Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Garlicky, cheesy scalloped potatoes! Scalloped potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a casserole dish with melty cheese and a delicious garlic sauce!

Easy and Cheesy!

Basically, two of my favorite words when it comes to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. There’s also a whole lot of garlic, so scalloped potatoes pretty much hit the mark on all of my favorite food groups. Nevermind the fact that I don’t really love potatoes, that can be overlooked when there’s garlic cream sauce and boatloads of cheese sauce.

Scalloped potatoes. You’ve had them before, right? 

An easy casserole dish that feeds a crowd and requires only a little bit of work. It’s full of thinly sliced potatoes mingling in luscious roux laddered with garlic, sometimes Gruyère or sharp cheddar cheese and hints of black pepper and a sprinkle of spices.

Good grief!

For someone that doesn’t really love potatoes, I’ve made a whole lot of potato recipes. I’ve got a 20-minute instant pot garlic mashed potatoes, the twice baked potato casserole, asiago and roasted garlic mashed potatoes, smashed potatoes, skillet breakfast potatoes and of course, the cheddar mashed ones! And so I thought, why not bring you my version of scalloped potatoes that you can use now for Easter, and again for all of the end-of-year holidays.

Honest! I don’t really love potatoes; I heart making them in a thousand different ways!

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Permalink Email Title

Save

What are scalloped potatoes?

Scalloped potatoes are somewhat similar to au gratin potatoes. Both have sliced potatoes and cheese, whether it’s hard cheese or soft. I like to consider scalloped potatoes to be a more rustic version of the potatoes au gratin as the potatoes are often sliced thicker, and there are no breadcrumbs, and more economical cheeses are commonly used to prepare this casserole dish. I like to think of it as an American take on a French classic!

Ingredients for Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes:

• Potatoes: The best potatoes for making scalloped potatoes are ones that have a high starch content. The starch helps make the sauce thicken when it bakes. Therefore there are two good choices for this recipe.
  1. Yukon Gold Potatoes: yellow potatoes! They have a thin skin, so it’s easy to peel and super yellow flesh but also have a high starch content making them ideal for casserole bakes.
  2. Russet Potatoes: These little guys (or big guys I should say) are starch balls! This is what I like to use when making scalloped potatoes because they pair beautifully with cheddar. Russets are also commonly used when making baked potatoes or mashed because the higher starch content makes them really creamy.
• Butter: we’ll create a roux using once we melt butter and add flour to help thicken the cheese sauce for this recipe.
• Garlic: minced garlic adds tons of flavor to the cheese saucemixture.
• All purpose flour: helps thicken the roux for the cheesy sauce.
• Whole milk and heavy cream/half and half: you’ll need the milk and half and half to give the scalloped potato sauce a velvety texture. We’ll make the roux then add the dairy to help thin the sauce a bit.
• Herbs: I like to use fresh thyme (or dried thyme) because the flavors pair so well with potatoes for a holiday dinner. Feel free to use chives or rosemary if that’s more your thing.
• Seasonings: I kept things light, with just the chicken bouillon, white pepper, and some ground nutmeg for some added flavor. Feel free to make this your own with a little onion powder, paprika, or other seasonings you enjoy.
• Cheese: gruyere, cheddar, mozzarella, fontina, Colby jack, gouda, monterey jack are all okay to use in a scalloped potatoes recipe.

Making potatoes scalloped potatoes:

1. Slice the potatoes. I peeled the skin and then sliced the potatoes on a mandolin. Be extra CAREFUL if you decide to use a mandolin. And make sure you use the guard, so you don’t slice off your fingers!
2. Make the sauce. Melt the butter in your saucepan, and sauté that garlic until it’s fragrant. Then, we’ll add the flour and let it cook before we whisk in the liquids to make a thick sauce. Allow the sauce to thicken, give it a good stir and a taste and add salt as needed. then remove from heat.
3. Layer. Add half of the potato slices to your baking dish, followed by a handful of shredded cheese, then more rows of potatoes on top, and finally, pour the prepared sauce over the scalloped potatoes.
4. Bake. Cover the baking pan tightly with foil and let it bake in the oven. Halfway through we’ll add the remaining cheese and allow it to finish baking uncovered, so it develops a golden bubbly crust!
5. Leftovers: Store the baking dish covered with aluminum foil in the fridge. Alternately, you can place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Side Dish Showdown 

• The Best Herb Stuffing Recipe
• Great Big Holiday Salad
• Harissa Roasted Carrots with Whipped Feta
• Garlicky Creamy Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin
• Favorite Sweet Potato Souffle