I have seen some very inventive creations that have been called ‘scalloped potatoes’. Everything from nice looking ah gratin potatoes to pre-cooked potato chunks baked in canned mushroom soup. I am posting my pictures of the ‘real authentic scalloped potatoes’ like your great grandmother would have made.
Star with a nice cream sauce. Melt 1/2 lb of butter in a good saucepan and cook until it turns a creamy white colour. Whisk in while cooking, 1/3 cup of all purpose flour, continue to cook this until it is a very smooth paste. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of heavy cream. Whisk under medium heat while it begins to bubble and thicken. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of milk. Whisk until this becomes a nice thick-ish cream sauce. Add 1/2 teaspoon white pepper and slowly add salt a bit at a time and taste until you have it at a perfect saltiness…not too much, but enough to taste. Remove from heat, set aside covered.
Next, peel and thinly slice potatoes until you have 6 to 8 cups depending on the size of your large casserole dish. I went out to my garden and got a mix of fresh yukon and russet. I used a mandolin to slice my potatoes ‘potato chip’ thin, making sure to have some left over. Now, slice a large onion just as thin. Butter your casserole dish. put a layer of potato slices on the bottom, then a layer of onion, cover with a good layer of cream sauce. Repeat this until the casserole dish is full. Make sure potatoes are covered.
On top, crush a few soda crackers.
Bake at 325, for the afternoon, keep a watch on them. Some ovens vary and you don’t want them undercooked or worse, burned. I don’t have a picture of the finished product as they are still in the oven as I am typing this…making the house smell glorious. I know this is a lot of work…but it’s worth the effort…it’s the real deal! Enjoy!
Oh, you may be wondering why I said to have some potatoes left over? I am taking this opportunity to put the left over thin potatoes in some salt water, to deep fry later on…they make wonderful fresh potato chips!!! 😉