Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes are a classic dish with layers of potatoes and rich creamy cheese sauce on repeat! The ingredients are simple in these Scalloped Potatoes recipe but they are the perfect from scratch side dish to Easter, Christmas, or Thanksgiving!

SCALLOPED POTATOES

Being the owner of this food blog since 2008, I’ve found that around Thanksgiving and Christmas I’m on call for everyone – friends, bloggers, family, neighbors for recipe questions that might arise.

Not even necessarily about recipes on my blog, just cooking in general. I absolutely don’t mind at all. I love to help when I can. But my phone is literally blowing up with texts and emails.

That’s not even counting all of the comments on my blog. I respond to every single question in the comments on my blog and sometimes that can be up to 100 a day. Phew.

I have other blogger friends that tell me that they always tackle comments in the morning when they’re fresh and ready for the day. Not me.

We all know by now that mornings don’t like me and vice versa. My husband and I don’t talk until at least 10AM to keep things tranquil. He’s not a morning person either. We’re quite the combo.

So you could imagine what kind of response I would write to the person asking me if they can replace the cup of sugar in the cookies with a cup of salt if I responded in the morning.

No bueno. I decided a long time ago that nighttime is the best time. I’m a lot nicer.

These Scalloped Potatoes with cheese, ask me whatever you want about them. They’re fabulous by the way. And that’s coming from someone who loves her mashed potatoes.

The most important thing in scalloped potatoes is to make sure you slice them thin. No one wants to bite into a thick potato. Do they? I sure don’t.

SCALLOPED POTATOES INGREDIENTS

The ingredients in scalloped potatoes are very simple and traditional.

• Potatoes – Yukon or Russet potatoes are best for this dish.
• Butter, flour, and milk – For your roux, these ingredients make the base of a creamy sauce.
• Salt and Pepper – are essential to flavor this dish.
• Cheddar cheese – I like a sharp cheddar cheese because it gives the dish a lot of flavor. You could definitely use any cheese you like.
• Paprika – mostly use for color but adds a little flavor.

WHAT ARE THE BEST POTATOES FOR SCALLOPED POTATOES?

I prefer Yukon gold or Russet potatoes for this dish. Yukon potatoes tend to hold their shape better and don’t need to be peeled but Russets work well too.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCALLOPED POTATOES AND POTATOES AU GRATIN?

Scalloped potatoes are traditionally in a creamy sauce whereas potatoes au gratin have a crunchy breadcrumb topping.

Do you see how thin I sliced these?

Here’s the secret sauce. Well, actually it’s called a roux with some milk and cheese whisked in.

Two layers of potatoes and sauce so no potato is left behind.

Then you bake it until you think the cheese is burning. It’s not. It’s just toasting until perfect.

Enjoy! If you’re doubling this cook it in a 9×13 pan!

HOW TO MAKE SCALLOPED POTATOES:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and stir in flour.

3. whisk in the milk and season with salt and cayenne.

4. Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.

5. Reduce heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.

6. Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased 1.5 quart casserole dish (8×8 or 9×9 will work)

7. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.

8. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.

9. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top.

10. Top with some paprika for color.

11. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F.

WHAT CAN I MAKE WITH SCALLOPED POTATOES?

Scalloped potatoes are great with ham or turkey, served with a green salad or side such as asparagus or broccoli.

CAN I MAKE THESE AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes. You can prepare these up to two days ahead of time and then bake the day of.

If you want to partially bake these a day ahead of time to save time the day of you can. Just bake for 30 minutes, let cool, cover, and refrigerate. On the day of serving, remove from fridge and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking. Bake for 30-40 minutes uncovered until heated through.

OTHER POTATO RECIPES: