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Beautiful, perfectly cooked Scalloped Potatoes are a classic that you’ll fall in love with after just one bite! Tender, thinly sliced potatoes are baked in a rich, creamy sauce for a side dish that’s excellent to serve alongside any main course and is a must-make for the holidays.
Just when you think you know all the ways to cook potatoes, THIS recipe comes along. I freely admit to really, really liking potatoes pretty much no matter how they are served, but there’s just something special about Scalloped Potatoes.
Scalloped Potatoes, cooked in a rich cream sauce, are turned into cheesy potatoes with a hefty sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. They are not only great to serve alongside just about any main dish at a weeknight meal, but they are also special enough for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or when you’re entertaining.
These Scalloped Potatoes Are:
- Melt in your mouth tender.
- Richly flavored with garlic.
- Baked in a creamy onion sauce that’s totally addictive.
- Perfectly seasoned with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Golden brown on the top and soft and delicate on the inside.
- Destined to become your favorite potato dish!
Scroll down for measurements and ingredients.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
- Butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- Flour
- Milk – heavy cream can be used as well.
- Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- Potatoes
- Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Thyme
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh-cracked Black Pepper
- 9 X 13-inch casserole dish
What Type Of Potatoes Are Best For This Recipe?
Yukon Gold and Russet potatoes are the two types of spuds that work well in this recipe. I like to use Yukon Gold because they tend to hold its shape a bit better during the cooking process.
Pro Tip:
Use a mandolin to slice the potatoes to get uniform slices. You can also use a very sharp knife to cut the slices. The slices should be about an eighth of an inch thick.
How To Make Scalloped Potatoes
- Prepare the baking dish and thinly slice the onions and potatoes. Mince the garlic and prep the fresh thyme by pulling off the leaves from the stems.
- Make the homemade sauce (the recipe is below) known as a roux cooked over medium heat. This takes just a bit of time, but it’s essential to the success of this recipe.
- Now, it’s time to build the recipe. Layer potatoes, sprinkle on Parmesan cheese, and fresh thyme. Pour half of the sauce over the potatoes. Add a second layer of potatoes, then top with the remaining sauce, Parmesan, and thyme.
- Cover and bake. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake until hot and bubbly.
- To add a golden brown top, broil for 2 minutes. Remove Scalloped Potatoes from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Then…dig in!
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Tips For Making The Best Scalloped Potatoes
- Make sure to slice the potatoes to the same thickness.
- When making the sauce, taste it and adjust the seasoning for the best flavor.
- Change up the ingredients! You can add ham or bacon and sway cheddar cheese for the Parmesan. Add cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce for a bit of heat.
Frequently Asked Questions And Answers
Absolutely! To make these potatoes ahead of time, follow the directions with one simple change. Bake the potatoes covered for about 50 minutes. Remove the Scalloped Potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Wrap tightly with foil and store in the fridge. To serve, uncover the potatoes and bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes until heated through.
These recipes are very similar. Scalloped potatoes traditionally do not have cheese, whereas au gratin potatoes do. So, why is my recipe called Scalloped Potatoes? Well, I know this recipe by this name because that’s what they were called when I was growing up. Simple and what I know.
You can store any leftovers in the pan, covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place in a microwave safe dish and heat until warmed through.
What To Serve With Scalloped Potatoes
- Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham
- Crock Pot Balsamic Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Roast
- Copycat Honey Baked Ham
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
- Best Roasted Pork Tenderloin
If you tried this Scalloped Potato Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium-size pot, melt butter. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle in flour, stir to combine, and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Carefully pour in the stock and whisk to combine with flour mixture. Add in the milk, salt, and pepper, whisking all together. Bring the mixture up to a simmer and continue to whisk until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
- Layer half of the potatoes in the prepared dish. Sprinkle on half of the thyme and Parmesan cheese. Ladle over half of sauce and repeat layer of potatoes, remaining sauce, thyme, and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and continue to cook for 30 minutes until bubbly around the edges. Set oven to broil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until potatoes are golden brown on the top.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Made your scalloped potatoes. Delicious!My daughter would like the recipe now.
Excellent recipe but prep time is much more than 15 minutes.
I made this and the flavor was amazing. I did find that after baking it for the suggested amount of time and temperature it wasn’t done. I ended up having to increase the time by 15 minutes. As a result it seemed somewhat dry. Would adding more liquid have taken care of this? Also it seemed as though it needed more salt. Definitely a keeper. Do you suppose that altitude might have something to do with the results? I live at 3800 ft.
Yes, the cooking time at high altitude makes a difference. As for the salt, I recommend adjusting it as to your likeing.
~Donya
I parboil the sliced potatoes in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain-carefully given the slight thickness of the potato. Then proceed with recipe.
I made this ahead for Easter dinner. Reheated beautifully. It was delicious.
Leftovers were good too!
You’ve made my day, Sandy. Thank you for the outstanding rating.
~Donya
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I am going to serve at a birthday dinner….unfortunately, her husband does not like thyme (or rosemary or most herbs). Will deleting this detract significantly from the taste?
Just leave it out. You’ll be fine.
~Donya