Tastiest Scalloped Potatoes on the Planet

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Thinly sliced potatoes nestle in a bath of cream, milk and butter, resulting in the tastiest Scalloped Potatoes on the planet. For reals.

Friends, meet the Best Scalloped Potatoes on the planet. I’ve been making these for over twenty years. And they are still as good today as I remember them the first time I made them. Today, they are a special occasion treat, though, saved for Christmas and Easter.

These Scalloped Potatoes are easy to make, and there are rarely leftovers. If there are, I wake up early in the morning to eat them for breakfast when no one’s looking. Or awake.

They are that good.

I can’t take credit for them exactly. I found them in a potato cookbook years ago. I don’t have that book anymore. I don’t even remember what it was called. And I never wrote down the recipe. I basically have the recipe memorized.

In fact, I have it carved on my heart.

I just make it as I remember it, honestly. And that works for us.

These potatoes are rich, yes, full of cream and butter. And slicing potatoes is a chore, but if you can use the food processor, prep time will be a whiz. It’s totally worth it. I promise.

Totally.

How to make this good and cheap:

Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

Meal plan around what’s on sale. Potatoes are kind of a pantry staple, but some times are better to buy them than others. Buy potatoes during those times.
Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Buy potatoes on sale, but also look for sales on cream and half-and-half. (For non-US readers, “half-and-half” is equal parts milk and cream that have been homogenized. You can make your own for this recipe and it won’t matter.)

Tools I use to make this recipe easy:

This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.

plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
food processor – A must for slicing many potatoes.

Tastiest Scalloped Potatoes

Thinly sliced potatoes nestle in a bath of cream, milk and butter, resulting in the Tastiest Scalloped Potatoes on the planet.

Preparation Time:30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hours 30 minutes
Total time:2 hours
8 to 10 servings
Ingredients:

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups half and half
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

Grease a large baking dish. Preheat the oven to 325 °.
Overlap the potato slices in the prepared dish, seasoning with salt and pepper every few layers. Pour over the half and half and dot the surface with the butter. Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered.
Pour the heavy cream over the potatoes and bake another 45 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

Updated April 8, 2017.

About Jessica Fisher

I believe great meals don't have to be complicated or expensive. There's a better way, and it won't take all afternoon.

Comments

Sandi says:
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Interesting that you don’t cheese your potatoes. I’m not sure I’ve ever had scalloped that did not have cheese at least sprinkled across the top. Never mind that, though, I want to know what you did to that cauliflower on the right side of the plate. I’m not a big cauliflower eater, but the kid likes it and that looks scrumptious.
- Jessica says:
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  @Sandi, believe me, you won’t miss the cheese! Sharing the cauliflower tonight on Life as MOM. 😉 And it was scrumptious!
- Kasy says:
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  @Sandi,
  Au Gratin potatoes have cheese, Scalloped potatoes don’t.
Chris says:
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In Australia we don’t have ‘half and half’ – what is it exactly? Do you have any ideas on a substitute?
- Jessica says:
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  It’s half cream, half whole milk. So you can make your own.
MissMOE says:
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These are exactly how my mom makes them–with the addition of a couple cups of cheese!
Marea says:
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Oh my! I thought life got lost in the translation when I could not find a scalloped potatoes recipe that did not have cheese in it. When it had cheese, I’d known that to be Potatoes Au Gratin. I was looking for a stand-alone scalloped potato recipe. Thank you.
I do scalloped potato with pork chops casserole my mother handed down, which relies on milk, flour and butter layered in. Sliced onions are layered in as well. It isn’t as creamy as this version should be, but then it is centered around the meat in the dish and simply tasty. Brown flour-dredged chops and when assembling the casserole in a 13 x 9 pan, butter is dotted in with flour and milk among the potato and onion slices that will thicken the milk and meat juices as it bakes. Its always been a family favorite.
Denise says:
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I only have one oven and our main dish will have to cook at 400. Do you think I can manage to bake this at a higher temperature? I can’t wait to try them! Love your site & thanks!
- Jessica Fisher says:
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  THAT is the tricky part. I can’t remember what I did last year to accommodate the ham and the potatoes at the same time. I just decided in the last hour that the ham will have to go in the crockpot tomorrow.
- Belinda says:
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  I’m not sure what your views are on microwave cooking? Electricity is ridiculously expensive here, so I often part-cook dishes that bake for long in my microwave, and then just bake for the last 5-10 minutes in the oven, or under the grill, to get some golden colour.
  Anyway, if you don’t mind microwaving, I always make my scalloped potatoes in the microwave, and they come out superbly, in a fraction of the time 🙂
  - Belinda says:
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    Which I’m thinking might help you with the need to bake more than one dish at the same time, Denise?
Rebekah says:
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Oh, no!!! What is step 3?!?
- Jessica Fisher says:
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  Haha. There isn’t one. It was a renegade code. Thanks.
Cathy says:
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Do these reheat well? I want to make them for Christmas Eve but we will be gone all day. I was wondering if I could make the day before and just reheat prior to serving.
- Jessica Fisher says:
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  We devour the leftovers, but the texture is not the same as fresh from the oven.
Pat says:
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Those potatoes look so yummy! We will be so ready for home cooked meals again after this week!! On the list!
Shari S Staat says:
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Can this Scalloped Potato recipe be frozen since using cream?
- Jessica Fisher says:
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  I would not recommend that. Neither the cream or the potatoes will freeze well.