Scalloped Potatoes question....

[jms0310]

I've never made scalloped potatoes before & this recipe looked good. Do you think I could sub another kind of cheese for the Gruyère (and if I should)? And if so what kind? Does anyone know any other tried & true recipes?


SCALLOPED POTATOES (MARTHA STEWART)

Serves 14 to 20


3
pounds yellow potatoes, peeled, and sliced paper thin
1
clove garlic
3
cups milk
5
ounces Gruyère cheese
3
tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1
cup heavy cream

1. Heat oven to 325°. In a large saucepan, combine sliced potatoes and milk, and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer until potatoes just begin to get tender, about 3 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, grate cheese and set aside. Place a colander over a large bowl, and drain potatoes, reserving milk. (You should have 2 cups of thick, starchy milk. If potatoes have absorbed more than 1 cup of milk, you must add enough milk to bring the reserved milk volume to 2 cups.)

3. Rub a 3 1/2-quart oval casserole with garlic and butter. Arrange sliced potatoes in the casserole in two layers, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot with remaining butter and pour in the reserved cooking milk and cream. Scatter grated cheese over the top.

4. Place casserole in the lower third of the oven, and bake until the cheese has turned deep golden brown and the milk has reduced and thickened, 80 to 90 miutes. Remove from oven, and serve immediately.

[funniegrrl]

This looks like a fairly traditional recipe, except for the innovation of yellow potatoes. Gruyere is a variety of / similar to swiss cheese, so anything in that neighborhood should work fine.

[kbs]

You could also substitute a nice white cheddar for half of the Gruyere so you get a combination of those two flavors. In my world where cheese is king, I would probably use 4 oz of cheddar and 4 oz of gruyere :eek: . It's the holidays, right?
:D

-Kim

[Gail]

They don't have to have cheese at all. To wit:

JULIA CHILD'S POMMES DE TERRE DAUPHINOISE

Yield: A large casserole, serving 6 to 8

1 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 cups milk, or mixed milk and cream, plus more if needed (Gail note: the sky’s the limit here. Julia says you can do anything from nonfat to full cream. I’ve done this with mostly cream and it is WONderful.)
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus more if needed
2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and covered in water (Gail: recommend Yukon Golds)
1 to 2 tablespoons butter for topping potatoes, optional (Julia recommends doing this if you go the nonfat route.)

Special equipment
A food processor with a slicing disk (optional); and 8 to 10 cup flameproof gratin dish, lightly buttered; a cookie sheet.

Preheat the oven to 400º F. Slide the rack on the lower third level and set the cookie sheet on it to catch boil-overs.
Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt on the chopped garlic and mash together with the blade of knife, to make a purée. Pour half the milk (or milk and cream mixture) into the gratin dish and add the garlic purée and the rest of the salt and the pepper.
Cut the potatoes crosswise, by hand or in food processor, into very thin slices (1/8 inch or less)—do not rinse them again. Spread them evenly in the gratin dish and pour in the remaining milk. The liquid should come right to the top layer of potatoes—add more milk or cream if needed.
Place the dish on a burner, bring to a slow boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the liquid has thickened slightly. Scrape the bottom gently with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching. Taste the liquid and adjust the seasoning.
Turn off the heat and dot the top of the gratin with a tablespoon or two of butter, if you wish. Place the dish in the oven, on top of the cookie sheet, and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is nicely browned, most of the liquid has been absorbed, and the potatoes are tender all the way through when pierced with a knife. If not served at once, keep warm in a turned-off oven or set over a pan of simmering water.

(Gail note: I didn’t have a suitable for burner dish, so I heated the milk and cream, plopped in the garlic paste, heated a bit more, then poured half in dish, added potatoes and added remaining liquid. This stuff is good even at room temperature or—I kid you not—out of the fridge. Sinful. Also on my menu again for Christmas dinner.)

[HoneyBun]

Hi jms: I've been making my tried and true Scalloped Potato recipe for many years without cheese. I've tried adding a little sharp cheddar on occasion, but my bunch likes them without. Here's my basic recipe.

Scalloped Potatoes

Peel and slice 5 large white potatoes. In a large glass-baking dish, start by layering one half of the sliced potatoes. Add one half of a large chopped sweet onion. After slicing one half stick of margarine or butter, place pieces over the onion/potato mixture. Sprinkle two tablespoons of all-purpose flour over all. Salt and pepper to taste. Continue with a second layer identical to the first. Pour regular milk over the entire mixture until the milk begins to come through the top layer. Bake uncovered on a medium setting of your microwave for about 40 minutes or until potatoes test done with a fork. As it gets close to the end of the cooking time, make sure that you still have enough milk. If they look too dry, add a little more milk to finish up. Serves (6)

Optional: During the last few minutes of cooking, you can add 1/2 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese on the top.

