Cheesy Scalloped Potato Gratin

These creamy, buttery scalloped potatoes are the true definition of comfort food. Perfect for weeknights or holiday feasts!

Cheesy Scalloped Potato Gratin – Creamy, buttery scalloped potatoes are the true definition of comfort food. Perfect for weeknights or holiday feasts! | thecomfortofcooking.com

As a kid starting out on my own after leaving home, I didn’t come away with an overwhelming number of family recipes. Sure, we enjoyed good meatloaves and mashed potatoes, roasted chickens and apple pies, but I was more excited to be able to eat Pop-Tarts for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I chose! And I did.

To this day, those sprinkle ones still beckon me from the shelves…

But, as my thighs grew thicker and my wallet shrunk thinner from all the take-out and terrible decisions, I decided before not too long to learn how to cook! It saved me money, it distracted me from my boring college books, and I found out I could create some really damn delicious food.

One of the first things I cooked for the guy I was smitten with (now my hubby) was scalloped potatoes.

Cheesy Scalloped Potato Gratin – Creamy, buttery scalloped potatoes are the true definition of comfort food. Perfect for weeknights or holiday feasts! | thecomfortofcooking.com

See how that works?

Well, I guess it wasn’t exactly an immediate path from potatoes to engagement ring. It still took the man 5 years! (And well worth the wait… love ya honey!)

I remember lugging big, heavy handfuls of groceries into his apartment to make our own cozy Easter feast one April. I was still learning, so our glazed ham, creamed spinach and a little sweet potato pie for two were all pre-made. But the cheesy, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth scalloped potatoes? That is one thing I learned how to do from my home-cookin’ mama, and I learned how to do them well.

I rolled up my sleeves, got slicing, and showed that man what he was missing!

Cheesy Scalloped Potato Gratin – Creamy, buttery scalloped potatoes are the true definition of comfort food. Perfect for weeknights or holiday feasts! | thecomfortofcooking.com

Fortunately, it was without knife injury or burning down his 1-bedroom that I accomplished my first scalloped potato side dish, and they were incredible. I think of that little Easter dinner and our tiny shared table every time I make these, and my mom, who taught me that the way to a man’s heart most definitely involves cheese!

For a super cozy weeknight side dish or as an essential addition to your Thanksgiving spread, you’ll love this cheesy scalloped potato gratin recipe. It’s warm and comforting, full of flavor and easy to make. Using a colby-jack cheese blend adds even more creaminess than cheddar, but use whatever cheese you like!

Enjoy this one, friends, and won’tcha tell me below what your favorite food memory is?

Cheesy Scalloped Potato Gratin

Cheesy Scalloped Potato Gratin

Yield: 6 to 8

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. medium potatoes (red, Yukon gold or russet), peeled
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk, I used skim
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded colby jack cheese
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices and set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in milk, dry mustard, cayenne pepper and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.
  3. Arrange half of potato slices in a lightly greased 9-inch square glass baking dish or 1-1/2 qt. casserole dish. Spread half of milk mixture over potatoes and top with 1 cup cheese. Repeat layering with remaining potatoes, milk mixture and 1 cup cheese.
  4. Bake for 1 hour, or until sauce is bubbly and potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and a little cayenne pepper or paprika.
  5. Enjoy!

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Join the Conversation

  1. Anything that involved cheese AND potatoes pretty much scores big in my book–this sounds AMAZING! I have to say, most of my favorite food memories center around my time abroad in Florence. Not only was the food incredible (obviously) but the time was just so magical. I loved it!

  2. These look incredible!

  3. Hav Mercy!! This looks AMAZIN!!

  4. Can’t wait to try these!

  5. Looks so delicious!!

  6. Oh yes, scalloped potatoes are the way to most men’s hearts ;).

  7. This looks incredible Georgia, love how creamy and cheesy it is! What a wonderful food memory, love that you ended up with the guy you were smitten with :) Thanks for sharing a great recipe, pinning :)

  8. Love the back to back cheesy recipes! I will be bookmarking this recipe for the next guy I’m smitten with ;) One of my favorite food memories is the big Christmas Eve dinner with my family!

