Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes [VIDEO] - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

What is the one trick Michael Symon uses to make perfect scalloped potatoes? ›

Surprisingly, aluminum foil is his secret weapon. After beautifully shingling the potatoes (he's got a genius trick for doing this quickly, too) he covers the dish in foil before hitting the oven.

Instant potato flakes are an excellent thickening agent made from real potatoes that have been cooked, mashed, and then dried. When added to watery scalloped potatoes, they absorb excess moisture and thicken the sauce, improving the overall consistency.

The curdling is caused by high heat, which is hard to avoid in an oven. So to keep the sauce together, tackle it before the dish goes in the oven.

Starch Will Not Swell–Rock-Hard Scalloped Potatoes

Potatoes or rice can remain rock-hard after prolonged cooking. Starch will not swell if it is acidic. If you have a lot of sour cream in your scalloped potatoes or add something acidic, your potatoes may not soften.

Watery scalloped potatoes are not good, and is often caused by using the wrong type of potato. This recipe requires starchy potatoes, such as russets or Yukon golds, not waxy potatoes. Another cause is washing or holding the sliced potatoes in water (as outlined in the question above).

If raw, once the potato is cut you can store in the refrigerator, covered with water for 12-24 hours. Be sure to keep submerged in water to prevent slices from turning gray or brown.

Potato-based

Sliced raw potatoes may also be baked in a liquid or sauce that steams them and forms a golden crust on top. In the US, the dish is referred to variously as funeral potatoes, potatoes au gratin, scalloped potatoes, or au gratin potatoes.

Tips and Tricks for the Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes recipe: Soak the potatoes in water. This is a step that grandma always did; she said it was to prevent the potatoes from browning or oxidizing.

My scalloped potatoes are bland

They are also in need of serious seasoning to ensure deliciousness. Make sure your sauce is well-seasoned, but also, season each layer of potatoes with salt and pepper before adding the sauce, to make sure they are as flavorful as you want them!

The difference comes down to cheese. Scalloped potato recipes are usually baked in a basic cream sauce until soft and tender, with no cheese topping. Potatoes au gratin are a bit more decadent. They are made with lots of cheese sprinkled in between the layers of potatoes and also on top of the casserole.

How to tell when scalloped potatoes are done? ›

They will be fully cooked when you can easily pierce them with a sharp knife or mush with the tines of a fork. I usually pull out a slice when I think they are done (typically 15-20 minutes) and let it cool enough to taste.

Heat can cause milk to curdle and the lower the fat in the milk the more likely it is to happen, but there are things you can do to avoid it.

Though the scalloped potatoes have already been cooked in the oven, so just need reheating, an oven will bring them up to temperature more evenly and also create a better 'au gratin' finish to the cheddar cheese layer on top.

But if it's too late and you've already got a wobbly batch of potatoes on the stove, simply add a few potato flakes, let them rest for a few minutes to set, and your scalloped potatoes will have the perfect texture.

When creating a sauce, one common mistake is not allowing the appropriate time for the ingredients to mingle. Some sauces are best fresh like pesto or guacamole because they contain fresh ingredients that break down or oxidize (per America's Test Kitchen). Other sauces require slow cooking to concentrate the flavors.

To further lower the risk of curdling, you can add extra starch in the form of flour or cornstarch. Just a teaspoon or two is enough to stabilize the dairy, as well as to give you a lusciously thick sauce. Of course, another highly important ingredient is cheese.

Insufficient Liquid: If there wasn't enough liquid in the crockpot, it could have caused uneven cooking. Potatoes need to be fully submerged in liquid to cook evenly. Old Potatoes: Very old or stored potatoes can become starchy and may not soften as well during cooking. It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes.

A sauce that's too thin can result in a watery dish lacking the rich, luxurious texture that scalloped potatoes are famous for. Thankfully, there's a simple and effective solution to this problem: Use instant potato flakes.

When the dish cools down, however, the starches will contract and congeal into a thick, creamy sauce. If you want the best results, let your potatoes rest for 15 to 20 minutes to allow their internal temperature to come down. Treat them like you would an apple pie, which also needs some cooling time before it's cut.

Once you've chosen the right potatoes, grab a sharp chef's knife (or a mandoline, if you have one) and carefully slice them as thinly and evenly as possible—ideally one-fourth to one-eighth-inch thick. Potatoes that are too thick or thin will bake up unevenly, and you want the layers to cook up tender.

Why does the sauce in my scalloped potatoes curdle? ›

High heat temperatures, particularly when lower-fat dairy options are involved, break the emulsion apart, which in turn causes the proteins to fold together and stick to create lumpy curds. High heat also tends to change the taste and color of your milk, which is why you should never boil milk or heat it too quickly.

POTATOES, WHOLE MILK, CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES, ANNATTO EXTRACT [COLOR], NATAMYCIN [MOLD INHIBITOR]), BUTTER (SWEET CREAM [MILK], SALT), SOUR CREAM (PASTEURIZED CULTURED CREAM [MILK], ENZYMES), PARMESAN CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), ROMANO ...

You could use a mandoline slicer for this step, but I actually prefer to do it with a knife. Just be careful to slice the potatoes thinly and evenly so that they cook through at the same rate. Next, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a medium skillet, and then sprinkle in the flour and whisk to make a roux.

This category of potato is best for boiling, steaming, sauteing, oven roasting, stewing, mashing, and braising. Examples include chef's all-purpose, Yukon Gold, and yellow-fleshed potatoes. New potatoes are low-starch, high-moisture potatoes.