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I don’t often brag about my cooking, but I have to say that this is the best Scalloped Potato Recipe you will ever find. I’ve tried the Scalloped Potatoes at 5-star restaurants such as Matro’s and they still are not as good as what I can make at home. While I am usually highly critical of my own cooking, this is one dish I can confidently say I’ve nailed. So far I have not had anything that can come close to my recipe.
Updated December 2023: I’ve updated this recipe to add new step-by-step photos.
These are hands-down the best scalloped potatoes you'll ever have. They even beat many of the 5-star restaurants I've tried like Mastro's. They are the perfect side dish for any evening or holiday feast and this recipe uses no heavy whipping cream. This actually makes them taste even better!
4.83 from 269 votes
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Use a Vegetable Slicer
I think the first trick of my scalloped potatoes recipe is using a vegetable slicer so that each potato is thin and the exact same thickness. These slicers are so cheap and convenient that everyone should have one stashed away. They also save so much prep time. Many even have a grid feature for quick and easy chopping and dicing.
Potato Thickness
You don’t want to make your potato slices too thick or you run the risk of them not cooking all the way. Above is a photo of how thick I cut my potatoes.
Flour Roux
Once you have perfectly sliced potatoes, the next step is making an amazing parmesan cheese sauce. For my sauce, I saute onions and garlic in butter. Then I create a roux with flour which acts as a thickener for the sauce. This recipe uses a combination of chicken broth and 2% milk instead of heavy cream. Not only does this cut calories, but it affects the flavor as well so the dish does not feel as heavy.
Parmesan Cheese Sauce
Once you’ve created your roux, you’ll slowly add the milk and chicken broth, constantly whisking so the roux blends in well with the liquid. Then you’ll add salt, pepper, thyme, and whisk in your parmesan cheese.
Layering the Scalloped Potatoes
You’ll then butter a baking dish, add one layer of your sliced potatoes, ladle 1/3 of the sauce mixture over the potatoes, and top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I do this 3 times. The benefit of using a smaller square pyrex baking dish is you can use less cheese. If you choose a longer baking dish, you may need to sprinkle a little extra cheese at the top (only do this to the top layer) to get it fully covered.
Best Cheeses for Scalloped Potatoes
You can also experiment with using different cheeses for your scalloped potatoes recipe. You will want to use cheeses that are more sharp and pungent. For your sauce, you want to choose cheeses that will melt nicely such as those listed below.
- Swiss
- Gruyere
- Gouda
- sharp white cheddar (for topping)
Baking
Finally, you’ll cover the scalloped potatoes with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes. To get the nice browned cheese and crispy edges, I like to broil my scalloped potatoes at the very end for an additional 2-4 minutes.
The Best Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
These are hands-down the best scalloped potatoes you'll ever have. They even beat many of the 5-star restaurants I've tried like Mastro's. They are the perfect side dish for any evening or holiday feast and this recipe uses no heavy whipping cream. This actually makes them taste even better!
Sondra Barker
4.83 from 269 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 357 kcal
EQUIPMENT
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Gold Potatoes Sliced Thin
- 1 tbs salted butter
- ½ cup onions chopped fine
- 4 cloves garlic chopped fine
- 1 cup 2% milk
- .5 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup parmesan cheese Asiago
- 2 tbs flour
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1.5 tsp salt
- .5 tsp pepper
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly butter a square pyrex oven pan.
Parmesan Cream Sauce
Heat up medium sized pot on medium to high heat. Once the pot is warm, melt in 1 tbs of butter. Then add garlic and onions. Saute for about 2 minutes and then add your flour, stirring constantly until well blended for about 1-2 more minutes making a roux.
Next begin whisking and slowly incorperate your milk and chicken stock. Do not let your sauce come to a boil, reduce to low medium heat.
Continue whisking and add in the parmesan cheese. Finally add your salt & pepper. Using your fingers, take the thyme off of the stems and add them to your sauce as well.
Layering
Next layer your scalloped potatoes by adding one layer of your thinly sliced poatoes on a lightly butter pan. Then ladle 1/3 of your sauce mixture and lightly sprinkle with the sharp cheddar cheese. Repeart this step 3 times.
Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes.
Turn your oven to broil and let your cheese get nice and browned, about another 2-4 minutes.
Notes
The best potatoes to use for this recipe are Yukon golden potatoes. Yellow potatoes will have a more buttery flavor. Do not use Russell potatoes.
What types of cheese work best for scalloped potatoes?
For scalloped potatoes you want to use sharp pungent cheeses and cheese that melt well. Here are a few alternatives.
- Swiss
- Guyere
- Gouda
- Sharp White Cheddar
- Fontina
We make a roux in substitution for heavy cream and it makes this recipe lower in calories and lighter. This actually produces a better flavor and keeps the dish from tasting greasy.It also reheats very nicely in the oven or microwave and is a great sidedish to make in advance!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 1066mg | Potassium: 779mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 573IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 445mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This recipe is perfect for any family dinner and is especially popular during the holidays to serve with Ham, Turkey, Lamb, and Prime Rib! if you need to make a large serving, simply scroll up to the recipe card, input the number of servings you need, and the recipe with automatically reformulate for you!
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