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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.
Could you do this with sweet potatoes? If so, Would you swap out the cheddar? Or make any other changes?
I am definitely going to try this but need any easy and yummy Sweets recipe for Thursday!
I’d like to know the same thing! 🙂
Hey Karey,
I personally wouldn’t do this with sweet potatoes, I don’t think the flavors would be the best combo:) Here are some sweet potato recipes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/bourbon-sweet-potato-casserole-sweet-n-savory-bacon-pecans/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/crispy-parmesan-thyme-sweet-potato-stacks/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/cinnamon-streusel-swirled-maple-sweet-potato-casserole/
I hope this helps! xT
Hi! This scalloped potato recipe looks amazing! I watched your IG video on how to make it. I’m a bit confused by the recipe instructions after the video. In the IG video it doesn’t look like a 9×13 casserole dish. Is it ok to use a different size dish? Also, do the potatoes need to be layered on top of each other or can you just put them in stacks beside each other like in the video? If just stacking them next to each other, do I just layer the milk/cheese in between each slice of potato? Sorry for so many questions! Just want to make sure I have the recipe correct 😊 Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hey Monica,
My dish was an oval shape, but pretty close to a 9×13 so whatever you have that is about that size will work for you:) I did some slanted stacking or you can follow the recipe as written, the dish is going to work either way! I hope you love the recipe! xx
Perfect! Thank you so much. Can’t wait to make this recipe. I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving! 😊
Yours looked so good I had to make them instead of getting the scalloped potatoes at CostCo. Sadly, they didn’t turn out; the milk/cheese mixture curdled despite following recipe to a tee. Very unappetizing and didn’t taste good at all. Wish I would’ve had the Costco potatoes as back up.
Hi Sue,
So sorry to hear you had issues with the recipe. I’m not sure why that would have happened for you, did you use freshly grated cheese? Let me know how I can help! xx
Could you give a little more guidance on the potatoes? maybe the weight? I plan on making this for a pitch in dinner, so glad that they can be “started” on one day and then finished on another day.
Hey Chris,
Sorry, I don’t have the weight of the potatoes, I used 6 medium sized potatoes, you really can’t go wrong here:) I hope you love the recipe! xT
Can this be assembled and cooked next day? I’m excited to try this recipe.
Hey Catherine,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Is it possible to not add the white wine? And can I do coconut milk instead of heavy cream?
On her insta she just replied saying you can use chicken or vegetable broth instead of the wine!
Thanks Phoebe!!
Hey Samantha,
I would use broth in place of the wine and yes you can use coconut milk. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Did anyone else have an issue with the liquid spilling over? Maybe my pan was too small!
Hey Kaitlin,
Sorry to hear this, what size dish did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Same happened to me! I think my potatoes were too small and I used the 3 cups of liquid. I had to put a pan under which thank God cuz it spilled over for me too… I used a pie pan since I had less potatoes but the same amount of liquid which makes me sad cuz I don’t think mine came out correctly 😭🥹
So bomb, this is the second time I’ve made this & I can’t get enough ❤️👌🏼
Hey Chelsea,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
Thank you so much for the yummy recipe, I made this today and the top layer was amazing. However, I don’t think I added enough salt & pepper to the sauce because the bottom layers seemed to be missing flavor.
Do you think it would be okay to add chopped up ham to the sauce & to add cheddar cheese between each layer?
Hey Allie,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Sure, I don’t see why not! xx
Could you freeze this after baking?
Hey Christine,
I would suggest freezing this before baking:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I have always blanched my sliced potatoes prior to layering them. Do you not recommend this step? Maybe I am taking some starch out that needs to stay in 🤷🏻♀️
Hey Kasey,
I’ve never done this, so I don’t think it’s necessary but you totally can if you want! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
What type of mandolin slicer do you recommend?
Hey Susan,
Here is the link for the one that I use:
https://www.crateandbarrel.com/oxo-stainless-steel-mandoline/s668993
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I swear I can taste these beauties just looking the photo! I would love to make them for a crowd we are having for dinner, any suggestions on what I should do to double or triple this recipe?
Lol thanks so much Lucy!! You can double or triple the recipe and bake in separate dishes:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi Teighan – Thank you for this recipe – I made it last night for a family dinner and everyone loved it.! I didn’t have guyere cheese so used asiago instead but it was still delicious. Definitely my new go to 🙂 I love following you – ALL of your recipes look so decadent and yummy – can’t wait to try more.
Deb
Hey Deb,
Love it!!🤩 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Thanks so much for your kind message! 🤍 xx
can this be made in the crock pot – and if so – can it be put together the night before – then start it up first thing in the morning ?
Hi Kathy,
So sorry, I’ve never tested this recipe in the crockpot, but you could certainly give it a try! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx