Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes are creamy and cheesy thin sliced potatoes that are deliciously seasoned with fresh thyme and baked to perfection with Cheddar cheese and Guinness!

You might also like Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Greek Hasselback Potatoes.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes is a baked casserole of thinly sliced potatoes layered with a decadent cream sauce and plenty of cheese. The top is browned until crisp, contrasting with the tender, flavorful layers beneath.

I call these Scalloped Potatoes "sophisticated potatoes", because they look very presentable once out of the oven, made with delicious Guinness and usually show up for a special occasion, together with Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce and Garlic Parmesan Sweet Potatoes.

Why these potatoes works

• Pair up with meats perfectly: These easy scalloped potatoes au gratin work with almost any main dish you can imagine: chicken dishes, salad, baked pork chops. Or eat it as an entire meal! It's also not as difficult as you would think, and these potatoes are so worth the time.
• Beer gives them a tasty edge: Cooking potatoes with Guinness elevates an otherwise straightforward potatoes into something comforting, hearty, and stouty.
• Cheese is the key: Scalloped potatoes are so exceptionally cheesy making them richer and more satisfying.

Key Ingredients

• Potatoes: Russet potatoes are traditional for their starchy texture, but Yukon Golds yield a creamier, saucier result. Both work - your choice!
• Cheese: Cheddar and Parmesan for extra cheesiness. Avoid pre-shredded cheese for best melting.
• Cream or Whole Milk: Heavy cream for the win. Whole milk makes a lighter, but still creamy, version, but I wouldn't recommend it.
• Butter & Flour: For the base of the cram sauce
• Seasonings: Salt, pepper. I also used fresh thyme but you can also substitute with dried thyme. Fresh or dried rosemary works well tool
• Garlic: if you're a garlic lover, go ahead and add more than what the recipe calls for.

Essential Equipment

• Medium saucepan to cook cheese sauce in.
• Cast Iron Skillet or baking dish: I recommend to use 12 inch heavy skillet - it's large, but not too overwhelming.
• V-Blade mandoline slicer or this German engineered 5 ultra-sharp blade mandoline slicer. You want thin and evenly sliced potatoes to help give Scalloped Potatoes a great texture.

How to Make Scalloped Potatoes

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

1. Prepare Cheese Sauce

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat.
2. Add thyme and onion; cook 4 minutes or until onion is tender and golden, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in flour, milk, cheese and salt. Cook, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.
4. Remove half of cheese sauce into a bowl.

2. Add Scalloped Potatoes

Arrange potato slices, slightly overlapping, on top of the remaining sauce in the skillet

3. Top with Remaining Cheese

Pour the rest of the sauce on top of the potatoes. Potatoes Au Gratin prep work is done. Now for the oven time!

4. Bake

Potatoes Au Gratin for 45 minutes at 375 F. or until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and top with remaining ½ cup cheese. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

Pro Tips

If using baking dish instead of the skillet: Before you add the potatoes to the buttered baking dish, you can pour a thin layer of milk (instead of the cheese sauce) into the bottom of the baking dish, so the bottom layer of potatoes will cook well and soak up the delicious goodness, like all the other layers.

How do I prevent scalloped potatoes from curdling?

High heat can curdle cream or milk; bake at 350-375°F, use fresh dairy, and avoid overly acidic cheese varieties.

Why are scalloped potatoes watery?

Too much moisture from potatoes or milk can cause watery results as well as slicing potatoes too thick or not baking long enough also prevents sauce from thickening.

Easy Fixes:

• Use starchy potatoes like Russet for better thickening.
• Pre-cook potato slices in milk or drain excess liquid before layering.
• Add a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch to the cream mixture to boost sauce consistency.

Why are my potatoes not fully cooked?

If you sliced your potatoes too thick - they will take longer to cook. Make sure to slice potatoes thinly using a mandolin and then bake covered to slow cooking and trap steam. Bake uncovered only for the final 15 minutes to allow browning.

Can I make scalloped potatoes gluten-free?

Substitute flour with cornstarch or potato starch for thickening and ensure all ingredients are certified gluten-free.

What's the best way to reheat scalloped potatoes?

Cover leftovers with foil and reheat at 350°F until warmed through to maintain texture and moisture.

How do I make scalloped potatoes ahead?

Assemble and refrigerate up to 24 hours, then bake just before serving; add 10-15 minutes to bake time if baking cold from the fridge.

Substitutions and Variations

• If you can, shred your own cheese for the best outcome. Although pre-shredded is also good but you don't get that melting quality with the block.
• Use regular sized potatoes, since the little ones can be annoying to slice, even with a mandolin.
• You don't have to peel the potatoes, even though I did peel mine.
• Top the potatoes with breadcrumbs and melted butter for the last half of cooking. You can also add some onion powder and poultry seasoning to the cream mixture.

Serving Suggestions

Best main dishes to pair with potatoes au gratin are Garlic Mushroom Pork Chops, Oven Grilled Tandoori Chicken Skewers and Brown Sugar Dijon Glazed Pork Loin.

If you're making these for Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving, try pairing with this Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce and Ultimate Green Bean Casserole Skillet.

My top salad suggestions are Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries and Pecans and Blackberry and Avocado Salad.

Leftovers and Storage

• Scalloped Potatoes will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in a air-tight container to prevent moisture loss.
• Reheat in a covered saucepan on the stove at a low heat. You could also warm them up in the oven covered with foil if you've got a lot left still in the cast iron skillet or casserole dish.
• I wouldn't recommend freezing leftovers because of the cheese and cream.

More Easy Potato Recipes

• Instant Pot Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Southern Potato Salad with Mustard, Eggs and Pickles
• Buttery Mashed Potato Pie with Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese
• Irish Mashed Potatoes with Bacon (Colcannon)

This recipe was originally published in 2018. Since then I improved the structure of the recipe, added several helpful sections as well as updated the photos, but the recipe stayed the same.