This is one of those great older recipes that is easy and absolutely delicious. I love a classic recipe. They are usually easy and almost always present an unmatched wholesome taste with simple ingredients.
My wife has mentioned scalloped potatoes several times in the last month, and I can eventually take a hint. I’m in the habit of not telling her what I’m cooking. I just call her for dinner. Sometimes she loves her surprise and sometimes not so much. This brought the biggest smile in a long time. A definite “Wifo” comfort food.
I based on a food.com recipe that has a 5-star rating and came for the 1971 Florence Junior League cookbook. I didn’t do much to the recipe. 4 cups of sliced potatoes became six medium potatoes. I used pre-shredded not grated cheese for ease. But mostly I expanded on the instructions to simplify and make them less intimidating.
Rating
Excellent old fashion taste. Good enough that my wife dug the recipe out of my “to post” file and made a version with ham two days ago. Yep, she loves it.
Notes
What is Scalloped vs. Au Gratin? Scalloped is anything baked in a casserole with a sauce that could be cheese or any other sauce. Au Gratin means “with cheese”. So this recipe could be called Scalloped or Au Gratin or Scalloped Au Gratin. Take the cheese out and just use a white sauce and you have Scalloped but not Au Gratin. Now you know.
A note on the baking dish. The thicker the dish, the longer the baking time. I used a baking dish that was 1 inch deep and it went well.
Preheat oven to 350 not convection.
Slice 5-6 medium russet potatoes about 1/8 inch. If you have crazy ninja knife skills you can do this by hand but a mandolin is a good thing here. The setting on mine for this is “thin”.
Start the sauce with 3 T butter over medium heat. When melted, add 3 T flour and whisk for a few minutes. Add 1 1/2 cup milk. Frequently whisk for a couple of minutes and add 1 t salt and 1/8 t cayenne pepper. Bring to a light boil and this will start to thicken in a few more minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add 1 cup of cheese. I used sharp cheddar. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat.
Layer half of the potatoes into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with PAM. Put them in individually so they are not stuck together. Do not just dump them in.
Pour half the cheese sauce over the first half of the potatoes.
Add the second half of the potatoes, then rest of the cheese sauce. Now top with 1/2 cup of cheese. Give a light sprinkle of paprika.
Bake until potatoes are “fork tender”. This will be about an hour or a little more.
Do you want more recipes from 101 Cooking for Two? Sign up for the newsletter and get all posts delivered straight to your inbox!
Old Fashion Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 potatoes - medium russet
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons AP flour
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 sprinkle paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350, not convection.
- Slice 5-6 medium russet potatoes about 1/8 inch. If you have crazy ninja knife skills you can do this by hand but a mandolin is a good thing here. The setting on mine for this is “thin”.
- Start the sauce with 3 T butter over medium heat. When melted, add 3 T flour and whisk for a few minutes. Add 1 1/2 cup milk. Frequently whisk for a couple of minutes and add 1 t salt and 1/8 t cayenne pepper. Bring to a light boil and this will start to thicken in a few more minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add 1 cup of cheese. I used sharp cheddar. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat.
- Layer half of the potatoes into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with PAM. Put them in individually so they are not stuck together. Do not just dump them in.
- Pour half the cheese sauce over the first half of the potatoes.
- Add the second half of the potatoes, then rest of the cheese sauce. Now top with 1/2 cup of cheese. Give a light sprinkle of paprika.
- Bake until potatoes are “fork tender”. This will be about an hour or a little more.
Have a question or something not clear? Ask in the comments.
Nutrition is for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated.
Pat
If this is 101 Cooking for two, why is this recipe for 8?
DrDan
Hi Pat,
Welcome to the blog. All recipes are adjustable in the recipe card by changing the number of servings. Basically, this blog is not two servings but smaller households frequently with leftovers. For a more complete discussion see https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/recipes-not-two-servings/
Dan
Kathy shum
I only have a convetion microwave. Directions say no convection. Does this include a roast convection. Or will a toaster oven work.
