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2021 HBH Holiday Guide: Beauty
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Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, the ultimate holiday side dish. These potatoes are creamy, cheesy, and seasoned simply for a potato casserole that everyone really loves. The thinly sliced potatoes melt into a creamy, cheesy sauce. The top brown up in the oven adding a bit of crunch. Together these creamy crunchy potatoes are so delicious. They’re simple to make and always a crowd favorite.
Monday potatoes in prep for Thanksgiving next week! Is everyone getting excited for the big feast? I talked about this yesterday, but it feels as though we’ve skipped over Thanksgiving and moved right on into Christmas.
I mean, to a point! I’m still here sharing out as many Thanksgiving recipes as possible before the 25th rolls around. And these potatoes will add another delicious item to our Thanksgiving menu.
What’s funny about these potatoes is that as simple as these are, they really took me a while to perfect. I’ve struggled with scalloped potatoes for the longest time. I just could never get them to cook all the way through.
After a few rounds of these I figured out the secret. A lower oven temperature, plenty of liquid, and lots of time in the oven.
So while these do take a while to make, the prep is simple, and the rest is mostly hands off.
Here are the details
Before I slice the potatoes, I always caramelize the onions. A lot of potato casseroles call for onion powder. But I wanted to add a little more of a fresh onion flavor that wasn’t over powering, but just right.
I love to use caramelized onions for an onion flavor that’s more mellow.
I caramelize them down in a bit of butter and add wine to help them caramelize a little faster. Then just a little fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
While the onions are cooking, I mix the cream, milk, and the two types of cheese together. Most scalloped or au gratin recipes will call for you to cook the milk and cheese together on the stove, creating more of a cheese sauce.
I’ve found that the cheese sauce didn’t help the potatoes cook. It left me with a drier potato, and not in a delicious way.
So I skip cooking the sauce.
Slice the potatoes using a super sharp knife or a mandoline. Using a mandoline is ideal as you’ll get even slices and it’s much quicker too.
Layer the potatoes in a baking dish with the cream/milk/cheese mix and onions. I layer this up similar to a lasagna to ensure every potato gets evenly seasoned.
Once assembled, you bake
The baking time for these potatoes is long. I cook mine a full two + hours to ensure that the potatoes are really cooked and turn tender. I then remove the foil, add a little more cheese, and bake until the cheese is bubbling and browning on top.
It might seem simple, but that browned, golden top really adds another layer of deliciousness to the potatoes that makes everyone want more.
Serve these up warm with a little added fresh thyme for color.
I’m excited to have this recipe to share with not only you guys, but family and friends as well. I actually served them earlier in the month to my oldest brother Creighton. He said they’re probably one of his favorite potato dishes.
When you win over the brothers, all is good!
The next question is, what will you be pairing these cheesy potatoes with? The obvious answer for Thanksgiving is turkey. But come December, over here it will be my roasted beef tenderloin.
Looking for other easy Thanksgiving sides?? Here are my favorites:
Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks
Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans
Lastly, if you make these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 478 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 pinch cayenne
- 3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 russet or yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. 2. Melt together the butter and onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. At this point, you'll want to add the wine and continue to cook another 5 minutes until the onions are deeply caramelized.3. Add the garlic and thyme, then season with salt and pepper. Cook another 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. 4. Butter a 9x13 inch casserole dish. In a large glass measuring cup, combine the cream, milk, a pinch of cayenne, salt, and pepper. Then add the Gruyere cheese. Pour 1/3 of the milk mix into the bottom of the baking dish. Layer in 1/3 of the potatoes, and 1/2 of the onions. Add another 1/3 milk mix, then 1/3 of the potatoes, and then the remaining onions. Add the remaining potatoes, then pour over the last of the remaining milk mix. Try to get the potatoes in an even layer. 5. Cover and bake 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Remove the foil and top with cheddar cheese. Bake another 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden and melty. Serve the dish warm, topped with fresh thyme.
Notes
To make Ahead: prepare and bake through step 5, but stop cooking after 2 hours. Let chill, then cover, and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before baking, bring the dish to room temperature, add the cheddar cheese, and bake another 20-30 minutes.
Read these comments a little too late 🙈 Milk curdled 😩 Still delicious though.
Hey Brianna,
So sorry to hear this!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
I didn’t know you were supposed to cook the milk and cheese together. It curdled.
Hi Lisa,
No need to cook the milk and cheese, you can follow the recipe as written. Were your ingredients at room temp? Let me know how I can help! xx
Stupid me. I only followed the numbered instructions snd even thought that there was something wrong. It doesn’t say in those instructions to cook the cream and Gruyère together it just says to combine them and layer with potatoes in the baking dish. I should have listened to my instincts or read the directions above which does say to cook them together.
I’m guessing this will be a wash
Hi Dana,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback. There’s no need to cook the cream and gruyere together, all of the directions listed are correct. Did this turn out okay? Let me know how I can help! xx
Delicious but I did something wrong. Why did my milk curdle? Any thoughts?
Hi Beth,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! Was your milk cold? That is my only guess as to why it would have done that! Let me know how else I can help! xT
Making this today with a prime rib 😋 Didn’t have gruyere on hand so I had to sub with what I had: Swiss! Can’t wait to try it
I hope you love the recipe Ashley!!
Made these for Christmas this year! Was an absolute hit!! Will Definitely be keeping this as a go-to recipe!!
Hey Jasper,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try! xT
I cant wait to try this recipe, I was reading the comments and a few people are mentioning their milk curdling, how can I avoid that? room temperature ingredients? also if I dont have gruyere cheese what would you suggest replacing that with? Thanks in advance!
Hey Jasna,
Yes, definitely make sure your ingredients are at room temp:) Any other cheese that you like will work, Swiss cheese will be the most similar! I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out! xT
These have to be both the best and easiest scalloped potatoes to make! Follow recipe as is for perfect scalloped potatoes. YUM!
Hey Heather,
Happy Holidays!!☃️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
These are delicious!! I highly recommend the do-ahead prep if you have a busy holiday dinner planned. I served them Christmas Eve with Tieghan’s Beef Tenderloin with Mushrooms and it was outstanding! So tender and delicious and mine actually needed a little more oven time. Great recipe!
Hey Lucy,
Happy Monday!❄️ I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xx
I am making these for my family for Christmas! Can’t wait to taste. Would you say it’s okay to prep them one day ahead and then bake them the next day?
Hey Lindsay,
You bet, that will be just fine for you to do! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s a hit! xT