Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes

One-Hour Comfort

One-Hour Comfort: Quick, Cozy, Modern Dishes for All Your Cravings by America’s Test Kitchen certainly lives up to its name, and it’s a great guide no matter what you’re craving.

This cookbook, with its diverse collection of uncomplicated dishes, shows you how to get comfort food on the table quickly. It proves that great recipes don’t need to take all day to cook.

I think this book will be a valuable recourse for anyone making Thanksgiving dinner or even just one dish for the holidays. It also makes a great gift to even an experienced cook!

Au gratin vs. scalloped potatoes

Now, technically, these potatoes should be called potatoes au gratin.

That’s because the main difference between au gratin potatoes and scalloped potatoes is that au gratin has cheese, making them more decadent. While scalloped potatoes are typically baked in a basic cream sauce with no cheese.

But I’ve never been one to let the name of things be too bothersome. And, more and more recipes are using the scalloped name. Besides, once you taste this easy cheddar scalloped potatoes, you won’t care what they’re called either. They’re that good!

I’ve wanted to share one of these creamy potato-bake recipes here on the blog for a long time. I have an amazing recipe for Potato and Onion Layer Bake, which isn’t really creamy. And I’ve adapted that into a Sweet Potato Layer Bake as well.  

How to make

This delicious recipe from Cooks Country and America’s Test Kitchen atk only needs 4 ingredients, plus salt and pepper. You’ll do a little cooking on the stove, then pop it in the oven for 20 minutes of hands-off cooking time.

Gather up all your ingredients. Then, wash and peel the potatoes. Typically, I like to leave potatoes unpeeled, but I think that peeled potatoes are just a bit fancier, and so I think it works here. But, if you’re feeling lazy, and want to try it unpeeled, I think it’ll still turn out great.

Next up, slice the potatoes into ¼-inch thick slices. A mandoline makes quick work of slicing the potatoes. You can also do this by hand.

Start cooking the taters by parboiling them in the combination of heavy cream and broth on the stovetop.

You can use your favorite broth here – vegetable broth or chicken broth.

Then stir in some sharp cheddar cheese. Gently transfer this to a 13×9 baking dish, and top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Storage & make ahead

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

This dish also freezes well. Allow the leftovers to cool completely, and place in individual portions in airtight containers for up to a month in the freezer.

To make ahead, slice the potatoes and cook them in the cream mixture on the stove. Add and top with the cheddar cheese. Place them in the baking dish. Allow it to cool completely. Then cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Place in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready, bake as directed; the dish may take a little extra time to heat all the way through, so keep an eye on it.

Changes to the recipe

This is a nice basic side dish recipe. But there are a couple of things you might want to experiment with.

Change up the cheese. Try a combination of Asiago cheese, Parmesan, pepper jack cheese, or any other of your favorite.

Add in some fresh herbs. Try rosemary, thyme, or oregano.

I also have a sweet potato au gratin recipe if you need a little more inspiration.

Serving suggestions

This dish will be lovely on the Thanksgiving or Christmas table. Serve it with the traditional Turkey, stuffing, and green bean casserole.

It’s also great with some roasted chicken and air fryer broccoli.