Aunt Marla’s Scalloped Potatoes
The best scalloped potatoes recipe you will ever make! How can I make this claim? Because this easy scallop potato recipe can be made with five simple ingredients in one dish! This classic dish is the perfect addition to any week night, Sunday dinner or holiday meal menu. Comfort food in its purest form!
My Mom’s Ham and Aunt Marla’s homemade Scalloped Potatoes recipe are all a person needs. Seriously. That’s really all you should need. Haven’t you heard the new potato ad campaign “Got Scalloped”? Ok maybe that’s going too far, but seriously these two recipes, plus a few others, always showed up on our Easter menu.
Why I love this recipe
Every time a take a bite of this simple dish the food nostalgia takes me back to a crowded living room. I’m sharing a t.v. tray with three other cousins eating Aunt Marlas’ creamy potatoes at whatever holiday meal it happened to be. It is one of my favorite recipes. I emailed my Aunt about this side dish, I wanted to make sure she was OK with me putting it on-da-blerg, also because it wasn’t written down anywhere, so I had to verify with her that I was making her recipe properly. She said yes indeed that was how she made them, but it wasn’t her recipe it was my great grandmas recipe. However, since I never got to meet my great grandma, I only remember Aunt Marla making them I’m going to keep calling them Aunt Marlas’ Scallop Potatoes.
Side Bar: As kids we always said “scalped taters”. Taters are indeed scalped to make this recipe. Yikes! I know it’s an awful thought, ripping the poor taters hairline clean off and it’s eyes too. Sheesh! Making scalped taters is a gruesome job but gol’ darnit someone has got to do it!
Gather these ingredients for scallop potatoes
How to make this easy recipe
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- You will get the best results if you fill bowl with salted cold water. Clean and peel potatoes. Cut out any bruised or brown spots. Place potatoes in cold salty water to prevent browning.
3. f you have one of these doo-hickeys, a.k.a. a mandoline slicer use it on setting number 3 to insure potato slices are uniform. Cutting potatoes in uniform slices will give best results with with even cooking. However, if you do not have a mandoline, no fear, you can use any sharp knife to cut potatoes no thicker than 1/4 inch thick.
3. return potato slices to salted water to prevent them from turning brown, while cutting up the rest of the potatoes before moving on to the next step
4. Prepare baking dish by coating with butter, use your fingers, spread it around get it into every corner. You will need less than a tablespoon for the entire casserole dish. Slice the remaining butter into thin slices, no need to melt butter.
5. Remove sliced potatoes from salt water a hand full at a time, quickly pat them dry with paper towel and cover bottom of prepared baking dish with a layer of potatoes.
5. Dust potato slices with 1- 2 tablespoons of flour and a pinch of salt and pepper. You can use your fingers to scatter flour or if you have a small fine mesh strainer this works well for getting flour spread in an even layer, but it is not necessary!
6. Slice butter into thin slices and add them evenly over the top of the potatoes, use half of the butter.
7. cover first layer with another layer of potatoes, flour, salt, pepper and butter and repeat until potatoes and butter are used up. If you are using a 9 x13 inch casserole dish this will be 2-3 layers of potato with 2 layers of flour, salt, pepper, and butter in between. If you use a smaller dish like a deep dish 10 inch pie plate or a rectangle 7 x 11 inch dish you might get more layers.
Side bar number 2: You are going to use 1 stick plus a tablespoon or two more or less kinda sorta of buttah. Just go with it. This recipe is one that if you dare you don’t actually need to measure. Yes I said no measuring just trust your scalloped tater instincts. You’ve got them you just need to dig deep and unearth them. You can add as many layers as you want just make sure at the end the warm milk comes to the top layer and you may have to adjust cooking time adding 15 more minutes or so. Trust me! This classic side dish is fool proof. If you follow your tater instincts you will get great results everytime!
8. After your final layer of potatoes, measure 2 cups of whole milk into a microwave safe pour able bowl. Warm milk in microwave. Milk does not need to be boiling, it should be room temperature or a little warmer. Now pour warm milk over the top of the potato layers until it just barely reaches the top of the last layer of potatoes. Pop scalloped potatoes in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Until it is bubbling and has a perfect golden brown crust around the edges and over the top.
