Christmas Scalloped Potatoes

By Addie

"Here's a great scalloped potato recipe that's so easy and absolutely delicious. The leftovers are just as good, maybe even better, the next day. This is one of my favorite and most prepared recipes, from my 1971 Florence Junior Welfare League cookbook."

Ingredients

• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated cheese, to sprinkle on top
• Paprika

Preparation

Step 1

In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour. Let sit for a minute.
Add all of cold milk, stirring with a whisk. Season with salt and cayenne.
Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk. Reduce heat and stir in cheese.

Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased one quart casserole dish. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Top with some paprika for color. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F.
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REVIEWS:

I have no business cooking. I have no idea what I'm doing, so I find recipes on Recipezaar with high ratings, scour the comments for hints and say a little prayer before any attempts in the kitchen. While these potatoes are delicious, I thought I would share what I learned in case there is anyone as desperately in need of help in the kitchen as me. First, I bought a mandolin specifically for this recipe, and I'm glad I did. Saved me A LOT of time. However, in putting half the potatoes in, I didn't separate them carefully enough... so in some cases, it was as though the slices were three times what they ought to have been. DUH. Next time, I will take the time and care to lay the potatoes out in a single layer with a tiny bit of sauce alternating each layer to keep them from sticking together and not cooking thoroughly. Next, I made this recipe the day before because I've heard they taste better the second day. The first day, I tasted them and was worried that in putting the amount of salt called for in the recipe in that I had over-salted and ruined them. But the next day, they weren't salty at all - they were perfect. (I cooked them the full hour; the next day, let them come to room temperature for an hour and then re-heated them at 350 for 30 minutes. Due to my not separating the slices enough, some of the potatoes were STILL not quite done.) But if I were to plan to eat them the same day, I would cut way down on the salt. Hope no one needs as much help in the kitchen as me (if they do, they probably need another adult to watch them to ensure they don't end up killing themselves in a tragic vegetable-peeler-incident), but if so, hope this was helpful. Overall, this is an amazing recipe that even *I* couldn't ruin!

This was awesome! I didn't use 4 cups of potatoes, maybe 2 1/2. But it was only for my husband, toddler and me. I did add a dash of garlic powder, a squirt of prepared mustard and a little black pepper, about 1/3 c. minced onion, and used a Cheddar-Monterrey Jack cheese blend. This was the best scalloped potato recipe I have ever used! I cannot wait to make it again!

HOORAY! This was awesome, and by slicing my potatoes with the food processor, REALLY quick to make (seriously, it only took me like 1 minute to slice all my potatoes--and they were even thickness). The cheese sauce came together / quickly nicely as well. I used regular butter but 2% sharp cheddar, with good results. I split the casserole into two 8x8's and put one in the freezer for another dinner. Will definitely make this again!

I also used over 2 cups of cheese. I also used Yukon Gold potatoes and left the skins on the slices. The buttery flavor of the Yukon gold is always a compliment to such a cheesy dish! (Actually I use Yukon Gold for everything, they're awesome!) Very easy to make and a big hit! Btw dont be afraid of the cayenne, couldnt even taste it at recipe-strength.

These were amazing! I doubled everything (except the cheese...I quadrupled that!) to make a 9x13 pan. I also added ham per hubby's request. He paid me the highest compliment a wife can get...he said it was better than his mom's! *lol* Thanks for sharing this recipe. It's a keeper!

This has become my standard recipe for scalloped potatoes. It has received very positive feedback when I have served it to guests and has become my son's favorite potato dish despite the fact that he never before liked scalloped potatoes at all. I always add some finely sliced onion as well. I try not to make it frequently as I am too tempted to over-indulge! Update: I use fat reduced cheddar, fat-free milk and a heart healthy margarine - tastes great even with these modifications.

This was one of the best Scalloped Potatoes recipe I have found. Normally my taters turn out watery. Not so with this one. I did add one clove minced garlic, 3/4 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, minced, and used sharp white cheddar cheese. Next time I will add some chopped onion. IndyEater's idea for caramalized onion sounds great.

Have made these potatoes for several parties and a few dinners at home and always get requests for the recipe. They are great! I used my food processor to slice the potatoes which made prep even easier. Lots of great flavor especially considering the small amount of time they take to make. I think it's important to use a good sharp cheddar cheese so there is plenty of flavor to the sauce. You could add garlic or onions and they would taste good but they are excellent as is.

Wow, this recipe was simple...I used some Old Bay seasoning instead of the cayenne pepper. and a pinch of black pepper too...it came out so good...my family ate it all up!!

Thank you Vicki for this wonderful recipe. We all loved it. I added sautée onions between the layers of potatoes. I certainly will make it again.

Well Vicki, here's review #402 and a well deserved 5 stars. DH made this for our dinner last night and couldn't stop raving about it. It's so easy to prepare, goes together in minutes and can be cooking in the oven while getting the rest of the meal ready and the taste was a combo of crispy topping with a creamy, cheesy center. We served with steak, home made bread, a good red wine and ended up with one of the best dinners we've had lately. Thanks so much for posting, this will be a regular in our house.

Made these for the first time to go with Christmas ham and got raves from everyone. My changes: I used half sharp cheddar and half swiss gruyere; added a layer of thinly sliced onion (for texture) and used one part cream to two parts milk (it was skim milk, so don't sue me for substituting cream). Next time a tiny bit more cayenne or hot pepper sauce to give it a little more kick. So easy and delicious!

Ok, so I was super desperate one night when it was time to make dinner. mind you, I am a stay-home mom and did not want to go to the grocery store. so I used what I had. I ended up using 1/2 the amount of cheddar and subbed the other 1/2 with pepper jack. and as I started, I looked in my cupboard for flour and realized I was all out. so i subbed that with masa corn flour and WOW!!! I came out amazing!! The sauce was delicious and the texture was so creamy.... thanks for sharing the recipe! Try my way too and let me know what you think sometime :)

This was absolutely fantastic! I added chopped garlic to the sauce and sauteed onions to the sliced potatoes. This one is a keeper

Absolutely fantastic! I added a pinch of pepper, about 1/3 cup of carmelized onions and two cloves of garlic to the cheese sauce. Easy to make and a huge hit with the whole family.

I thought I had rated these previously, but don't see my review. Made these yesterday to accompany grilled porterhouse. I added some garlic and green onion and used asiago and cheddar. Next time I will add some vidalia onion as well. Sprinkled with smoked paprika and I did have to bake an additional ten minutes, but I assume that my oven is off a bit. Really delicious, will make again.