Description
Try these Scalloped White and Sweet Potatoes next time you need a decadent and impressive side dish. These make-ahead potatoes are thickened with whipping cream and cheese so there’s no flour at all. That makes them naturally gluten free but no one will care about that. They’ll just ask for more so don’t bother serving small polite squares.
Organize For Success
More than one of my followers have told me they make a double recipe of these Scalloped Potatoes. I call that smart planning for holiday dinners and entertaining all winter long! They also tell me they make them in advance and freeze them. I’ve never done it but excellent sources tell me it works.
I love the idea of choosing a tried-and-true recipe for a special occasion by making the presentation special. So go ahead and make it now, just like any scalloped potato dish. If you think it’s as fabulous as I do then you’ll want to take it to that next special occasion.
You never know, you just might start a new holiday tradition.
Get The Tools for Scalloped Potatoes
If you’ve ever wanted to buy a mandoline, this is the reason to buy it. You can make uniformly thin slices of any vegetable with a few different tools but my pick is the mandoline.
Sweet Potatoes vs Yams
The contrast of the orange and white coloured flesh of the potatoes is what makes this dish special. (And the whipping cream in my opinion). When you go to the store that’s what you need to buy.
With the popularity of sweet potato fries you would think sweet potatoes have orange flesh. Wouldn’t you?
Being a foodie I always thought yams had orange flesh and sweet potatoes had white flesh. I don’t keep information like that in my head so I did a bit of research. It turns out that’s actually true but it’s more complicated than that.
Sweet potatoes come in varieties (of course they do!) and the colour varies depending on the variety. The flesh can range from white to orange and even purple.
Yams are a white tuber not commonly available. According to my research because of a labelling law some sweet potatoes are labelled as yams. Apparently when sweet potatoes came to North America shippers and produce suppliers needed to distinguish them from potatoes. They simply called them yams and the rest is history.
For food history buffs you can read more here, Sweet Potatoes 101.
For everyday cooks there’s an excellent chance you’ll easily find something orange and something white.
If you made this dish I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Originally published in October 2015, updated November 2021
More Recipes to Serve Scalloped Potatoes
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Scalloped White and Sweet Potatoes
A must make decadent and impressive make-ahead potato dish. Made with whipping cream and cheese instead of flour it is naturally gluten free.
Equipment
- mandoline for perfectly thin sliced potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 medium orange fleshed sweet potatoes (1-1½ lbs)
- 3 medium white or yellow fleshed potatoes (1-1½ lbs)
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp dried thyme (optional)
- salt and pepper
- 8 oz Gruyere or Swiss cheese, shredded
- Optional garnish - fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Peel potatoes and slice thinly. I used a mandoline with 1.5 mm blade.
- In a 4-cup measuring cup add whipping cream, egg, garlic powder, nutmeg and thyme (if using). Stir until combined. Set aside.
- Brush an 8-inch square, glass baking pan (or 2 loaf pans) with oil. Line pan with parchment paper leaving enough excess over 2 sides to cover the pan while cooking.
- Starting with orange potatoes layer them slightly overlapping to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Top each layer with salt and pepper, a generous sprinkling of cheese and some of the cream mixture.
- Repeat alternating orange and white potatoes until you have 6 layers, 3 orange and 3 white.
- Sprinkle top layer with remaining cheese and cream mixture.
- Fold parchment over the potatoes and cover with foil. Can be prepared in advance to this point.
- Bake in preheated oven for 90 minutes.
- Let rest in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Using parchment transfer cooked potatoes to cutting board. Cut and serve hot. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired.
Notes
Readers say they make this dish and cook it in advance, then freeze it and reheat it for large gatherings.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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