Thursday, October 15, 2009

Hot, Bubbly, Creamy and Cheesy….potatoes at their finest


So, I didn’t feel well this week. It was just a cold, but I was uncomfortable enough to stay home a day from work. And, since I’m almost never sick, I indulged myself. I lounged on the sofa, read trashy magazines, watched really bad daytime television and ate….potatoes. I craved them. I ate a plate of French fries for lunch. A few kettle chips for a snack, and when I felt a little better, I made scalloped potatoes. I know, scalloped potatoes don’t really sound very good…kind of like grade school cafeteria food. But these scalloped potatoes were different. Quite sensational, really. Possibly the best potatoes I had ever eaten. Ok, maybe they were really au gratin potatoes. Sounds better, I guess. At any rate, without further ado, here is the recipe:


Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes
Printable Recipe

• 5 large russet potatoes, peeled
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2-3 dashes hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning (no salt)
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 ° F.; Spray a 2 Qt casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Thinly slice the potatoes into a bowl of ice water and set aside. I’m going to make a confession here. I don’t have a food processor. No, that’s not my confession—I’ll buy one someday. It’s what I use in its place that’s a little embarrassing. Ahem. I love my Salad Shooter. Ok, I swear it works really well for slicing potatoes really thin. And shredding zucchini and carrots. Let’s just drop it. Make sure to slice the potatoes thin and make sure to cover them in ice water so that they don’t turn grey from the starch.




Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium/high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are soft, but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and then slowly stir in the milk. Add the garlic, hot sauce, salt, lemon/pepper, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Continue to heat and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly.


Drain the potato slices into a colander, and pat dry with paper toweling.


Spread half of the potatoes into the prepared casserole dish. Pour half of the sauce evenly over the potatoes and repeat, ending with the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the sauce.


Cover the casserole dish and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the top is browned and the potatoes are tender.


I think that the best part of these is the crispy, crusty cheese around the outside of the dish.


Oh...and since I sliced way too many potatoes, I fried the rest on them in some hot vegetable oil, along with some banana peppers and chopped onion. Then I ate them so fast, I almost forgot to get a picture.


By the way, those potatoes must have been a miracle cure ‘cause I woke up this morning without the slightest sniffle.

12 comments:

  1. OMG, it's that freaky bakespace psychic friend thing again...I just did these last week.... from YOUR recipe box! HA! (only I used white cheddar) I was going to blog them and surprise you LOL Well, I'll still blog them, your recipe should be shared...often, they were YUMMY!

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  2. LMAO! You're probably the only person I know who craves potatoes over soup when they're sick! I guess with potatoes like that it's easy to crave them! They look delicious!

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  3. Heh, I never had scalloped potatoes at my grade school. I love em! Looks wicked good.

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  4. YUM!!! seriously...can I have some of both? I love potatoes any way I can get them. I'll even pop a few raw slices in my mouth while I make em. (am I weird?...never mind, don't answer that!)

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  5. DD--that is so nice of you! I'm so glad you enjoyed them.

    Michele--what can I say? I am strange like that. I do like soup, but potatoes rule!

    Bob--didn't they serve those icky potatoes with ham at your school? Maybe it was a nun thing.

    Danielle--I'm not going to answer that. LOL.

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  6. thats ok...we all know what the answer really is! (takes on to know one LOL)

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  7. Those look absolutely Heavenly!!!! You had me at Parmesan... YUM!!!

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  8. I love scalloped potatoes, yours look absolutely perfect.

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  9. Now those are some fine looking potatoes!

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  10. YUM!! I LOVE cheesy potatoes!!!

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