  9. Another classic, Gi! Why are yours so much prettier than mine? Ha ha!

  10. These look so delicious and comfirting! I wish I was having them for dinner today! ;)

  11. Dude, I’m totally loving this! Cheese and potatoes are my besties!

  12. Cheesy potatoes are one of the most delicious things in the world, and these look SO amazing. NOM!

  13. THESE LOOK INSANELY DELICIOUS!!! Michael loves colby jack so maybe i can finally get a ring on it if I make him these??? :P

  14. These look awesome! My mom was a great cook but we always had scalloped potatoes from a box! Blegh. I love starch and cheese so I’ll put your recipe on my list of “to-make-soon” dishes. :)

  15. You had me with two words – Cheesy and Potatoes. YUM

  16. I am surprised your hubby didn’t take one knee right on the spot that Thanksgiving! Seriously Georgia. Love all of the creamy dreamy cheese, pretty potatoes, and right-outta-the-oven goodness you have rocking in this dish. Marry me?

  17. Now I know why you call your blog The Comfort of Cooking. This is comfort food at its best. I love that you used Yukon Gold potatoes and a touch of cayenne to give it some zip. Wonderful recipe. I’d love to eat this entire pot.

  18. This gratin looks absolutely perfect! Love this recipe!

  19. this is the ultimate comfort food in my book! Gratin just seem so home-y to me! Love the looks of this one, lady! :)

  20. I love scalloped potatoes but I’ve never made them before–bookmarking this recipe fo sho!

  21. Oh, yeah. This is comfort food at its finest. It would have won my hubby over, too!

  22. I really, really just want to face plant into that dish. This is…amazing!

  23. Mmmm cheese and potatoes… my favorite! Stunning spuds my friend!

  24. cheesy, gooey, creamy spuds …comforting and delicious too, yumms :D

  25. oh goodness, i haven’t had good scalloped potatoes in WAY too long. this looks amazing.

  26. This looks amazingly good, it would for sure bring tears to the dinner table! YUM!

  27. The ultimate comfort food!

  28. Georgia,
    These potatoes are so up my alley. Sadly, I’m not sure I could control my primal wants and would thus likey bring embarrassment and shame to myself for lack of self-control with these. YUM! Sorry I have been out of touch with your postings lately, you have one of my favorite food blogs; I was noticing with this post how well coordinated the photos are with their backgrounds etc. You do a very nice job. To make sure I don’t miss any of your future work, I am now subscribing by email; I hope you don’t get sick of me :-)

  29. Awww, maybe Jason will propose if I make this cheesy goodness for him!

  30. Oh yum! I haven’t made scalloped potatoes in ages, but all the cheesy goodness in these is calling my name. And I imagine that the sprinkling of cayenne pepper adds the perfect kick. Thanks for reminding me of a childhood favorite!

  31. This is total comfort food. I’m totally craving potatoes at 7am.

  32. I love cheesy potatoes, Georgia. (how can you not!!) And how special is this recipe? The first homemade cookin’ you made for your hubs. Cherish it forever!

  33. Australians don’t eat cheese the same way Americans do but I’m sure my husband will LOVE these. I loved the story too. :)

  34. I bet every time you make this cheesy delicious dish you remember your first meal with the love of your life. To many more years of blissful memories and delightful potatoes. Take Care, BAM

  35. Potato and cheese…a super comfort combo. The gratin looks satisfying and delicious.

  36. I suppose there isn’t a man out there that wouldn’t fall for these cheesy scalloped potatoes Georgia. I’m just glad you snared the one you wanted – lol!
    Today it is dark and gloomy here in the NE. A perfect day for a dinner like this!

  37. Yum! Can I have these for breakfast?

  38. i havent had scalloped potatoes in so long – the cheesy goodness oh my my

  39. My husband loves scalloped potatoes. These look wonderful!

  40. This may make you sad buuuuut, for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year we go to my grandma’s house. Love the woman, but she does NOT know how to cook to save her life. So my entire life for these holiday meals, we’d have turkey jerky basically (the meat was SO dry!) and boxed scalloped potatoes. So this is the really sad part: up until a few years ago, I didn’t realize you could make scalloped potatoes homemade.. in that, I didn’t realize it wasn’t just a boxed specialty! And oh my goooooosh I need to make this! It looks SO incredibly cheesy and luscious–the complete antithesis of the boxed fake version! MUST MAKE.

