Homemade Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Try this Homemade Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Homemade Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes recipe, or contribute your own.
- cooking spray
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 4 cups of potatoes sliced very thin - you can peel the potatoes or scrub them really well with a vegetable brush and leave the skin on.
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- 1 1/2 cups of milk
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese divided
- dash of nutmeg (optional)
- dash of paprika (optional)
- Carbohydrate 11.9423025 g
- Cholesterol 30.53 mg
- Fat 11.71009 g
- Fiber 0.421875007450581 g
- Protein 1.7348925 g
- Saturated Fat 7.32427475 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (80g)
- Sodium 857.294 mg
- Sugar 11.5204274925494 g
- Trans Fat 0.857797249999999 g
- Calories 159 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 1 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook for several minutes until the onion is soft.
- Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stir constantly.
- Whisk in the milk, stirring constantly, bring it to a simmer and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Remove pan from the heat and add salt, pepper, a dash of nutmeg (if using) and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Mix well until cheese is melted.
- Spread out half of the sliced potatoes into the bottom of the baking dish and pour half of the cheese sauce on top.
- Repeat to make a second layer.
- Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle lightly with paprika (if desired).
- Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour. Check the dish at about 45 minutes to make sure it is not browning too much.
- Let cool for just a couple of minutes before serving.
Flour does the heaviest lifting in this dish, acting simultaneously as a thickener for the dairy and a stabilizing agent that prevents the sauce from breaking under heat. Combining the flour directly with melted butter and cooking it for exactly two minutes eliminates the raw cereal taste of the grain while activating its starch molecules. Whisking cold or room-temperature milk into this hot roux gradually prevents the formation of stubborn lumps, resulting in a velvety base that coats every single vegetable layer uniformly.
Starch management dictates the final texture of the sliced potatoes. Tubers high in starch, such as Russets, release significant amounts of amylose during baking, which naturally thickens the surrounding liquid even further. Slicing the vegetables to a consistent thickness of roughly one-eighth of an inch ensures they soften at an identical rate inside the 350-degree oven. Mandolines provide the precision required here, as uneven pieces lead to crunchy centers alongside overcooked, mushy edges.
Building layers requires alternating the starches and the cheese sauce to distribute moisture evenly throughout the baking vessel. Covering the dish loosely with foil during the first forty-five minutes of baking prevents the cheddar from burning before the internal temperature reaches the required threshold for tenderizing the roots. Removing the barrier for the final fifteen minutes allows the top surface to achieve a deep golden hue and crisp edges.
Preparing this casserole ahead of days requires careful cooling before refrigeration to inhibit bacterial growth. Leftovers maintain structural integrity for up to three days when sealed tightly in an airtight container. Reheating individual portions in a conventional oven at 350 degrees helps restore the crisp surface better than a microwave, which tends to make the dairy sauce separate into oil and solids.
