Scalloped Potatoes Recipe makes an old
fashioned comfort food casserole with white potatoes, onions, colorful
green and red bell peppers, in a delicious cream sauce that your family
will love.
Top the baked casserole with grated cheese and turn your dish into a delicious Potatoes Au Gratin.
Add chopped ham, bacon, beef, seafood or any meat of your
choice, to make a frugal, delicious casserole entree for your family.
Wash potatoes thoroughly.
Place whole potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Bring to a rolling boil on medium heat.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until slightly tender when probed with a fork.
Remove from heat, drain and cool.
While potatoes are cooling prepare the sauce.
Pour the cold milk into a saucepan.
Whisk in flour and 1 teaspoon salt until flour lumps disappear.
Drop in butter.
Turn heat to low and cook and stir often to prevent scorching until sauce comes to a boil and gets lightly thickened like a very thin gravy or roux.
Remove from heat and set aside.
When potatoes have cooled enough to
handle, lay them out on a cutting board.
Remove the peelings.
Slice
vertically into 1/4 inch thin slices.
Arrange 2 layers in a 2 1/2 quart
casserole dish beginning with 1/2 each of potatoes, then onions,
peppers and sauce.
Cover with a tight fitting lid or aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven 350F 60-70 minutes until done.
Potatoes should test tender when tested by probing with a fork and the sauce should be creamy.
While
casserole is baking, check every 10 minutes or so after the first 40
minutes of baking to see if you need to add anymore liquid.
If the sauce
seems to be getting too dry, gently stir in 1/4 cup warm milk until it
reaches the consistency you prefer.
One reason the sauce could become dry is the type of
potatoes.
Other reasons could be inaccurate oven temperature or steam escaping during baking due to unfitted cover.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Let rest 15 minutes before serving. Potatoes will be very hot.
This
Scalloped Potatoes Recipe makes a delicious side dish that can be
substituted and served with any meal where you would normally serve
potato salad.
Served it hot or cold.
Make the above Scalloped Potatoes Recipe and remove the casserole from the oven after the first 60 minutes of baking.
Remove lid or foil and sprinkle the top with grated cheddar cheese.
Stir together bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle on top of the cheese.
If not using the bread crumbs, omit the butter.
Return to oven and bake uncovered until the potatoes are done and the cheese is melted and crumbs are lightly browned
Substitute 3 tablespoons of the liver pan drippings for the butter in the Scalloped Potatoes Recipe, above.
If using beef liver, cut into bite size pieces.
Salt and pepper livers lightly on both sides.
Place flour in a mixing bowl and dip livers in bowl.
If using bacon, while potatoes are cooling, fry bacon slices in a skillet until almost done.
Remove from pan and cut into small pieces, reserving the bacon drippings.
Heat oil to 350F.
Drop flour coated livers in oil and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
Remove from heat to a rack and let excess oil drip off.
Layer these livers on top of the onions when assembling the casserole.
Cook as per directions above.
Serve as a main dish meal.
Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes were not browned as is sometimes done today.
They are usually just creamy white.
"Au Gratin" means with cheese.
Most folks today top the cheese with the buttered crumbs.
However you can eliminate that topping, if you prefer.
You can sprinkle Paprika or grated Parmesan Cheese of top of either for added flavor or color, if you choose.
There are a lot of recipes in my old cook books on cooking Scalloped Potatoes.
But, there is not any information confirming when the recipe was first developed and used.
The recipe makes a delicious casserole to serve to your family at home or share at potluck events.