Growing up, one of my favorite dishes was Mother's scalloped potatoes. I don't know how she made them and unfortunately her recipe didn't make it to the little recipe box of hers that I inherited.
Over the years I've had other scalloped potatoes, but they all tasted boxed or bland and I gave up on ever having really good ones again. That is, until I was browsing through Southern Living's 2011 Annual Recipes.
After looking at this Creamy Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes recipe I thought, man that looks like it may be close to Mother's recipe. It's similar but, I hate to say, is much better. It has three cups of whipping cream in it - how could it go wrong? Here's the before and after:
It's fairly easy to throw together. I got out my trusty mandolin and fought with it for awhile until the perfectly sliced (almost) potatoes were produced. Bret stood by with band-aids in case my knuckles decided to join in. All is well though.
I changed the Southern Living recipe a bit and it could not have come out more perfect and creamy! I kept thinking the flavor reminded me of something and decided it was like a really great alfredo sauce, but thicker.
We love the crusty topping that the parmesan cheese makes and the soft and creamy Yukon gold potatoes are the perfect choice for this dish.
We had these Creamy Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes with a tasty beef tenderloin (see Tips and Stuff for a quick steak tutorial if you like the way it looks in the photo).
We both agree that this dinner was a success and yes, please, it will be made again.
Creamy Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes
Creamy, cheesy, delicious scalloped potatoes.
Ingredients
- 2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
- 3 C. whipping cream
- ½ tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- ½ C. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus 1 tbsp.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Layer potatoes in a 2 or 3 quart casserole dish - set aside.
- Stir together the cream, basil, garlic and onion powders, 1 tbsp. of the Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes, lifting potatoes slightly for the sauce to get down between the layers.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano evenly over the top and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer until it is brown and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Tips and Stuff:
Regular parmesan cheese will work well, too.
I think my casserole dish (shown in photo 2) is a 2-quart casserole. You want the layers to be 2 ½ to 3" high.
When you stir the cooking potatoes make sure the cream mixture covers the top layer so they won't dry out.
Don't worry that it looks too liquidy - it will absolutely thicken up by the end of the cooking time.
Next time I'm going to try part whipping cream and part regular milk to lighten it up a bit and will let you know if it thickens OK.
Beef Tenderloin
*We usually share one big piece of tenderloin, about 2 ½" tall and 3 to 4" around.
*I marinate the steak in about 3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp. soy sauce and 1 tbsp. Monterrey Steak seasoning for 2-3 hours if I have the time.
*Put about 2 tbsp. of olive oil into a skillet and turn it on medium-high for a few minutes (I have a laser thermometer and it gets to about 325 degrees).
*Put the steak in the pan and don't move it for about 3 ½ minutes. Turn the steak on the other side and leave it for another 3 ½ minutes. Lower the fire to medium and turn the steak on it's edge side and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn to the other edge and cook another 2 minutes. Lower fire to medium-low and turn the steak flat again for about 2 minutes on each side.
*Turn off the stove and move the steak to a plate. Tent aluminum foil over the steak and let it rest for 5 minutes (important to do). It will be medium-rare as seen in the photo above.
*Remember, these instructions are for a very thick slice of
tenderloin.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 338mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 6g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
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