepper. I don't really notice much flavor from the bread crumbs or the cheese, and I think I would skip the bread crumbs. A little garlic or onion salt might be a good addition. I would also fan open the slices a little so that the flavorings can drip between the slices of potatoes. I use a saucer to help prevent slicing the potatoes all the way through the bottom. They are easy and a nice recipe.

I made them for supper.They were good but I think my potatoes are weird! I had to cook them for 50 mins and they still weren't done.We ate them anyway because the steaks were done. I got a bag of potatoes once before that had to be cooked forever to get done.Wonder why that happens sometimes? Next time I'm going to get the little red potatoes,bet they'll be wonderful cooked like this!