DrDan
Hi Kathy,
Welcome to the blog.
I haven’t used a convection/microwave but do understand the concept. When used as a convection oven, it should work well. There should be a convection bake and a convection roast. Use the bake option since the roast option should turn on the broiler element.
I would go for 325 and about the same timing. Remember you are going for “fork tender” so poke it to see if it is done. The internal temperature should probably be in the 200-205 range.
I’m not a fan of toaster ovens for real cooking. They are totally inaccurate.
All the above is my best “guess” since I have never done this.
Dan
Pauletta Kodama
I know that households have a cheese grater, but I also know that they are usually very old and don’t actually work. I’ve even seen a couple of rusty ones, but my friends would kill me if I ever said anything more about it.
Lisa
Hi, this recipe looks awesome. I am considering trying it for Easter dinner on Sunday. Do you think that there is any reason why Gruyere cheese could not be substituted? I don’t see why not but thought I would ask.
DrDan
Pick the cheese you want. It should be fine.
Rod
Awesome! Dish came out just as everyone reviewed about it. I didn’t deviate from the recipe at all. Thanks for the tips and will absolutely make it again. I
DrDan
Hi Rod,
We do love this dish. We now tend to cook it longer to make the potatoes more tender.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Joe
I made this last night and it was amazing. Super easy. Never realized one of my favorite side dishes could be so easy to make from scratch.
DrDan
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the note, I just published a crockpot version of this a couple of days ago. See the home page.
Dan
Stephanie Tidd
I made these last and they were a big hit with me and my partner.
I’m trying your crock pot chiken stew today.
The potatoes are definitely five star worthy.
Hopefully the stew will turn out good too.
Stephanie Tidd
DrDan
Hi Stephanie,
I do like these potatoes. They are just so “old fashion” in how they are made and taste.
About the chicken stew. It is bland. Now chicken stew is bland by its nature. Read the comments for some suggestions of you think it is too bland on a taste test.
Dan
Camille
I wish this recipe was pared down for 2 people.
DrDan
Can definitely be cut in halve but it is too much work to only make two servings.
DrDan
Lorna Smith
on the beginning page your list of items for scalloped potatoes It has listed 1 cup of milk on the next page fill recipe it says to add 1 1/2 cups of milk, which is it, Cant wait to try these so, since my potatoes are cut can someone get back to me Thanks
DrDan
It is 1 1/2 cups of milk. I’m not seeing where it says 1 cup. If you mean the cheese 1 cup goes in the sauce and 1/2 cup on top.
DrDan
Nancy Baker
This is an awesome recipe. Grabbed it last minute off the site and did not realize until I had peeled 6 potatoes that it makes 8 servings!! But it was too late to change course so I went ahead and it is really good!! I did add sliced onions and broccoli florets so I made it basically into a meal. Will see how it freezes!! (FYI, I added the onions with the butter and allowed them to sweat a bit before adding the flour and then added the broccoli with the potatoes, very good).
kathleen williams
would you please explain 3 t butter is it teaspoon, or tablespoon what flour plain or cornflower
Regards
Kathleen
DrDan
The abbreviations “t” and “T” are the old fashion way for T=Tablespoons and t=teaspoons. I have it covered in FAQ’s and current post spell it out but about 300 of the recipes here use those abbreviations. “Flour” means all-purpose flour and not corn flour.
DrDan
DrDan
Thanks Bill.
DrDan
bill
damn all your recipes make me hungry! Im so glad I found you!!!
Judy U.
ok, I tried making this today and had a hard time with the sauce not getting all thick and clumpy. What am I doing wrong? There seemed like not enough sauce.
DrDan
You probably did not get the butter and flour combined well. This is called a roux and here it a video that might help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiKODa0hnsY
Once you get the roux, add the milk but I do that slowly over heat and slowly.
Let me know if this doesn’t help
DrDan
Dr Dan
We have done this 3 times in 2 weeks. We have to stop or buy new clothes.
Chris
My kids are not really mine because they don’t like this dish. It was one of my all time favorites that my mother made. I like this version.