Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes were a dish that my mum made very often and quite possibly because it was one of her favourite dishes. I believe her recipe was a simple no fuss one. A layer of thinly sliced potatoes, then a sprinkle of diced onion, add some milk, sprinkle a bit of flour, dot with butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Repeat until all the potatoes and onion were used up. Bake in the oven until tender. Plain jane and simple. Which is the jest... or gist of the recipe, depends on how you look at it. 

The scalloped potatoes I make do have a bit more going for them. Which is fine because quite honestly one does feel the need to conjure up something once in awhile. This recipe is still easy. Just a bit of slicing and dicing which is always therapeutic. Having a food processor makes this even more easy and then you can just watch it all unfold before your eyes. Which can be therapeutic as well.  

Scalloped Potatoes

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1 small onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of fresh chives

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper

2 1/2 cups milk

6 - 11 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (approx 6 cups)

some butter for dabbing

Heat oven to 350ºF. Then grease the bottom and sides of a 2 quart casserole baking dish. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine the flour, paprika, chives, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium large saucepan over medium heat. once melted add the onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Stirring occasionally, until tender.

Stir in the flour mixture (flour, paprika, chives, salt and pepper) Cook stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly, remove from heat.

Stir in the milk. Place the saucepan back on the heat and heat until boiling, again stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. 

Spread the potatoes into the prepared casserole dish. Pour sauce over the potatoes. Cut a few small pieces of butter to sprinkle over the potatoes. Shake a bit more paprika, if you like,  over the top. 

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for about an hour or until potatoes are tender. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving as to allow the sauce to thicken.

In total I baked the potatoes for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. 

*Notes: You may add whatever seasonings you would like. Try adding curry powder to the flour mixture for something completely different. Fresh garlic and cheese. Add ham or bacon. 

Very tender melt in your mouth savoury side dish that is a perfect however if served with a salad could easily pass as the main.  

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We did! - JD