Scalloped Potatoes

When it comes to crowd-pleasing holiday comfort foods, you can’t beat scalloped potatoes. Rich, creamy, and refreshingly unfussy, this versatile side dish is great for everything from Easter dinner to school potlucks. Read on for my top tips to guarantee yours are best they can be, every time you make them.

What People Are Saying:
"These are the perfect alternative to mashed potatoes! The texture is perfect and the creaminess is the best part." - Pcrams18

"I never thought anyone could come close to my mum's scalloped potatoes. I may have been wrong. These are amazing." – trinidemboy868

How To Make Scalloped Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

• Shallot: I think of the shallot as a more well-mannered onion. Here it adds allium depth without drawing undue attention to itself.
• Garlic: I use garlic to infuse the cream and milk with tons of flavor. If four cloves seems like a lot, fear not—the garlic gets strained out once its work is done.
• Heavy Cream: Folks, I'm here to tell heavy cream is not just for whipped cream. Here it produces a thick, creamy sauce that downright enrobes the potatoes with zero help from a roux or any other sort of thickener.
• Whole Milk: There's thick and then there's gloopy. To avoid the latter—and nail the perfect saucy consistency—I thin the cream with whole milk.
• Black Peppercorns: I infuse the cream mixture with plenty of sharp black pepper to cut through some of the dish's richness.
• Yukon Gold Potatoes: Yukon Golds are the picture of the perfect all-purpose potato in my book. Though high-starch russets are the more common choice, Yukon Golds have plenty of starch of their own and add a buttery flavor that I just can't resist.
• Parmesan: You won't find cheese in most scalloped potato recipes, but I think Parm merits a place for the way it turbocharges all the flavors in play.
• Chives: Finely chopped chives add a fresh note to the finished dish.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Get started by making the infused cream. Combine the shallot, garlic, cream, milk, and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Prep should be quick: Just quarter the shallot, smash the garlic, and toss them into the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove from the heat, cover, and set aside for 30 minutes or so (no need to be punctual) to the cream time to absorb the flavors of the alliums and peppercorns.

While the cream is infusing, put the time to good use by preheating your oven (350°, please), greasing a large (13" x 9") baking dish with butter, and slicing the potatoes. The potatoes will take a minute, since you'll want to cut them into even, 1/8"-thick slices. A mandoline makes this easy, as does the slicing blade on a food processor, but a sharp chef's knife and a little patience will more than get the job done.

Strain cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then pour it back into the saucepan. Stir in the salt, then add the sliced potatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook just until the potatoes are barely tender, 3 to 4 minutes. This par-cooking step is the secret to the creamiest scalloped potatoes—it allows the potatoes to meld with the cream in the sauce while simultaneously cooking off a little of the excess moisture from the potatoes, resulting in a dish with a silky-smooth texture.

Now let's layer these potatoes in the baking dish. Add half of the potatoes and cream to the prepared dish and spread into an even layer. Scatter half of the cheese over. Add the remaining potatoes and cream and top with remaining cheese.

Bake the scalloped potatoes until golden brown on top, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly before topping with chives and serving.

The full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• What is the difference between scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin? Unlike potatoes au gratin, which typically contain cheese, traditional scalloped potatoes are very simple: just thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a mixture of milk and heavy cream that’s infused with aromatics such as shallots, garlic, and herbs. Some modern recipes include meat and cheese and may even thicken the creamy sauce with a roux, but for this classic version, I’ve gone back to basics. My only concession? A bit of finely grated Parmesan—I love the savory umami undertones it adds to the sauce!
• How to make the best scalloped potatoes. Looking for even more tips on how to make the best scalloped potatoes of your life? Checkout Food Editor Taylor Ann Spencer's step-by-step guide on how to perfect this side dish.

Scalloped Potato Variations

• Potatoes Au Gratin: Craving a cheesier take on scalloped potatoes? Potatoes au gratin is your answer. Featuring thinly sliced potatoes baked in a creamy garlic sauce under a cheese topping, it’s the perfect easy but impressive side dish to wow at the holidays.
• Dauphinoise Potatoes: Here's yet another classic French potato casserole to add to your quiver. Love Gruyère cheese? This might be the side dish for you!
• Mashed Potato Casserole: If you don't have the patience for slicing potatoes, don't worry—this mashed potato casserole is here for you. The crispy panko-Parmesan topping is worth the price of admission alone.

Storage

If you want to make these scalloped potatoes in advance, you can cook them all the way through, let them cool, and then cover and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat, covered, in a 350° oven, just until warmed through. This goes for leftovers too!