If you read the directions on mine, it's all done in the microwave, thus keeping your oven free for other dishes.

HoneyBun

[dlaboriel]

Thanks for posting the recipes without cheese. My husband doesn't like the cheese either, so now I have something new to offer,

[funniegrrl]

Yeah, I forgot that ... true scalloped potatoes DON'T have cheese ... if you add cheese, it's Potatoes Au Gratin I think ...

[HoneyBun]

Hi dlaboriel: You're most welcome. These Scalloped Potatoes will be on my Christmas menu and has always been one of my families favorites. It something that I came up with years ago and after making them in the microwave once, I've never fixed them in the oven again. They come out much more creamy. Hope you enjoy them. May You and Yours Have a Joyous Christmas and Happy New Year!

HoneyBun

P.S. You're right about true Scalloped Potatoes not having cheese. I guess coming from New England this is the way I've always had them.

[Little Bit]

Here's a CL recipe, that's become my standard, since it's pretty much lower fat than I'd make just winging it, but it tastes quite rich.

************

SCALLOPED POTATOES WITH CHEESE (this is the BEST one)


Butter-flavored cooking spray
6 medium peeled red potatoes (3 russet) -- cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons margarine or butter -- melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded cheese
1 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 425º. ( Convection 400̊)

Coat 8X8 inch dish with cooking spray, or line with RELEASE

Arrange half of potato slices in dish; drizzle with 1 tablespoon margarine or butter. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and half of pepper; top with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients.

Bring milk to a boil over low heat in a small saucepan; pour over potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 425º (400̊ convection) for 40 minutes or less until potatoes are tender.
Serving Size: 1 cup

Source:
"Cooking Light, April 1997, p.198"
Copyright:
"© Cooking Light"
Yield:
"4 cups"
T(Baking Time):
"0:40"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 222 Calories; 5g Fat (18.6% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 354mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.

NOTES : PUBLISHERS NOTES: This is an absolutely no-fail recipe no matter how you change it. I use any type of cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, Provolone), russet potatoes in place of red, and any kind of milk I have in the fridge.

MY NOTES: Used 3 baking potatoes, peeled and sliced. Albertson shredded nonfat cheddar. 8x8 DISH. Done in even less time. A KEEPER

[Okiedokie]

Just a quick note, but I would use cheddar cheese and you have a choice of from Mild Cheddar to Sharp Cheddar. I use a lot of Sharp Cheddar, but it will all depend on which you and your family prefer. Although, they aren't my preference, most of my family likes escalloped potatoes, so that's what we will be having in lieu of baked ones.

[HoneyBun]

Hi Okiedokie" I also prefer to use the Sharp Cheddar, but don't normally put cheese in my Scalloped Potatoes that I'll be fixing for my Son. However, I also have some who like my Sweet Potato Casserole, so there will be two potato dishes on the menu. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family!

HoneyBun:)

[Okiedokie]

Hi! HoneyBun, I put cheese in ours for my bunch and actually, the in-laws and grands like them that way, too. I'll also, fix sweet taters basically like this:

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes
half a stick of butter softened
brown sugar (about half a cup)
granulated sugar (1/3 a cup)
cinnamon (about 1/2 a teaspoon)
nutmeg (a shake)
large marshmallows
pecan pieces or walnut pieces (optional)

***** and boil your potatoes for about 40 to 50 minutes and check for doneness. Usually if knife can be stuck through. let them cool and peel.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

*Put potatoes in 2 quart GREASED casserole dish and add all ingredients except marshmallows. Mash potatoes and ingredients real well; you can even use an electric mixer or hand mixer to make sure they're mixed real well. Heat for about 20 minutes. Afterwards, put your oven up to 400°F. and add marshmallows. I prefer mini marshmallows but many people use large too. Put marshmallows on top of 'taters and heat for about 5-10 minutes or until browning on top.

NOTE: It's pretty basic but if you want to add a little touch, add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or a liqueur or flavoring to it. Could also, add a little orange zest. Maybe, a very slight bit of orange extract. Although, we really liked the orange zest in it, for some reason it just didn't seem right because I had changed something that we had enjoy without it for many times, so I will leave that out for special occasions.

* I mash my potatoes and mix in another dish and then transfer it all to the baking dish, so the baking dish stays presentable.

You just simply adjust the amount you make by the number of people who will be eating it. Most of my family doesn't like sweet potatoes, so I usually don't fix a lot at a time. But hey! these are good even rewarmed when you really like sweet taters like my youngest and I do.
;)

[HoneyBun]

Thanks Okiedokie for posting your Sweet Potato Casserole.

HoneyBun