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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.
These look so yummy but I’m not able to get the white wine. Do you have any suggestions on what we could substitute instead?
Hey Chelsea,
You can use chicken broth in place of the wine:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! Happy Holidays! xT
I love all of your recipes! I am making this for Christmas. So happy for the “make ahead” tip!
Thanks so much Jill! I hope this recipe is a hit! Happy Holidays! xT
I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time this year. These were a HUGE hit! And it was the first leftover everyone went for at breakfast time the next day. I’ll be making this for Christmas, too!
Hey Lauren,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! xx
If we have one oven/ how do you suggest we time these with roast tenderloin? Do these first and keep covered? Thanks.
Hey Andrea,
Sure, that will work well for you, you can then warm again while the meat is resting. I hope you love the recipe! xx
I made a double batch for a Christmas party that is tomorrow. I changed the yield and followed everything for the make ahead. The milk mixture is still pretty soupy so I’m hoping the sitting overnight and extra bake w/ cheese on top will help. Any suggestions? Can’t wait to try this tomorrow!! You’re the best!
Hey Anna,
Happy Friday!!❄️🧑🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! That should be just fine once you bake! xx
I wouldn’t say I am an expert in the kitchen but I am at least well versed. All of your recipes that I have tried have been fail safed. I did these potatoes for our “Thanksgiving for two” and I will say I’ve tried scalloped and au gratin potatoes so many times and have never had a good result – this recipe here has given me the best potato outcome I could have ever asked for. I added some extra sea salt on top and my favorite hot sauce and WOW! I can’t get enough of these leftovers! The Gruyère is KEY!!! This will be forever my staple potato recipe from now on, for just at home and for crowds. Thank you SO MUCH!
Hey Kiley,
Happy Sunday!!⛄️ I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xxT
So good! Made it last year for thanksgiving and again this year for the other side of family and it was the favorite dish! Will be making again for christmas!
Hi Julia,
Happy Sunday!!⛄️ I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xxT
Made this AMAZING recipe for Thanksgiving for a crew that tends to be a bit pretentious and particular, so was looking for something a bit interesting and fun to bring to the table. While I am an incredibly last minute shopper/person in general, the store was out of both heavy cream and gruyere cheese. I figured, NO FRET!, and worked with half and half and fontina cheese (I actually had extra after making Tieghan’s amazing Mac and cheese last week). I will not lie, it did curdle a bit, which I expected, being that it was not heavy cream I used, HOWEVER, every single person who ate this had nothing but amazing things to say about the dish and how they hope I make this for every dinner upcoming. Great recipe and love all that you do, Tieghan!! Hope you had an AAAAAMAZING thanksgiving with the family!!
Hey Jessica,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try! Thanks so much for your kind message🤍 Have a great weekend:)
Made this for Thanksgiving this year, and everyone raved about these potatoes! Definitely recommend.
Hey Katherine,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)
These were a hit!! I made them for thanksgiving. I didn’t have fresh thyme so used 1 tsp of garlic powder to add to the lacked flavor of no thyme. I also chopped the onions for the sake of my kids. And lastly, I accidentally added the cheese (I only had fresh cheddar) at the beginning of bake time…so I just covered it until 45 minutes left then removed the foil and it was perfect! Will definitely be making again!!!
Hey Katie,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
Hi Tieghan! How much salt would you recommend?
Hi Lyndsey,
You can just use a pinch of salt or more to your liking:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
A pinch of salt doesn’t seem like enough to season the cream mixture given how many potatoes there are….I know the cheese will add some salt but I’m worried it will be bland. I did a teaspoon but mine is in the oven right now so fingers crossed!
Would oregano be an okay replacement for the thyme? Not a huge fan of thyme or rosemary in this house.
Hey Lyndsay,
Sure, sage would also be a great option! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
How long does this last in the fridge after baking? I cooked this early through Step 5 and wondering how long it would keep before heating back up for 25 min with the cheddar before serving.
Hey Christine,
I would say it’s good for 2-3 days. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xTieghan
Can you provide a weight for the amount of potatoes to be used?
Hey Debra,
I would say about 4 pounds of potatoes. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe!! xx
This was absolutely amazing!! We celebrated Thanksgiving this weekend and this was the dish everyone was talking about! I ended up doing it all with cheddar instead of a blend. I will be making this again for Christmas!
Hey Megan,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go! xT