Scalloped Au Gratin Potatoes Vg
I’ve been perfecting my au gratin and my scallop potato recipes. Scallop potatoes are usually thicker cut than au gratin, and doesn’t have cheese in the sauce. The sauce for scallop potatoes is made of milk and heavy cream and is often infused with herbs. Typically, I used garlic, thyme and occasionally rosemary or sage to infuse the cream sauce. Au gratin potatoes are made with thinner potato slices and are baked with lots and lots of cheese in between the layers. Au gratin isn't made with any type of sauce. I’m all about BOTH! So, my au gratin scalloped potatoes have cheese, infused milk and heavy cream. And they are delicious. This recipe is easy to do, but you need to make sure you have your timing down. It can take 1.5 – 2 hours to fully cook this recipe and then needs time to rest and cool down before serving.
Equipment
- Slotted spoon
- Dutch oven or large sauté pan
- Baking dish 13 x 9 x 3 inches or 3.5 quart baking dish
- 4 cup and a 2 cup measuring jugs
- Box grater
- Preheat oven to 325 with rack positioned in the top 1/3
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes peeled, rinsed and sliced 1/8 thickness do not put the sliced potatoes into water.
- 6-8 oz gruyere and white cheddar grated and mixed
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup hot water if needed
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- 3 sprig thyme
- 1 tsp finely minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tsp Unsalted butter
Instructions
Pre cooking prep
- Generously butter the baking dish and set aside.
- Heat oven to 325°F
- In a large sauté pan or dutch oven add milk, sliced onions, thyme and minced garlic and a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Slicing potatoes
- Using a mandoline with the guard and cut resistant glove, slice the potatoes to 1/8 thickness. When completed put the sliced potatoes directly into the dutch oven with milk and aromatics. DO NOT PUT THE CUT POTATOES INTO COLD WATER. The starch from the cut potatoes will help to thicken the creamy cheese sauce. If you don't have a mandoline, use a knife to slice the potatoes to the correct thickness.
Parboiling potatoes
- Add the potatoes directly to the dutch oven with onions and aromatics. Fold into the milk and press down to submerge as many of the slices as possible. Bring to a boil, and gently stir. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. The potatoes need to be tender and just al dente.
- When pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, the point should go through with just a little resistance. DO NOT OVER COOK.
- Remove pot from the heat, and discard the thyme sprigs. Allow to cool slightly, approximately 5 minutes.
Scalloping the potatoes
- To create the scalloped au gratin look, you need three or more layers, with grated cheese in between each of the layers, ending with a final layer of cheese.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes from the dutch oven, draining as much liquid as possible and create the first layer. In the bottom of the baking dish, over lap the potatoes to create the shingled effect.
- Season each layer generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then sprinkle liberally all over with the grated cheese mix.
- Repeat this process until all the potatoes have been used up. The last layer will be topped off with cheese.
- You'll need to pour 2 cups of the infused milk that the potatoes cooked in, into a 4 cup measuring jug. If you have extra, discard what is not needed. DO NOT be tempted to add it all to the dish. This will make your au gratin scalloped potatoes runny. If you don't have enough liquid use a little warm water to make 2 cups of liquid.
- Slightly warm the heavy cream and mix it with the 2 cups of the milk liquid.
- Pour the cream and milk mixture over the seasoned layered potatoes in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the top with freshly grated nutmeg.
- Bake uncovered for 90 minutes. Or until potatoes are folk tender. The top will be golden brown all over.
- Cover loosely with foil and to cool for 20-30 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
- This dish can be made a day ahead of time and reheated in the oven at 325°F for 20 minutes.
- This is a cross section of what your refrigerated or cold scalloped au gratin potatoes should look like. When reheated in the oven, the creamy cheesy sauce should liquify without separating. Heating in the microwave may cause the cream in the sauce to separate.
Notes
Potatoes
To make this dish work and work well, you need to use a starchy type of potato. It’s important not to put the potatoes to soak in water once you’ve sliced them. They need to go directly into the milk and aromatics. The starch from the potatoes will help the sauce to thicken up. Russet, Idaho or Yukon gold, which are known as Mayan Gold in the UK, king Edward and maris piper are varieties that work well in this hybrid dish. Starchy potatoes have more starch and less moisture than waxy potatoes. The texture is drier and flakier, making them ideal for mashing, scalloped potatoes, french fries, crisps etc. Waxy potatoes usually have thinner skins, they are firmer, smoother and creamier in texture. They are high in moisture and are low in starch. These potatoes retain their shape when cooked, which makes them ideal for soups, stews, roasting, salads , au gratins and potato main course dishes. Red skin, new, désirée etc. are all types of waxy potatoes. An all purpose potato has the best of both worlds and can be used for most cooking preparations. Yukon gold and maris piper fit that bill.Cutting Potatoes
It’s important to cut all the potatoes to the same thickness, so they all cook at the same time. Otherwise you’ll wind up with overcooked and uncooked potatoes.Seasoning
Be sure to season with salt and black pepper in between each of the layers, otherwise your au gratin potatoes will be very bland.Cheese
Use the cheese of your choice, but remember, the type and color will effect the taste and the look of your finished dish. And it is always best to grate your own cheese as store bought grated cheese has anticaking additives to keep it from clumping up.Storage & Reheating
Store covered in the refrigerator. Use within 2-3 days. You can freeze your au gratin scalloped potatoes for 2-3 weeks in an oven, microwave and freezer proof baking dish. Cover it with foil and parchment paper. (Remove foil if using microwave to reheat or defrost.) Or in a freezer and microwave safe container. Freezing your au gratin scalloped potatoes will slightly change the texture of the potatoes because of the ice crystals that form. Defrost in your refrigerator, but that can take a few days. Defrost in microwave with the defrost setting. Then reheat in the microwave or oven. Reheating in the microwave can cause the cream in the sauce to separate. The best way to reheat your au gratin scalloped potatoes is covered with foil, in the oven, at 325°F for 20 minutes or until internal temperature has reached 165°F.Nutrition
Serving: 6ServingsCalories: 616kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 20gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 776mgPotassium: 1447mgFiber: 7gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1409IUVitamin C: 57mgCalcium: 487mgIron: 3mg
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