Scalloped Potatoes, Potato Gratin, Potatoes Au Gratin, whatever you wish to call this recipe I can assure you this decadent creamy garlicy cheesy version will become your favourite!
Posted October 20, 2019, Updated January 6, 2025
I have been making basic scalloped potatoes for years, the basic recipe of sliced potatoes, milk, flour, butter and cheese, in fact you can find my original recipe here
This recipe is just as easy but made slightly differently to my original and I think it is those small differences that makes this something very special.
I have been making a version of this inspired from Gimme Some Oven for a while now, there are other variations online, in fact you can make so many versions it is amazing! But I wanted to create a simple recipe that we can all follow and as always with my recipes easy as!
What sets this one apart is the way that the creamy sauce is made. In this instance you prepare it very similarly to any white or cheese sauce with the flavours of garlic and herbs infusing the sauce.
So you slice your potatoes then you will be pouring the sauce over the top and baking – I do this in two parts, potato, sauce, cheese, then repeat. This ensures the sauce oozes through all the layers and creates a gorgeous flavour to every mouthful. Also the sauce contains no cream, just milk and chicken stock.
You can make the garlic flavour as strong or subtle as you like, you can also use fresh or prepared crushed garlic, we tend to use the prepared jar as we always have it on hand and it works really well. I add 4 teaspoons, this is perfect for us, you can use even more or less! The herbs I use are dried Thyme, fresh would be lovely, or you could try Rosemary or Oregano as they would pair beautifully with this dish.
I have a fitting on my food processor that allows me to slice potatoes easily and quickly, you can of course do this by hand or with a mandolin. Try and make sure they are not too thickly sliced as this will mean it takes much longer to cook. I have always found Scalloped Potatoes take much longer to cook than I think they should, this is why I always make them ahead. I will ideally make them in the morning or afternoon before I need them. This means that if they require more time I can easily do that. I then allow them to cool before refrigerating, then reheating to hot when I need it.
As you can see our potatoes were various sizes and shapes and it was still delicious so do not worry. If you would like more sauce use less potatoes, less sauce add more potatoes. We cooked ours in a roasting dish which is approximately 33 x 23cm. You can go smaller and yours will be deeper.
Allow at least an hour to bake, 30 minutes covered and up to 30-45 minutes further to complete baking and brown. You want the potatoes to still have a little resistance but be fully cooked through before removing from the oven. If you are serving straight away you will want the dish to stand for 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
This is delicious the next day, so can be stored in the fridge and reheated the next day. We love taking this to friends for a dish to share as it goes so well with so many other dishes and feeds a lot of people! Feel free to halve this recipe if you are only making for one or two. I would not recommend freezing this dish.
And now onto the recipe for The Best Ever Scalloped Potatoes, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have!
Best Ever Scalloped Potatoes
Absolutely delicious, scalloped potatoes baked in a creamy garlic sauce with cheese, a special dish.
Ingredients
- 45 g Butter
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- ¼ Cup White Flour, 35 g
- 1 Cup Chicken Stock, 250 ml
- 2 Cups Milk, 500ml
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme (or Rosemary, Oregano)
- 10 Medium Starchy Potatoes, peeled
- 2 ½ Cups Cheese (I use tasty or a strong hard cheese), 250 g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a 33 x 23cm roasting dish and set aside.
- To prepare the sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and simmer for 1 minute, then stir in flour and cook gently for 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in chicken stock until smooth and thick. Add milk, salt, pepper, and thyme, whisking until combined. Heat until it just begins to simmer at the edges and slightly thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Thinly slice peeled potatoes using a mandolin, food processor, or knife, and grate 2-3 cups of cheese.
- Layer the dish: Add 2-3 layers of potatoes, then half the cheese and half the sauce. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cheese, and sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender with slight resistance and the top is golden brown.
- Let the dish rest for 15 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to thicken.
- If making ahead, cool completely before covering and refrigerating. Reheat in the oven before serving. Keeps well for up to 2 days.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Use starchy potatoes that are used for baking and roasting for this dish.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 502Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 790mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 23g
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Happy Baking!
Anna
If you are looking for another special vegetable dish try this Roasted Kumara Carrot & Orange Salad, delicious flavours, and goes well with these scalloped potatoes
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vivian says
Have made this twice and only additional comment is 1.5 of the sauce would be better.
Bex says
Saw this today on Instagram and made it tonight. Sooooo good. Will be making it again and again (and so looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow!)
David Batterbury says
Loved it. Followed it as best I could … managed to pull out of a few ‘yums’ and ‘oooo nice did you make that?’
Sarsha says
This recipe is a keeper! I roughly halved it for us and it came out beautifully creamy and tasty. Would be easy to add in any other flavours. Best potato bake! Thankyou for sharing.
Lyn Bates says
I always make pot bake I add diced bacon and onion and cook sliced potatoes first in big bowl drain then layer in dish add bacon onion cheese and cream/milk salt/pepper repeat my family love my potato bake. I will try yours it looks yummy.
justamumnz says
testing comment