Weeknight Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes often means an extended bake time, however not with this technique! Every part begins on the stovetop so the potatoes are tender earlier than they even hit the oven. Meaning you get creamy, garlicky layers with a golden tacky high in about half-hour. It’s weeknight-friendly, however fancy sufficient for vacation dinners.

These are excellent to serve alongside a roasted turkey breast or spiral ham.

Why My Recipe

• Fast stovetop begin accelerates baking for a 30-minute aspect dish.
• Easy components with Parmesan, nutmeg, and garlic for taste.
• One-pan possibility retains prep and cleanup minimal.

I don’t learn about you, however as a lot as I really like scalloped potatoes, I hardly ever make them as a result of they take too lengthy. This technique is definitely tailored from a method developed by the good people over at Prepare dinner’s Illustrated, and let me let you know, it’s a game-changer. By simmering the potatoes first, you chop the baking time approach down whereas nonetheless getting every little thing you’re keen on about scalloped potatoes. Parmesan, garlic, and a tiny pinch of nutmeg make the entire dish shine. And if you need even fewer dishes, you’ll be able to preserve all of it in a small Dutch oven from begin to end.

Ingredient Notes

• Russet Potatoes: Their excessive starch content material helps thicken the sauce and retains the slices from falling aside. Slice them evenly, about 1/8-inch thick, for the perfect texture.
• Salted Butter: Utilizing salted butter simply means you gained’t want so as to add fairly as a lot salt later. In case you solely have unsalted, simply add an additional pinch of salt.
• Minced Garlic: Freshly minced has the perfect taste, however pre-minced from a jar works too. It simply has a barely extra bitter taste.
• Heavy Cream: You possibly can substitute with half-and-half, however the sauce can be barely thinner.
• Hen Broth: Vegetable broth works if you wish to preserve it vegetarian.
• Salt: Modify to style in case your broth is salted. Begin with much less and style as you go.
• Black Pepper: Freshly cracked pepper provides probably the most taste.
• Floor Nutmeg: Only a contact enhances the creaminess of the sauce with out overpowering it.
• Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated melts extra easily and offers higher taste than pre-shredded.

Potato Science

Potatoes aren’t all constructed the identical, and the kind you employ actually does change how your scalloped potatoes end up. The distinction comes all the way down to starch ranges.

Russet Potatoes (Excessive-Starch): That is the traditional alternative for a purpose. Russets have plenty of starch, which implies as they prepare dinner, they naturally thicken the cream into that silky sauce all of us love. In addition they have a drier texture, in order that they absorb taste and keep in good, tender layers as an alternative of sliding into mush.

Yukon Gold Potatoes (Medium-Starch): In case you like your potatoes a bit of creamier and buttery, Yukon Golds are a fantastic possibility. They don’t launch as a lot starch, so your sauce won’t be fairly as thick, however they provide you a wealthy, virtually custardy chunk.

Crimson Potatoes (Low-Starch/Waxy): Reds will completely maintain their form, however they don’t provide you with a lot assist with the sauce. In case you use them, count on a firmer texture and a thinner cream base. Completely nice if that’s your type, but it surely gained’t really feel fairly like traditional scalloped potatoes.

Potato Slicing Choices

Even slices are the key to scalloped potatoes that prepare dinner evenly and get that excellent tender chunk. A mandoline offers you constant 1/8-inch slices very quickly, however if you happen to don’t have one, a meals processor with a slicing blade or a sharp chef’s knife works too. Some cheese graters even have a slicing aspect that may work.

In case you’re slicing by hand, minimize the potato in half lengthwise first for a flat floor. It makes issues safer and simpler.

Pan Decisions

This recipe offers you two methods to bake: preserve every little thing in a single pot or switch to a baking dish.

If in case you have a smaller 2 to three quart oven-safe pot, you’ll be able to prepare dinner and bake every little thing in the identical dish. That’s the simplest route and it’s tremendous handy, however lots of people don’t have such a small oven-safe pot.

Most Dutch ovens are fairly massive, often round 6 quarts, and that’s approach an excessive amount of house for this recipe. The potatoes will simply unfold out and gained’t bake up the way in which you need. In that case, switch every little thing right into a 9×9 pan or a 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish to complete baking.

Tacky Variations

Parmesan retains this dish traditional, however you’ll be able to have enjoyable with the cheese right here.

Sharp cheddar provides a daring taste, Gruyère offers a nutty richness, and Fontina melts so properly into the cream. You possibly can even do a mixture of any of them. Simply preserve the entire quantity of cheese round 1/2 to 1 cup so the sauce doesn’t get too heavy.

Scaling the Recipe

Want greater than 4 servings? This recipe scales simply. For about 8 individuals, double the components and use a 9×13-inch baking dish. For a crowd of 12 to 16, triple the recipe and break up it between two 9×13 pans. Understand that bigger batches might take an additional 10 to fifteen minutes within the oven, so begin checking for doneness across the 30-minute mark.

Make-Forward Choice

You possibly can assemble the potatoes as much as 24 hours upfront. Comply with the recipe by simmering and transferring to your baking dish, then cowl tightly with foil and refrigerate.

Whenever you’re able to bake, let the dish sit out for 20–half-hour whereas your oven heats, then high with cheese and bake as directed. You could want so as to add 5–10 minutes because it’s beginning chilly.

Serving Options

Scalloped potatoes are a aspect dish that goes with nearly every little thing. They’re excellent with roasted chicken, a glazed ham steak, or a juicy beef ribeye. And truthfully? They’re so good you would possibly simply make them the star of the plate.