  41. There isn’t must better than a big dish of cheesy potatoes!

  42. Seriously drooling! It looks so cheesy and amazing!

  43. potato gratin has to be in my top 5 potato dishes. So gooey and cheesy – the best combination ever of potatoes and cheese. Not surprised the man was hooked :)

  44. I think I might make this for a Thanksgiving side dish!!

  45. These look amazing. Your Momma would be proud. Scalloped potatoes are a favourite here but not made as often as they could be :)

  46. My Hubby loves scalloped potatoes too! With lots and lots of cheese! Love this comfort dish, Georgia!

  47. This is such a comforting dish, love it for the fall!

  48. These potatoes looks cheesy good delicious. I’m sure hubby loves it, look at how good it looks. Comfort food. Pinned it yesterday.

  49. Oh my goodness, lady, this looks TO DIE FOR! All that cheese!!

  50. Mouthwatering potatoes, Georgia! I’m sure they are absolutely delicious. Beautiful photos and awesome post!

  51. This story is proof the way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Love these cheesy potatoes.

  52. you make my grandmothers look like nothing. there isn’t anything much better than that comfort warm feeling with cheesy potatoes

  53. Now that is pure comfort food – love how you lightened it up with skim milk!

  54. I cannot pass by a dish of scalloped potatoes, and these look especially cheesy and fabulous!

  55. 5 stars
    Oooh…the ultimate in comfort food, Georgia! Love the story that accompanies this post. Beautiful photography, too! My favorite food memories? There are three (3)… baking Tollhouse Cookies in my elementary school’s commercial kitchen in 1st grade, baking Christmas cookies with my grandmother and nailing Chicken Flautas with all the fixin’s the first time for my hubby just before we were engaged (he was amazed). Thanks for sharing, girl! Will be pinning!

  56. Scalloped potatoes are such a treat and who doesn’t love them!?!
    Your photos are just scrumptious looking and of course I’m ready to make a pan of these spuds myself ;) One of my favorite food memories (there are so many of them..being the food obsessed person that I am ;) ) is eating artichokes one leaf at a time dipping each one in mayo the whole way…down to the heart and that was always the best!!! save the best for last-always applies to eating an artichoke ;)

  57. I love the creamy and cheesiness of this dish. It’s good to have those recipes that brings you back to good memories Georgia. Thanks for sharing it with us! :)

  58. I know my husband (and son) will adore this… so I will have two men thanking me for such a hearty potato dish. :)

  59. Cheesy potatoes! I’d fall in love with your food (and you) right away. =P YUM! I still get confused with the word “scallop”ed thinking there is scallop. Tee hee.

  60. gratin potatoes are one of our top foods.. Just love the cheesy flavor!!

  61. This is one fine looking recipe. I just fell in love with every part of this recipe. Creamy, noodles, cheese…warm and cozy food. Thanks for sharing.

  62. Love the sound of these potatoes…yummy I’m sure.

  63. 5 stars
    Wow Georgia, I could eat these for the whole meal and not feel like I was missing anything. I love old fashioned recipes like this one especially when they’re not only delicious but bring fond memories each time they’re served.

  64. Perfect comfort food now that it’s getting a little chilly here in Orlando!!

  65. I won my hubby over with food, too! Love, love, love this!!

  66. Can these be frozen? If so, how should I do it? Thanks, look amazing!

  67. Just cover the baked dish with foil and freeze.

  68. 5 stars
    These are AWESOME!! I used 1 cup of shredded cheddar and 1 cup of Monterey jack. LOVE!

  69. I’m hosting Easter dinner this year and have a hundred other things to do. I’m wondering if I could prepare this the day before and cook it the next day? Or should I cook it the day before and just heat it up? I’ve never made scalloped potatoes before.. Really looking forward to trying it out!

  70. Either should work just fine; cooking ahead of time and reheating at a low temp, or assembling ahead of time and cooking right before serving. Enjoy!

  71. 5 stars
    I made this recipe tonight, after a random net search for scalloped potatoes (without heavy cream). It was perfect! Thank you so much!

  72. 5 stars
    This dish was absolutely fantastic! Super delicious!! Every loved it!!
    Thanks for the recipe! I will make it this way every time.

  73. 5 stars
    Made these today but used whole milk, They were a huge hit!

  74. 5 stars
    I have made these twice now. They are amazing. I used 1 % milk one time and skim the other and they were amazing both times. I also beefed up the pepper a bit because my son likes the heat. Comfort food at its finest.

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