I am not 100 percent sure why, but I associate scalloped potatoes with springtime. Maybe it’s because they tended to be part of my family’s Easter meal growing up? Whatever the reason, they are one of the side dishes I crave most this time of year.
I remember enjoying scalloped potatoes from scratch as a kid – the tender potatoes covered in the creamy sauce were always a hit. Nowadays, I have to admit that I tend to grab a boxed version of scalloped potatoes when I want to make them. (I almost always keep boxes of them in my pantry!)
However, I have been experimenting with homemade scalloped potatoes in recent months and they really are a simple side dish if you take just a few extra minutes to do the prep work.
Scalloped potatoes are surprisingly easy to make from scratch, but I have found that getting the potatoes to become tender during the cooking process is easier said than done. This is why my recipe calls for boiling the potatoes while the cream sauce is being made. When the potatoes are already tender, crunchy potatoes are no longer an issue. It also allows for the cooking time in the oven to greatly decrease.
Scalloped potatoes are very versatile and easy to customize too. Just add more liquid (most likely more milk) to make the sauce thinner. Add bacon or ham or any other meat of your choice to give the potatoes another layer of flavor. Change up the spices to suit any type of meal. Finally, try more cheese or even a bread crumb topping for an au gratin option. Delicious!
Easy Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 medium russet potatoes
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ⅛ cup flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Peel and slice the potatoes into slices that are approximately ¼-inch thick.
- Add the potatoes to a medium saucepan and fill the pan with enough water to cover the potatoes.
- Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain once tender and set aside.
- Meanwhile, sautee the diced onions in the butter in a second medium saucepan.
- Once the onions are translucent, add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, and flour to the pan.
- Stir everything together well to make a roux. Allow the roux to cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently.
- Whisk in the milk, and stir until the sauce begins to thicken. If it is too thick, add more milk to achieve the desired consistency of a thick gravy. Remove from the heat once ready.
- Taste the sauce and add any additional salt, pepper, etc. to taste.
- Preheat the oven to 350° and spray and 2 qt. baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Spread about ½ cup of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish and layer about half of the potatoes on top of the sauce.
- Spread about ½ cup of sauce over the potatoes and layer the last of the potatoes on top.
- Spread the rest of the sauce on the potatoes and top with the shredded cheese.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.
