Scalloped Potatoes
Make the most creamy, decadent Scalloped Potatoes using this tested and perfected family recipe! Whether you're preparing the potatoes for a holiday meal, like Easter or Thanksgiving, or as a side dish for a family dinner, this step-by-step guide will teach you how to make the potatoes perfect every time!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup flour, or 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 2 cups half and half, or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt, + more to season the potatoes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced with a mandoline
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the diced onions and minced garlic and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the flour to the skillet, stir to combine everything, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet and whisk to combine everything.
- Reduce the heat on the stove to medium-low and slowly stir in the half and half.
- Continue to cook, while stirring, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil.
- Stir in the salt, thyme and black pepper. Remove the creamy sauce from the heat and set it aside.
- Slice all of the potatoes into ⅛ inch slices, using a sharp knife or mandoline. I used this mandoline on setting 3 to slice the potatoes, while wearing these cut-resistant gloves.
- Grease a 9” x 13” casserole dish with butter or cooking spray.
- Place ⅓ of the potatoes in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish, sprinkle about ½ teaspoon salt evenly over the potatoes, then pour ⅓ of the sauce over the potatoes.
- Repeat two more layers of potatoes, salt and cream sauce.
- Cover the casserole dish with a large piece of aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Uncover the baking dish and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes.
- Turn the oven from bake to broil and continue cooking 2-3 minutes, or until the top of the potatoes are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let the potatoes rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Let the half and half sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before using it in this recipe. Really cold milk, or half-and-half, will take longer to thicken in the sauce. Simply set the half and half on the counter before starting this recipe. By the time you’re ready to use the half and half in the creamy sauce, it will be good to go!
- The difference between potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes is the addition of cheese. To make au gratin potatoes, follow this recipe, but add 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, gruyere or parmesan cheese. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese on top of each layer of the creamy sauce.
- To enhance the flavors of the creamy sauce, add 1-3 dashes of Tabasco or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper with the salt, thyme and black pepper. This is an old chef’s trick used to enhance the flavors of a creamy sauce. The richness of the sauce will be enhanced by adding just a few dashes of hot sauce to the creamy sauce. Don’t worry, it won’t make this dish spicy, it’s just there as a flavor enhancer!
- To make this recipe gluten free, replace the 1/4 cup of flour in the creamy sauce with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- This recipe will serve 8-10 people as a side dish at a holiday meal with 1-2 other side dishes. If serving this as the only side dish with a meal, it will serve 6-8 people.
- You can make the recipe ahead of time and store it in the fridge, covered, for up to 24 hours before baking and serving the scalloped potatoes.
- Store leftover scalloped potatoes in the refrigerator for up to 6 days in an airtight container. To reheat the leftovers in the oven, place the potatoes in an oven-safe dish and cover with aluminum foil. Reheat at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. To reheat them in the microwave, place one serving of potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and reheat for 2 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 287kcal (14%)Carbohydrates 38g (13%)Protein 6g (12%)Fat 13g (20%)Saturated Fat 8g (40%)Polyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 37mg (12%)Sodium 493mg (21%)Potassium 843mg (24%)Fiber 4g (16%)Sugar 5g (6%)Vitamin A 408mg (8%)Vitamin C 36mg (44%)Calcium 96mg (10%)Iron 2mg (11%)
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