Apron Strings to Diamond Rings: Scalloped Potatoes

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Scalloped Potatoes

I was reading the most recent Food Network Magazine and was inspired to make Scalloped Potatoes. It was always one of my favorite dishes growing up, but I have yet to make it myself. I did a bit of research using the CookingLight, Joy of Cooking and AllRecipes to find exactly how I was going to tackle this. If you take a look around you'll find some recipes that take 30 minutes to cook and others that take an hour and a half. It all depends on how you want to do your prep work and how much you're making. If you cook the potato(es) first, then it doesn't take as long in the oven, but the prep time will be a bit longer, and there will be a dash more clean up (not much though). If you don't precook the potato(es) it will take longer in the oven. Here's what I cooked up for dinner:

Made 1-1.5 servings
1 potato (cooked or uncooked), sliced thinly
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/8 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 T butter
1 T flour
1/4 cup-1/2 cup of milk/heavy cream
pinch of salt and pepper
(you'll need a whisk for this)

Turn oven to 375˙. Spray or butter a small dish that will hold the slices of potato. Layer the slices in the dish, overlapping them. It's okay if it's not perfect. Then in a sauce pan, melt the butter on a medium low heat. You want to make sure not to burn/brown the butter. I find it best to take the pan and move it so the butter moves around the bottom. When the butter has melted, add the tablespoon of flour and whisk. When it begins to foam (when you stop whisking for a second) it's time to add the milk. I remove the pan from the heat, but you don't have to. Add the milk, salt and pepper, quickly whisking it together with the flour and butter mixture. Put the pan back on the heat, and whisk for about 2-3 minutes. You want it to simmer, almost boiling, in order for it to thicken. I didn't get it right the first time, so if you mess up, just start again! It all takes practice. When the mixture has thickened nicely, like eggnog (that's the only thing I can think to compare it to), remove it from the heat and pour over the potato slices. Top it with the shredded cheeses and put it in the oven for 45-60 minutes (if potatoes aren't precooked and 20-30 minutes for potatoes that are cooked). Keep an eye on it because depending on your oven it might take a longer or short amount of time. To test the potatoes for doneness, stick a fork it them. If there's no "crunchy" sound (minus the crispy cheese on top) and the fork slides out easily, then it's done!

Happy Eating and Enjoy!

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How I Started Cooking

I am no professional chef, nor have I even taken professional cooking or baking classes. I create my dishes from the heart, reading and researching a combination of recipes, putting that knowledge to use and either developing my own recipe or amending one I have read. My love for working in the kitchen began when I was very little, watching my mom bake and cook. In high school I received the opportunity to take two semesters of cooking classes with a wonderful teacher. She is the woman who taught me how to make chicken broth from scratch, properly measure flour and most importantly, read every recipe at least once through before beginning. This is not to say that my mother didn't have a substantial role in my quest to conquer the kitchen. My mother is the one who let me go wild in the kitchen, throwing random ingredients from the pantry into a bowl just to call it 'peanut butter cookies' because they contained peanut butter. That was when I learned that if it contains flour, it most likely has to be baked. Thanks Mom!