Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes

Recently a friend asked "How do you make scalloped potatoes?" Well it's not something I make often as they don't look particularly nice on a plate or buffet line but they are popular when I do make them. I guess it’s one of those "home cooking" (which is actually a term that irritates me to no end, what difference does it make in the quality of the produce where I make it at home or at work) things. Anyways here is the reply I gave my friend:


Ok when I make them it is for a large group but the steps are the same.
You will need a casserole dish about 1/3 to 1/2 again as big as the amount of potatoes you need ( size depends on if you want to risk them boiling over in the oven.
Slice potato into about 1/8 inch slice ( usually peeled but I have done it with new red potatoes with skins on and it turns out very nice) add onions ( add as many as you like up to 1/4 of the potato amount) toss in melted butter ( about 3/4 of a cup for 10 large potatoes) until evenly covered and there is extra in the bottom of the bowl. This is what thickens the sauce so don't be cheap. then mix in flour to absorb all the butter fat. at this time you will want to add seasoning again don't be cheep potatoes require a fair amount of salt etc. I use seasoning salt and extra pepper and sometimes a little garlic powder. Now I tend to use half milk and half whipping cream heated (makes a richer sauce) you need to add the liquid until the potatoes are covered and mix it in well the better it is mixed the less likely the sauce is to break or separate. (this doesn't hurt the taste but makes them look kind of icky. cover and cook in a 300 degree oven until the potatoes are tender. Check them often if it looks like you are getting low on liquid add a bit more milk. It's important not to boil them to hard as the milk will go all scummy but the cream helps to counter that.

I'm sure that eventually in the life of this blog the recipes will become more coherent in format but then again maybe not as I rarely measure, and most quantities I make are far larger than any of you would need but the steps are the same. I guess we will just have to see how things go.

Maybe I should include a tip with each recipe. Tip of the day: remember when you are cooking that the most important thing is taste so season often and taste your creations as you are making them to see how the seasoning is then adjust it. Never take the seasoning amounts in a recipe as gospel they are really only guidelines and nothing replaces your taste buds.