What's your favorite recipe for scalloped potatoes?

I like Julia Child’s recipe in “The Way to Cook.” If you don’t have that book, you should get it.

@wundayatta‘s right, but you can also get a good recipe from the Joy of Cooking or Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything”. I’d say skip the cheese and add diced onions. They’re healthier (you’ll have plenty of dairy already), and they flavor the dish without adding texture (because they melt). Be sure to leave the dish in a slow oven till the top gets crunchy. Or don’t. It’s pretty that way, though.

I haven“t found my favorite recipe yet. I’d prefer one with cheese that didn’t curdle the milk. And I’d like it nice and brown on top.

I make them in a 9×13 pan. Peel potatoes (you can leave some skin if you prefer) and then slice thin on a mandolin and set aside in cool water so they don’t brown. Then I layer them like a lasagna. Layer of potatoes, little salt and pepper, little flour, and a little fresh shredded parmasian cheese. Another layer of potatoes, and repeat the process. At the end when it is full I pour half and half over the whole thing and then bake for 45-an hour. The half and half should just cover everything barely. What I don’t remember it what temp? Must be at least 350 maybe 400. I haven’t made it in years. The original recip called for cream not half and half. I would go with 400 degrees if I was going to make it today, but that is guessing. Cook till it gets a little brown on top. Probably looking at some other recipes you can gauge that. They were delicious, and I don’t add parmesian to anything usually, I don’t usually like the taste, but in this the milk toned down the flavor.

The whole process can easily take almost 2 hours if you include cooking time.

I just tried this one recently and it came out really really good! I swear by Anne Willan recipes. The technique she uses of boiling the potatoes in milk works very well and it’s easy. You do need the mandoline though. It’s not a light dish and I suppose you could use ½ and half instead of heavy cream but that seems like a crime to me! Just figure it’s an occasional indulgence. I’d rather have this than ice cream for dessert!

@Earthgirl Your recipe reminded me I failed to include melted butter in my recipe. Drizzle a little over the flour. Kind of like making a roux I guess, but it does it on it’s own when it all bakes together.

I got this one from a farm wife. Layer the potatoes, ham and onions, then pour a can of condensed cream of celery soup mixed with some milk over the top. If you want to leave out the ham it’s fine. Salt and pepper to your taste.

@Adirondackwannabe That’s one of my favorite recipes that my mother made. Always with leftover ham. I love it! But it ain’t scalloped potatoes.

@Sunny2 Julia tells us to boil the potatoes in cream at a very low heat—it’s barely even simmering, and that’s how you don’t curdle the milk. It takes an hour or so her way. You finish it in the oven, putting shredded gruyere on top and heating it until it browns.

She uses a bit of minced garlic, but no onions. You can also add onions, but I prefer onion rings to diced onions. I like the texture of the rings and the way they play on your fork and also stick to your fork.

It’s funny how slicing onions in rings, wedges or dicing them makes such a difference to various dishes.

Scalloped potatoes also changes depending on what kind of potato you use. I enjoy fingerling and purple potatoes these days because they are more toothsome. Red potatoes might do well, also, But of course Yukon Gold and PEI or Kennebec potatoes would also be good.

Sigh. There I go again. Now I’m starting to think about purple sweet potatoes. Somebody stop me!

My mom occasionally makes scalloped potatoes and they’re super yummy. I’m not at home right now so I can’t ask her exactly what she puts in it, so I looked up some recipes that looked/sounded pretty easy and tasty.

I like this one, because it’s a little lighter than some of the others which are laden with heavy cream or half and half. This one uses buttermilk and also has the addition of leeks (which I love, and which pair so nicely with potatoes) and Gruyère cheese. Here is the Recipe

Here’s another one with a slightly different twist (and one of my new favorite products). It’s made with Greek yogurt, and sharp cheddar. Sounds so yummy! Recipe

This Recipe uses the more standard half and half, but I liked the addition of smoked paprika and both white cheddar and parmesan cheese.

Most recipes call for russet potatoes, but This Recipe uses Yukon Gold potatoes, with the addition to tangy goat cheese.

This Recipe has the addition of Indian spices. My mouth is watering right now.

And This Recipe has both russet potatoes and sweet potatoes.

If you like a little bit of heat (which I do) you might like these jalapeño and jack cheese scalloped potatoes made with heavy cream and chicken broth. Recipe

And last, but not least, This Recipe has bacon, maple and cream cheese. Sounds decadent.

Hopefully you will find something from this list that you like : )

@wundayatta Thank you. I never thought to ask Julia because I don’t think of scalloped potatoes as being French. Pomme de terre escallope?