Description
Enjoy ultimate comfort food with this easy creamy scalloped potatoes recipe featuring tender Yukon Gold potatoes baked in a luscious garlic Parmesan cream sauce. Perfectly layered and baked to golden perfection, this dish makes a delicious side for any meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Potatoes
- 4 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes (thinly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (melted)
- 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour (can substitute with cornstarch for gluten-free)
- 3 cups Heavy Cream (or whole milk/half & half)
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
- 2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
Topping
- 1/2 cup Extra Parmesan Cheese (for the topping)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and grease a ceramic baking dish to prevent sticking and promote even cooking.
- Slice Potatoes: Peel the Yukon Gold potatoes and slice them thinly to about 1/8 inch thickness for tender layering.
- Make the Sauce: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add minced garlic and cook until fragrant to infuse flavor.
- Create Roux: Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes constantly to form a roux, which will thicken the sauce.
- Add Cream: Gradually whisk in the heavy cream, cooking until the mixture thickens slightly to a creamy consistency.
- Season Sauce: Stir in grated Parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, kosher salt, and black pepper until the sauce is smooth and well combined.
- Coat Potatoes: Thoroughly coat the potato slices with the garlic cream sauce to ensure every slice is flavorful and moist.
- Assemble Dish: Arrange the potato slices upright in the greased baking dish, layer evenly, then pour any remaining sauce on top.
- Add Topping: Sprinkle the extra Parmesan cheese evenly over the assembled potatoes for a golden crust.
- Bake Covered: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes to allow potatoes to soften and flavors to meld.
- Bake Uncovered: Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
- Cool and Serve: Let the scalloped potatoes cool for 10 minutes before serving to set the layers and flavors.
Notes
- You can substitute whole milk or half & half for heavy cream for a lighter version, but the dish will be less rich.
- For a gluten-free version, replace all-purpose flour with cornstarch when making the roux.
- Thinly slicing the potatoes is key to even cooking and a tender texture.
- Letting the dish rest before serving helps the sauce thicken and the layers settle.
- Fresh thyme can be substituted with dried thyme if fresh is unavailable, but use slightly less.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: scalloped potatoes, creamy potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, baked potatoes, comfort food, side dish, garlic cream sauce, Parmesan potatoes
