I have a little confession to make: until about 2 days ago I never actually tasted scalloped potatoes! I know, I know, I’ve clearly been living under a rock. It’s not a dish my mom ever made and though of course I’ve seen tons and tons of recipes for it over the years, I always felt intimated. It seemed so fancy and labor intensive and not worth it.

Guys, that couldn’t be farther from the truth!

The fact is that scalloped potatoes are easy to make, require only the most basic of ingredients and taste out of this world delicious!

The hardest part, and even this only takes a few minutes, is slicing the potatoes thinly. You could use a mandoline, but I find it such a bother to pull it out and set it up. It’s way simpler to just use a sharp knife and carefully cut thin slices of potato instead.

Then it’s just a matter of layering those slices into a garlic-rubbed and buttered dish

Along with salt and pepper and a generous amount of your favorite shredded cheese.

Eventually hot milk gets poured over everything and you just pop the dish into the oven.

What emerges is a gloriously golden crusted, cheesy top layer with tender slices of potato in a creamy, but not heavy white sauce. YUM!!

It’s a wonderful party side dish both for Passover and Easter—

But easy enough to make for an ordinary weeknight meal too. Actually, I’d be perfectly happy with it being the main course!!

Guys, I’m kicking myself for have scalloped potato-procrastinated this long! They’re creamy, they’re cheesy, I promise you’re going to love every bite. Carpe diem. Make these scalloped potatoes asap!😁😁

Easy Scalloped Potatoes

Makes 6 -8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Bake Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, halved lengthwise

• Softened unsalted butter for buttering the dish

• 1 ½-1 ¾ cups whole milk

• 2 pounds potatoes, about 3 large ones (I used Russets but you could use Yukon gold too)

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used Cheddar but it would be great with Gruyére or Swiss too)

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Rub the cut side of the garlic all over an 8x8 or 9x9-inch baking dish and then generously butter the dish with the softened butter. Set aside

2. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it’s just about to boil. Meanwhile, peel and slice the potatoes very thinly, about ⅛ inch thick. Use paper towels to pat the slices dry to remove as much moisture as possible. Then spread out half of the potatoes in an even layer in the buttered dish. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt and pepper and half of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, more salt and pepper and the rest of the cheese.

3. When the milk is very hot, pour ¾ of the milk evenly over the dish. You want it to almost reach the top of the potatoes. Use the rest of the milk (or even a little more if you need to) to get close to the top of the potatoes. Gently shake the dish back and forth to even everything out.

4. Bake in the center of the oven for about 1 hour, until potatoes are tender and the top of the dish is golden brown. Serve immediately.

5. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days and reheated in the oven or microwave.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from The Dinner Plan by Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion. I cut the thyme and used Cheddar cheese instead of Gruyere or Swiss because that’s what I had on hand. I also used Russet potatoes instead of Yukon Gold.