Tips & Substitutions
- Desired consistency: Scalloped potatoes look soupy when you first remove them from oven, let this side dish rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes: This recipe is so easy to make into Au Gratin Potatoes, just sprinkle 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar or mild cheddar cheese between the layers of potatoes. Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses are also both fabulous added to this recipe.
- Spice it up: fresh thyme or any dried herbs such as thyme, marjoram, and rosemary are perfect add between the layers. Go light using 1/2 teaspoon for the entire dish, you don’t it to over power just compliment the creamy sauce.
- Scalloped Potatoes and Ham Casserole: Make these potatoes into a main dish by adding chunks of ham in between the layers of potatoes. Add 1 cup of ham cubes or more per your taste between the layers of potatoes.
- What is Scalloped Potatoes best served with? This easy scalloped potatoes recipe pairs perfectly with Easter Ham, Prime Rib, Steaks, Pork Chops baked or on the grill.
I hope this recipe becomes a goto for you!! It’s an impressive side dish that is so very incredibly simple. One pan scallop potatoes perfect side dish.
Other potato side dishes you might like
Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole
Crunchy Smashed Potatoes
Cheesy Roasted Potatoes
Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole
Scalloped Potatoes
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 8-10 large Russet Potatoes washed, peeled, and sliced 1/4 inch thickness
- 1/4 cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt more or less
- 1 teaspoons Pepper more or less
- 9 tablespoons Butter
- 2 cups whole Milk, warmed the higher the fat content the creamery the potatoes, but any milk will do
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking dish, grease with 1 tbsp butter.
- Peel and slice potatoes thin. Place in a bowl of salted water to prevent browning.
- Place a layer of potato slices in bottom of 9×13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of flour over layer of potatoes followed by a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Slice butter into thin slices place approximately 6 slices evenly over potato flour layer.
- Repeat the potato, flour, salt & pepper, butter layer ending with butter until dish is full. 4 layers, more if dish is smaller and deeper.
- Pour 2 cups of warm milk over potatoes. The milk level should be just under the last layer of potatoes. So you can see it brimming up under potatoes.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until bubbly and browned on the top. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Sheila made these for us at work and these scalloped potatoes were DELICIOUS! I have always been intimidated by making homemade scalloped potatoes, and I do confess…I have been a notorious boxed tater gal for these for YEARS. But Sheila gave me the confidence I need to tackle these this year for Easter. The recipe is really easy to follow and I know the flavor is going to be perfecto! Thanks for hooking up my holidays this year Sheila! <3
Thanks so much for being such a wonderful cheerleader! Miss you!
This is the way my family makes scalloped potatoes (minus the butter, plus parmesan and cheddar). layer it in a huge pyrex bowl. idiot-proof and delicious.
I love scalloped potatoes too, but I add i can of cream of celery soup with a cup of milk. I also add about a 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion.
That sounds amazing!! Thanks for sharing your secret ingredients!!
YAY! I love scalloped potatoes! They’re the best. But with cheese. Lots of cheese. Cheddar! Potatoes and cheese. It’s just too much to resist…
My favorite Potato dish ever. This recipe is so similar to my (Great) Aunt Mildred’s recipe. Tried and true. Brings back such loving memories. I’ve made this many many times, but never quite tastes the same as hers. I think it was the dish she made it in! Thanks for sharing, Sheila.
Debbie, I have a Great Aunt Mildred too! Oh yeah the dish is got to be it. My Aunt made hers in a huge pyrex bowl. MMMmm she make them the best! xoxo Enjoy, Sheila
When my mom makes her version of this, we call it “potato bake” – so imaginative I know! But I always request it when I’m home, and there is no substitute whatsoever. Creamy potatoes are just something else.
Sarah, “something else” is right! Pure comfort food. My mom used to actually make these in a huge glass bowl, you know the pyrex type? I need to find one of those somewhere! Have a great weekend, Sheila
My Aunt always makes these too – such a simple and comforting dish!
Thanks God for Aunts that cook yummy food. Amen!
We love Scalloped potatoes. Even with both daughters married with their own families, when we get together for a meal, they always request scalloped potatoes. I add cheese to mine, but that’s the only difference. When it’s just the two of us, I sometimes add a little white balsamic vinegar – just for a little hint of sassyness. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
White balsamic vinegar?! Wow that is sassy ; ) I’m going to have to give that a try. Thanks for sharing your traditions.