At a Glance
- Potato Type: Yellow
- Prep Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Yield: 6
- Prep Time:
- Ready Time:
- Cook Time:
Recipe By: Cooking with Manuela
Bring elegance to your table with these irresistible scalloped potatoes, layered with a creamy besciamella sauce (Italian-style bechamel sauce), topped with Parmesan cheese and baked until bubbly and perfectly soft.
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs. Side Delights® Yellow potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes)
- 2 oz. of butter
- 3 cups of whole milk, divided
- 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 oz. of grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley (for decoration)
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Wash, peel and cut the potatoes in thin slices. Use a mandoline or food processor, if you have them, to make sure the slices are all about the same thickness.
- In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter with a half cup of milk. Once melted, mix in the flour and whisk until smooth. Cook for a couple of minutes.
- Stir in the rest of the milk (preferably warm) some at the time while whisking. Make it smooth. Cook the white sauce until bubbly and thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt (about 1 teaspoon) and nutmeg (half teaspoon).
- Grease a round 10.5-inch quiche pan (or 2 quarts baking dish). Spread a layer of the potatoes slices on the bottom of the baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, and top with some of the besciamella sauce.
- Make two more layers of potato and white sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top.
- Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 30 minutes covered.
- Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- If you need, broil on high for one minute until nicely browned.
- Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving, so the sauce will set a little when cooling down.
- Sprinkle the top with chopped parsley and serve.
Image above is for the Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
Variations
Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
Additional ingredients to add to the Extra Creamy Scalloped Potatoes recipe above:
- 6 strips of bacon (about 35 gr), sliced crispy and cut in pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
- 6 oz. (170 gr) of shredded mozzarella cheese (or fontina, gruyere, emmental, or a mix of these)
Additional preparation steps to make the loaded scalloped potatoes:
- In a skillet cook the bacon on medium-high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes, turning it halfway until just crispy. Cut in pieces and set aside.
- Make the besciamella sauce following the same steps above. When adding the nutmeg and salt, also add the garlic powder and oregano.
- When layering the potatoes with the besciamella sauce, sprinkle each middle layer with shredded cheese and pieces of bacon. Follow the same directions for baking the scalloped potatoes.
Notes
For this dish, you can also use Russet potatoes. Both Russet and Yellow potatoes are starchy potatoes. The starch keeps the sauce between layers smooth and creamy. I chose Yukon/Yellow potatoes because they tend to break less easily than Russet.
