It’s always around the holidays that I’m reminded of how much food is tied to memories. Just a smell or a taste can evoke such powerful memories and feelings from the past. A taste of the dough from my mom’s Sugar Cookie Recipe and I’m eight years old again at Christmastime. The taste of a fried onion and I’m a teenager snagging one from the can as my mom put together her Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving. Now I have teenagers of my own snagging bits of fried onions as I put together holiday dishes. These are the best scalloped potatoes and they are the perfect recipe for creating more food memories. Made with easy-to-find ingredients this is a rich side dish with a bold cream sauce and topped with those great fried onions. This is a classic dish that you can pass down from generation to generation.
Parboiling Potatoes
You will notice that a key step in this recipe is to simmer the potatoes in heavy cream and chicken stock before baking. This is parboiling. It starts the cooking process so that the whole dish can come together quicker in the oven.
Tips and Tricks
Using a food processor or a mandoline can help ensure that your potatoes are sliced thin. You want to make sure that they are nice and thin and uniform. It is also totally possible to do this using a knife. There is no need to make a roux. This recipe doesn’t need any flour to thicken it up. The combination of the butter and the starch from the potatoes makes it nice and thick, saving you the trouble of making the roux. Change up the cheese. I love this with cheddar, as I think it naturally pairs so well with potatoes. That being said, gruyere would be amazing in this or even a smoked provolone. Add in some ham. This is a great recipe to make after the holidays if you have leftover ham. The ham goes so well with all of the other ingredients to make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham.
Leftovers
Leftovers of this great scalloped potatoes recipe should be stored in the refrigerator for four to five days. When you want to eat leftovers, only take out the portion you would like to eat, as leftovers shouldn’t be reheated more than once. Warm them in the oven or microwave on low heat. It is important to note, however, that if you are simmering the potatoes in an oven-safe Dutch oven, you could just keep the potatoes in that. Top the potatoes with cheese right in that pot, and pop the whole thing in the oven. It won’t be the same presentation, but it will save you from washing one more dish. The pot I use in the video is linked below. Please note that with a smaller surface area you will need to increase the baking time by about five minutes before you add the onions. While it can be so tempting to buy a bag of cheddar cheese to save time on shredding, pre-shredded cheese that you find in the grocery store is covered in preservatives that keep it from clumping together in the bag. But those same preservatives also keep it from melting well in recipes. I urge you to take an extra few minutes and grate your cheese from the block.
Russet potatoes are more starchy than the average potato. This helps create a really thick and creamy sauce in this recipe without making a roux. They are low in moisture which helps them bake really well and also allows them to absorb sauces and gravy. This makes them ideal in this recipe. Russet potatoes have a mild flavor, which means that in this recipe they can take on all the other great flavors we are adding to the dish really well.
Recipe lightly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
Freezing
If you plan on freezing this great side dish, I suggest transferring it to a disposable baking dish. This way you can bake it right from frozen. Do not top it with cheese. Wrap it several times with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to three months. When ready to bake, remove it from the freezer, remove the plastic wrap, and put it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, covered with foil. Then remove it from the oven, top it with cheese, and return it to the oven, following the recipe as written.
Prime Rib: This is our favorite holiday dinner. While the meat can be expensive, we like to ask our butcher when it will go on sale and grab one or two for Christmas. This recipe is perfect! Bone In Pork Loin Roast: This looks like an absolute showstopper when it is finished, but it couldn’t be easier to make. It has only 10 minutes of prep time. Crockpot Turkey Breast: If you are having a smaller holiday this year, make this! It is as simple as can be, and the slow cooker yields the most moist turkey ever. Easy Lamb Chops: If this makes you nervous, fall back on my simple recipe. It really couldn’t be easier and it results in these perfect little lamb chops.
If you make this recipe for scallop potatoes with cheese and onions or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! This is especially true if you made this for a holiday meal, I love hearing how my recipes become part of your celebrations!
