If you don’t want ooey gooey cheese covering every single nook and cranny of your scalloped potatoes then look away. These Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are perfection! If you happen to want an easy Crock-Pot Scalloped Potato, I’ve got ya covered. You may also love my Potatoes Au Gratin with Smoked Sausage.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
For this recipe, I take a cream sauce and smother it over thick-cut potato rounds. I like to use a mandolin so that our potato slices come out the same every time. This is seriously the most amazing cheesy scalloped potato recipe that I have ever had.
Scalloped Potatoes vs. Au Gratin Potatoes
Why is there so much confusion about scalloped potatoes versus Au Gratin Potatoes? Well, they are very similar. So, we are calling our dish cheesy scalloped potatoes, and let me explain why we can do that. We are basically combining the best parts of both dishes.
A traditional scalloped potato dish consists of sliced potatoes layered in a casserole dish and baked with heavy cream and lots of herbs. A traditional Au Gratin Potato dish, on the other hand, has grated cheese sprinkled between the layers, resulting in a cheesy, more decadent dish. In both dishes, the potatoes are cut into rounds, but the potatoes used in scalloped potatoes are often cut a bit thicker than those in au gratin potatoes.
What Potatoes are Best for Scalloped Potatoes?
When choosing a potato for scalloped potatoes, I recommend a Russet potato (like I used for this recipe) or Yukon Gold potatoes. These two kinds of potatoes are starchy enough to help thicken the sauce and they will also turn out soft and tender. If you choose a more waxy potato, they may not soften up. Also, slice the potatoes as evenly as you can (which is why I recommended a mandoline earlier). Keep the thickness from 1/8 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch to ensure the potatoes are cooked evenly.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
So many people have asked if this could be combined with Ham. Without a doubt. This would be amazing with the addition of ham! I would maybe cube it and put it in between the rows of potatoes. Really, all you need to do is add it to the ingredients list, it will incorporate with the rest of the recipe just fine. That would take this from a side dish to a knock out the main course!
No matter which way you decide to prepare this cheesy scalloped potatoes dish, you will not be disappointed! Neither will anyone at your dinner table. Seriously? What is there not to love!?
I love to pair this with other holiday favorites like the worlds WORST stuffing, roasted carrots, creamy mashed potatoes and herb butter roasted turkey!
More Side Dishes
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Equipment
- Medium saucepan I like this one from Kitchenaid!
- Mandoline (optional)
- 2-Quart baking dish I use a glass baking dish like this one!
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices (about 2 pounds)
- 1 yellow onion, sliced into rings
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups whole milk, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray an 8×8-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Arrange the potatoes and onions in the prepared baking dish, staggering potato and then onion.
- In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened.
- Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted and smooth, about 30-60 seconds.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 85-90 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- For a crisp topping, change the oven setting to broil after the potatoes are baked. Broil until golden brown.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Did you make this recipe?
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Good ol potato scallop the way it was growing up, the best!
I am making mine with a seasoned pork steak…cheaper. 😋
Perfect just like it is. Plenty of creamy cheese throughout which has been a problem with other recipes I’ve tried. We did season with Tony’s creole seasoning at the table. Husband and daughter both said keep that recipe!!! Thank you for sharing
Can I make these a couple hours ahead of time?
I just made this. I have used a much different recipe in the past and borrowed some from it while making this one. Here are my ad libs:
1. Sprinkle a little nutmeg and a squirt of mustard in the cheese sauce while making it.
2. Mix in some cubes of ham to add some flavor and protein so these could be served as a meal.
3. Used Velveeta for about 1/3 of the cheese, with the rest being sharp cheddar.
4. Added about half a cup of chicken broth in the cheese mix.
It turned out to be the best scalloped potatoes I have ever made or eaten.!
I searched for scalloped potatoes recipe and this popped up. I have made another recipe from here the chocolate brownie cake and we loved that so I trusted that your recipe would be good.
It’s so good. These are the best scalloped potatoes I’ve had in my life and I am 67 years old! I brought some to my mom in the facility and she heated them up in her microwave and still said they were the best she had had too. This is a great recipe, don’t change a thing.
Instead of adding onions with the potatoes, can you sprinkle French fried onions on top before you brown it under the broiler?
Can you use reg.butter.like margin
I whipped this up last night for dinner with a ham steak and it was perfect. So creamy and delish… I read the other comments and I concur… the best Scallop Potato’s I have ever had. I did do one thing different, when I went to broil it, I added some extra cheddar to the top to make it a bit more cheesy… This recipe gets a 10 out of 10 in my book.
My son loves these potatoes. I add more cheese and season the potatoes with some garlic seasoning. Yummy!
These potatoes look wonderful. I hope you continue to send more recipes. Thank you.