Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
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Four kinds of cheese, layered between thinly sliced potatoes, make these cheesy scalloped potatoes cozy, creamy comfort food.
The best scalloped potatoes recipe
Our time-tested, favorite Scalloped Potatoes recipe is rich with a delectable cream sauce and ooey gooey cheese in every bite. What could be better than that? Like our Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese, this recipe is at the top of our list of favorite side dishes. Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are perfect for a holiday meal, but they also complement a simple weeknight dinner. We always make extra, because the leftovers taste just as good!
Pair them with: Boneless Pork Chops, Roasted Spatchcock Chicken, or Grilled Ribeye.
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What you'll need
- Russet potatoes: starchy and more uniform in size than most potatoes, so the slices cook evenly. Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes also work. Slice them ⅛" thick on a mandoline.
- Three shredded cheeses: smoked gouda for smoky, complex flavor, plus sharp or extra sharp cheddar and fontina. Buy blocks and shred them yourself. Keith mixes them together and sprinkles them between the layers.
- Cream cheese: the fourth cheese melts into the cream sauce. Regular or reduced fat both work.
- Heavy cream and milk: heavy cream or whipping cream for the richest sauce, with 1% or 2% milk.
- Garlic, fresh rosemary and smoked paprika: garlic and rosemary simmer in the sauce and come out before baking. Use dried rosemary in a pinch. Smoked paprika goes on at the end.
👉 see recipe card below for exact quantities
🔪 Top tip
Parboil the potatoes: boiling the sliced potatoes at the beginning (parboiling) cuts down on the final cooking time of this dish.
How to make cheesy scalloped potatoes
Tools you'll need: mandoline slicer, 12" sauté pan
- Preheat the oven: 350°F.
- Slice the potatoes: using a mandoline, slice all potatoes about ⅛" thick.
- Soak the potatoes: place in a large bowl and soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Strain from water.
- Parboil the potatoes: transfer to a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil for 7 minutes. Drain and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Make the cream sauce: in a separate large saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic cloves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add milk, cream, cream cheese and rosemary, along with salt and pepper. Heat just to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove garlic and rosemary and discard.
- Mix the cheeses: grate the smoked gouda, cheddar and fontina and mix them together.
- Prepare the pan: drizzle olive oil into a 12" sauté pan to coat.
- Layer the potatoes: arrange potatoes in the bottom of the pan in a single layer, shingling them. Cover with a third of the cheese mixture. Add two more layers of potatoes and top with another third of the cheese. Continue layering until all potatoes are used and they are ½" from the top of the pan.
- Top with cream sauce: top with remaining cheese, then slowly pour the cream mixture over top, allowing it to work through the layers. Continue until all potatoes are covered. Cover with remaining cheese.
- Bake: at 350°F for 18 to 25 minutes, until bubbly and browned.
- Serve: sprinkle with smoked paprika and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.
Make ahead and storage
- Make ahead: we haven't tested assembling this ahead of time, so we bake it the same day we assemble it.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: a single serving in the microwave, or a large portion in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
FAQ
If you do not have a large enough sauté pan you can bake Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes in a casserole dish or oven safe baking dish.
We like russet potatoes for this recipe because they are more uniform in size than most potatoes. Yukon Gold Potatoes or Idaho potatoes also work.
Use a mandoline slicer. It gives you uniform slices every time.
🍅 making this recipe?
- Please feel free to reach out with questions. We're happy to help.
- If you enjoyed it, please leave us a comment with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes recipe
Four kinds of cheese, layered between thinly sliced potatoes, make these cheesy scalloped potatoes cozy, creamy comfort food.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 lb russet potatoes
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup milk
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 4 oz smoked gouda, shredded
- 4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
- 4 oz fontina, shredded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a mandoline, slice all potatoes about ⅛" thick.
- Place in a large bowl and soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Strain from water.
- Transfer potatoes to a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil for 7 minutes.
- Drain and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- In a separate large saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic cloves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add milk, cream, cream cheese and rosemary, along with salt and pepper. Heat just to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove garlic and rosemary and discard.
- Grate the smoked gouda, cheddar and fontina and mix them together.
- Drizzle olive oil into a 12" sauté pan to coat.
- Arrange potatoes in the bottom of the pan in a single layer, shingling the potatoes.
- Cover with a third of the cheese mixture. Add two more layers of potatoes.
- Top with another third of the cheese.
- Continue to layer potatoes until they are all used and they are ½" from the top of the pan.
- Top with remaining cheese, then slowly pour the cream mixture over top, allowing it to work its way through the layers. Continue until all potatoes are covered. Cover with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, until bubbly and browned.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with smoked paprika and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Potatoes: Russets are our pick because they're starchy and uniform in size. Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes also work.
- Slicing: Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes ⅛" thick so they cook evenly.
- Cheese: Buy a block of each and shred it yourself. Mix the gouda, cheddar and fontina together for the layers. The cream cheese goes into the sauce.
- No sauté pan? Bake it in a casserole dish or an oven-safe baking dish instead.
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat a single serving in the microwave, or a large portion in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: side dishes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cup
- Calories: 341
- Sugar: 3.6 g
- Sodium: 1016.9 mg
- Fat: 24.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.7 g
- Protein: 8.2 g
- Cholesterol: 66 mg
