Scalloped Potatoes

I was actually home for two full days and three (!!!) nights. In that short time, I managed to sleep a lot and make Tony a nice dinner.

The first time he invited me to his place (actually his parents’ place), he made me one of his favourite meals: ham, scalloped potatoes and carrots. Somehow, it’s the perfect combination. We don’t make it a lot (I can only manage the honey hams drenched in lots of maple syrup. Luckily, I have lots of maple syrup). So when I do make it, it always feels special.

Scalloped potatoes are easy, I’m not sure why I don’t make them more often. We both love the cheesy crust on top, so I make them in a shallow casserole dish to maximize crust potential. This is how I usually make them:

2-3 large russets or Yukon gold potatoes sliced into 0.5cm slices
1 large onion, sliced
1/4C grated parmesan cheese
Butter
Milk
Fresh ground black pepper

1. Grease the casserole dish with butter.
2. Layer the potato slices to cover the bottom.
3. Place some onions over the potatoes, and in the crevices.
4. Dot with butter.
5. Repeat until everything is used up.
6. Sprinkle the parmesan and black pepper over the top.
7. Pour milk into a crevice until you can see it peeking at you.
8. Cook at 375F for 30min covered. Cook for another 30min uncovered to allow it to brown.

Sometimes I add bread crumbs to the top. And once I even added garlic in with the onions. A little bit of cream in the milk makes it extra rich. I think the number of personalized recipes and opportunities to make it your own adds to the specialness of the dish.