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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.
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.
I am planning to make this for Saturday night dinner party. I am wondering is it better to lay potatoes like lasagna or to stack them sideways as in the photo? Just wondering if stacking will affect the cooking of potatoes?
Hey Diane,
You can lay them flat or just stack at a slight slant, either way will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xT
If I make ahead of time, do I leave the cheese on top off until final warm?
Hi Wendy,
Nope, you will add the cheese and bake for 2 hours:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
The make ahead instructions say to follow through to step 5. But the day you want to finish and have the potatoes the instructions say to add cheddar cheese and bake for 20-30 min. I’m just confused when to add the cheddar cheese? The first or second time you bake? Hope that makes sense?
Hi Mackenzie,
You are going to wait to add the cheddar cheese:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Simply outstanding recipe. Make it!! Tiegan hit a homer here.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for your review and trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! Have the best Thursday! ?xTieghan
Made this last night for our family and it was definitely a hit! They want the leftovers with breakfast this morning! Thx for all of your awesome recipes❤️
Hey Donna,
Happy Sunday!! I love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out and sharing your feedback!! xTieghan
I have made this recipe 4 times already – love it !!!
Hey Angela,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great week! ?xxT
Looks yummy. Aren’t these au gratin potatoes though since they have cheese? Scalloped potatoes have no cheese.
Hi Lauren,
I’ve never heard of this, but call them what you like:) xx
Hello I have the same question as Meghan ! Can I stack the pots standing up like the picture ?
Hi Jen,
Sure, that is totally fine! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I made these at Christmas and they were a HIT! My only question and comment is that it might help if we had a pound measurement for potatoes since all sizes of “6 potatoes” will vary 🙂 and… I noticed you said to layer it like lasagna, but yours is layered side ways, not horizontally. So, did you just pour the sauce over the top rather than between layers? Mine also didn’t caramelize this much because I think I used too much sauce for the amount of potatoes. If I can layer side ways and just pour on top, that would be nice! Thanks for a DELISH recipe- just need some clarification 🙂
Hi Megan,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try. I suppose I layered like a sideways lasagna, it really just depends on the shape of your pan and it really doesn’t need to be perfect. I will try to add pounds next time I use potatoes:) xTieghan
Could you cook these the day before and then just heat through the day of serving?
Hey Lauren,
I would just make up until the point of baking, keep in the fridge, and then bake when you are ready to serve. I hope you love the recipe! xx
Is there any way to substitute the cream? I’m planning to make this for Easter and someone can’t have cream (but milk is fine!)
Hey Kelsey,
Sure, whole milk will work for you too! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Could you put ham in these potatoes?! I want to make this for Easter!
Hey Kellie,
Yes, totally! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it!! xTieghan
I’m so bummed!! I was very hopeful for this recipe but it did not work out for me. Only thing I changed was instead of whole milk I only had 1%, so I tried using a bit more cream than 2 cups and lessened the regular milk. Around the 1 hour mark I could smell burning and sure enough, it had curdled!! I skimmed the top layer off and put back in at a lower temp w/o foil. Kept it cooking and then did the cheese layer but I’m sad that A. it curdled and B. it seems like too much liquid (even after letting it sit it was very liquidy)
The flavor is right but the execution is off.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. I’ve not had any issues like this, so I am not sure where you may have gone wrong with the recipe! xTigehan
Made this for a potluck and it was a huge hit! Everyone kept raving about the cheesey potatoes.
Hey Taylor,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
How can we sub the wine? I can’t have it due to religious reasons
Hey Karan,
You can use chicken or veggie broth in place of the wine. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I made this last night with meat loaf. These potatoes are amazing. I did not have whole milk so had to use 2% . I also did not have fresh thyme so used powdered. I also made the mistake of not reading the recipe completely and put the cheese on the top from the beginning. It resulted in a hard cheese layer on top. But even that was good. Will try it again with corrections. I have been making scalloped potatoes for almost 40 years with a cream sauce. This is now my go to recipe.
Hey Tom,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT