When asked what food I would take with me to a desert island my first answer would always be a bag of potatoes. I could live without my chocolate, but don't ask me to live without potatoes!
If you had a bag of them you really have everything you need. And you could also leave some to go to seed so that you could plant them, leaving you with a never ending supply of potatoes for as long as you lived on the Island!
They are also one of the most versatile vegetables going. I don't believe that there is anything you cannot do with a potato. Baked. Boiled. Fried. Mashed. You name it.
You can make them into a tasty snack, or a delicious main, a bread, or a fabulous side dish. You can even make them into candy and alcohol. They really ARE the perfect food!
This Parmesan Scalloped Potato recipe that I am sharing with you today is one that I adapted from a cookbook I have by Gooseberry Patch, entitled Our Quick, Best & Easy Casseroles. It is attributed to a woman named Tina Good Pasture from Meadowview, VA.
I have always loved the Gooseberry Patch books. They are always filled with lots of great recipes. They read like your favorite community cookbooks, stuffed with everyone's tried and trues and family favorites!
I used to get their catalogue back in the late 1980's early 90's. I loved it. It was filled with all sorts of lovely "country" style items, along with really cute illustrations.
Their catalogue and the Lehman's Non-Electric Catalogue were always my favorites. Those and Country Living magazine used to fuel a lot of my dreams!
I have always loved scalloped potatoes. They are such a wonderful side dish and go with just about anything. I especially enjoy them with ham or with meatloaf.
Now I am on my own I seldom make them. They always seem like far too much trouble for me living on my own.
There is the making of the sauce and then the long bake time. I know you can get some really good packaged scalloped potatoes these days, but really they don't quite come up to par with homemade from scratch scalloped potatoes.
I also always loved making Corn Scalloped Potatoes, which is a version using canned creamed corn. Those are actually my absolute favorite scalloped potatoes. They are also something my family really enjoyed.
This recipe uses only a few ingredients and sounded very simple to make. I just had to try it. The original recipe made 8 servings. I cut it down to make four and then cut it down again to make only 2.
This was very easily done and turned out beautifully. I will be very happy to give you the amounts for the full version if you ask. The method and timings would be approximately the same.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PARMESAN SCALLOPED POTATOES (SMALL BATCH)
Other than the seasonings, only four simple ingredients that most of us have in the house all the time.
- 1/2 pound (3 medium sized) russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whipping cream
- 1 TBS dry parsley flakes
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 TBS grated Parmesan Cheese
The original recipe called for Yukon Gold Potatoes. I didn't have any of those, but I had a bag of Russet Potatoes which worked beautifully. You need only 3 medium potatoes. I peeled them and then cut them into 1/4 inch thick slices.
I used regular whipping cream. In the UK you could use double cream or whipping cream. Just don't use really thick, heavy cream. You want it to be a bit more liquid than that.
The original recipe also called for the use of chopped fresh parsley. It is my personal opinion that in anything which is going to be cooked like this that it is a bit of a waste to use fresh parsley. Especially where I live where you more often than not cannot find it.
I just use dried parsley flakes. They still give flavor and rehydrate in the cooking liquid.
Do use your own grated Parmesan Cheese. Using that fake stuff in the green can doesn't cut it when it comes to things like this. I used my micro-plane grater to grate mine but I really think it would be better had I grated it on the large holes of my box grater.
HOW TO MAKE PARMESAN SCALLOPED POTATOES (SMALL BATCH)
These are a real doddle to make! Sure to become a favorite side dish!
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Lightly butter a small casserole dish. (1 1/2 QT)
Layer the potatoes in the dish.
Whisk the cream, garlic, salt and pepper together in a beaker. Pour this mixture over the potatoes, moving them a bit with a knife to make sure that the cream mixture gets all the way down though.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, gently stirring every 10 minutes. At the end of that time they should be tender.
Sprinkle the cheese over top and bake for a further 15 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
I was so impressed with how quick and easy these scalloped potatoes were to make. There was really no faffing about with them. They were also delicious! I really enjoyed them!
If you are looking for a simple and easy way to do scalloped potatoes for two people or a smaller family, I really cannot recommend this recipe enough! Prepare to fall in love!
If you like potatoes as much as I like potatoes, you might also be interested in the following recipes. I can promise you they are all delicious!
ALL DRESSED BLOOMIN BAKED POTATOES - I saw a few recipes for these bloomin potatoes that looked really good. I thought I could improve on them by combining them with a recipe I have been making for years for potato wedges. The end result was quite simply fabulous. Petal cut potatoes, brushed with a scrumptious butter mixture, baked until crisp and served with your favorite toppings.
PAN FRIES - These were always a real favorite when I was growing up. When my mother made these we were all very happy! Of course she could never make enough of them! She used to only make them if she had cold leftover boiled potatoes. Nowadays I boil potatoes purposely just so that I can make these! Nothing could be any simpler really. You just slice the potatoes and onions, and bang them into a hot pan of butter and oil . . . with some seasoning of course. Crisp, buttery and delicious!
Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes (small batch)
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
Hot, cold, warm, these scalloped potatoes are delicious any which way you choose to enjoy them!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound (3 medium sized) russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whipping cream
- 1 TBS dry parsley flakes
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 TBS grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Lightly butter a small casserole dish. (1 1/2 QT)
- Layer the potatoes in the dish.
- Whisk the cream, garlic, salt and pepper together in a beaker. Pour this mixture over the potatoes, moving them a bit with a knife to make sure that the cream mixture gets all the way down though.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, gently stirring every 10 minutes. At the end of that time they should be tender.
- Sprinkle the cheese over top and bake for a further 15 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I have plans to make scalloped potatoes this weekend, but need to get the double cream to use your recipe. I also have lots of milk so was going to make them the old fashioned way, but yes, lots of work preparing the sauce. Thanks for sharing this way.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first time trying them this way and I am a convert now to this easier and quicker way of doing them. Yes, I am that lazy! haha xo
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