SCALLOPED POTATOES RECIPE

      SCALLOPED POTATOES RECIPE

Scalloped Potatoes are a perfect holiday side dish. Easy to prepare for small gatherings but can also be doubled for larger parties. Perfect with beef, pork or chicken! This recipe will serve 6.

Raise your hand if you love scalloped potatoes?! Me: holds up both hands

There’s something so magical about these potatoes. Thinly sliced, peeled potatoes in a cheesy cream sauce. Gah! What’s not to love here? 

I could easily make a meal out of them. Scoop them into a bowl and good night! Code: 1

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCALLOPED POTATOES AND POTATOES AU GRATIN?

Good question! From the research I’ve done, the only difference is that with scalloped potatoes, the cheese is mixed into the sauce. 

Whereas with potatoes au gratin, the potatoes are topped with the sauce and layered with cheese. I also read that for au gratin the potatoes are sliced thinner than scalloped potatoes.

TO MAKE THESE SCALLOPED POTATOES YOU WILL NEED:

• potatoes
• unsalted butter
• fresh thyme
• unbleached all-purpose flour
• whole milk
• low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• nutmeg
• cayenne
• extra-sharp cheddar chees.

Start by peeling and thinly slicing 2 pounds potatoes. For me that was 2 large russets. To keep them from oxidizing and turning color, cover with cool water. Before assembling the casserole, you will want to drain the water and pat the potatoes dry with paper towel.

Next, in a 10-inch skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter with 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves.

Note: some recipes call for onion. You can adapt this recipe, by sautéing the onion in a little olive oil before melting the butter and adding thyme.

Once melted, sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of flour, stir until combined and cook for 2 minutes.

While stirring, pour in 1 cup whole milk and a 1/2 cup of low-sodium chicken broth.

Reduce the heat to low and stir until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Remove the skillet off of the heat and season the sauce with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of both cayenne and ground nutmeg. Stirring to combine.

Lastly, stir in 1-1/4 cups of extra-sharp cheddar cheese, until smooth.

Preheat your oven to 350° and lightly spray a 8×8 or 9×9 casserole with olive oil spray. Arrange half of the sliced potatoes into the bottom of the dish.

Pour half of the cheese sauce over top. Use the back of your spoon to spread it evenly over the potatoes.

Repeat with the remaining potatoes and cheese sauce. Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.

SMELLS SO GOOD!

Pro tip: I also broiler it for a few minutes just to get a crispier and more golden brown top. Just watch carefully to avoid burning.

So simple and incredibly delicious! And goes wonderfully with ham, prime rib, chicken or turkey.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion (*optional - see notes)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• a pinch of cayenne
• a pinch of nutmeg
• 1-1/4 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lightly spray a 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan and preheat your oven to 350°.
2. Thinly slice 2 pounds peeled potatoes. To keep from oxidizing, soak in cool water.
3. In a 10-inch skillet, melt the butter with the thyme. Sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the milk and broth, stir and simmer on medium-low until slightly thickened. Remove off of the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Stir in the cheese until melted and the sauce is smooth.
5. Layer half of the potatoes in the prepared pan and pour half of the cheese sauce. Use the back of your spoon to smoothe the sauce over the potatoes. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and sauce.
6. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
7. For an extra crispy topping, turn on the broiler. Watch carefully to avoid burning.

 

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN WITH HOMEMADE COLESLAW

These chicken thighs are so wonderfully crisp, no one will believe you when you tell them it’s been baked!

I seriously cannot stand deep-frying stuff. It gets extremely costly since I’m using up bottles and bottles of peanut oil, the floors get splattered on with oil and then I feel so incredibly greasy from head to toe until my next shower. To sum up, it’s greasy and gross. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like deep fried foods.

 I love it! French fries, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, corn dogs… you name it. But sometimes you just need those special recipes that require an oven but produce deep-fried quality, like this one right here.

Lauren does such a great job by slathering the chicken in some peanut oil before applying on the bread crumb coating. That way it gets “oven-fried,” giving you nice, crisp fried chicken quality with the use of less oil and without all the grease. Amazing, right? Pair that with this easy and super refreshing coleslaw and you’ll never have to order out fried chicken ever again!So here’s how you make this:

Let’s first start with the coleslaw by mixing together some shredded cabbage, diced onion and grated carrots.

Then we’ll combine the wet ingredients –  mayo, yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper – in a separate bowl.

We’ll pour that right over the cabbage mixture and give it a good stir. Let it sit in the fridge while you prepare the chicken.

Go ahead and trim off the excess fat off the thighs. I find this easiest to do with kitchen shears.

Then in 3 separate bowls, we’ll combine the flour, salt and pepper in one…

the egg, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper in the second…

and the Panko, cajun seasoning, paprika, peanut oil, salt and pepper in the third.

Then we’ll take each chicken thigh and dredge it in the flour…

dip into the eggs…

and then coat in the Panko crumbs.

I took half of the chicken thighs and wrapped each of them in saran-wrap to freeze.This will come in so handy when I’m too tired to cook during the work week. (And yes, I made this over a month ago. I don’t know how it took me so long to post this!)

We’ll put the rest on a baking sheet and let it bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.

You want the crust to have that really nice golden brown.

Oven-fried = best thing ever!

Serve with coleslaw and you’re ready to eat!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to toaste
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, or more to taste
• 1 1/2 cups Panko
• 3 teaspoons cajun seasoning 1
• teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup peanut oil

FOR THE COLESLAW

• 4 cups shredded cabbage
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
2. To make the coleslaw, combine cabbage, onion and carrot in a large bowl. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, to taste. Pour mixture over cabbage mixture and stir using a rubber spatula until well combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
3. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper, to taste. In another shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste. In a third shallow bowl, combine Panko, cajun seasoning, paprika, peanut oil, salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Working one at a time, dredge chicken in the flour, dip into the eggs, then dredge in the Panko, pressing to coat.
5. Place onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the chicken is completely cooked through.
6. Serve immediately with coleslaw.