Ina Garten's scalloped potatoes are a great dish to serve with with your baked turkey for Thanksgiving. It is an easy dish to prepare with thinly sliced potatoes in a creamy sauce with fennel and Gruyere cheese. The key to a successful dish is to thinly slice the potatoes on a mandolin or with a chef's knife to ensure they cook evenly.
About Ina Garten's Scalloped Potatoes
Ina Garten's scalloped potatoes are delicious with thinly sliced potatoes, fennel, onion, a creamy sauce with heavy cream, and Gruyère cheese that are assembled in a greased casserole dish.
The fennel and onion should be thinly sliced and fried until caramelized. Then, you cover the scalloped potatoes with aluminum foil and bake them at 350 F for 30 minutes. Then, you remove the foil and continue baking the potatoes until the top is browned and the potatoes are tender.
Ina Garten's Scalloped Potato Ingredients
- 2 small fennel bulbs
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoon heavy cream, divided
- 2 ½ cups grated Gruyère cheese (½ pound), divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Ina Garten's Scalloped Potatoes Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Grease the casserole dish with butter.
3. Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise.
4. Remove the cores (heart) and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise. You should have approximately 3 or 4 cups of sliced fennel.
5. Fry the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on low heat for 15 minutes, until tender and caramelized. You could add some minced garlic at this stage as well if you like.
6. Peel the potatoes and thinly slice them by hand or using a mandolin.
7. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of the cream, 2 cups of the Gruyère cheese, salt, and black pepper.
8. Add the fennel and onion, and mix well.
9. Put the potato mixture in the baking dish.
10. Press the mixture into an even layer.
11. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream with the remaining ½ cup of Gruyère cheese and sprinkle on the top the potatoes. You can season the mixture with some pepper too if you like.
12. Bake for 1 ½ hours until the potatoes are very tender and the top is lightly browned and bubbly.
13. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.
What is the Difference Between Au Gratin and Scalloped Potatoes?
The main difference between scalloped potatoes and au gratin is that au gratin has cheese whereas scalloped potatoes don't. However, these days, the terms scalloped potatoes and au gratin potatoes seem to be interchangeable.
How Do You Keep Scalloped Potatoes from Drying Out?
The best way to prevent scalloped potatoes from drying out is to add cream or milk to the top before baking them. Like the recipe instructions state, mix about 2 tablespoon of cream with the cheese before putting it on top of the potato mixture and baking it in the oven.
You can also cover the potatoes with aluminum foil during the first 30 minutes of baking them, which will help the potatoes become tender and eliminate the chance of them becoming dry. After 30 minutes, you can remove the foil and continue baking them until they are browned.
How Can You Tell When the Scalloped Potatoes are Done?
You will know that the scalloped potatoes are done, once the top is brown and the potatoes are tender.
About 10 or 15 minutes before the recommended cooking time has elapsed, you can check the potatoes using a fork. If you can stick a fork in the potatoes or they mash easily, you will know they are done.
How Do You Fix Undercooked Scalloped Potatoes?
If your scalloped potatoes are already browned on top and the potatoes are still uncooked, you should cover them with aluminum foil and continue baking them until they are soft. The aluminum foil will prevent the potatoes from browning further and lock in the moisture so that the potatoes cook more evenly.
What to Serve With Ina Garten's Scalloped Potatoes
Scalloped potatoes are similar to mashed potatoes in that they work well with meat dishes such as pork chops, baked beef, or pork tenderloin. You can also serve them with your roasted turkey for Thanksgiving and cranberry sauce.
Here is a list of the best side dishes you can serve with scalloped potatoes:
- Bone-In Pork Chops
- Pork Tenderloin
- Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon
- Beef Short Ribs
- Greek Salad
- Asparagus and Carrots
Ina Garten’s Scalloped Potatoes
Ina Garten’s scalloped potatoes are a great dish to serve with with your baked turkey for Thanksgiving. It is an easy dish to prepare with thinly sliced potatoes in a creamy sauce with fennel and Gruyere cheese. The key to a successful dish is to thinly slice the potatoes on a mandolin or with a chef’s knife to ensure they cook evenly.
Ingredients
- 2 small fennel bulbs
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoon heavy cream, divided
- 2 ½ cups grated Gruyère cheese (½ pound), divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Grease the casserole dish with butter.
- Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise.
- Remove the cores (heart) and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise. You should have approximately 3 or 4 cups of sliced fennel.
- Fry the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on low heat for 15 minutes, until tender and caramelized. You could add some minced garlic at this stage as well if you like.
- Peel the potatoes and thinly slice them by hand or using a mandolin.
- Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of the cream, 2 cups of the Gruyère cheese, salt, and black pepper.
- Add the fennel and onion, and mix well.
- Put the potato mixture in the baking dish.
- Press the mixture into an even layer.
- Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream with the remaining ½ cup of Gruyère cheese and sprinkle on the top the potatoes. You can season the mixture with some pepper too if you like.
- Bake for 1 ½ hours until the potatoes are very tender and the top is lightly browned and bubbly.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 675Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 922mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 7gSugar: 6gProtein: 30g
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