Casserole: Problems with my Scalloped Potatoes
Subject: Problems with my Scalloped Potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: alewine at phoenix.net (Lara Alewine)
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 02:18:44 GMT
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Hi there. Scalloped Potatoes are something I love but never tried to fix until last night. They didn't turn out to well. Here's what I did. I peeled and sliced some potatoes, layered them in a 1 1/2 qt round casserole dish with skimmed evaporated milk and some cheddar and swiss cheeses mixed and shredded. I then baked it for about 1 hr and 45 min. It turned out kind of dry, the potatoes were not done very well and it just wasn't the magical yummy taste that I desired. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong or post a tried and true recipe for Scalloped Potatoes or Potatoes Au Gratin? A million thanks! :-)
From: rwexler at best.com (Veronica (Ronnie) Wexler)
Date: 18 Nov 1995 06:04:13 GMT
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What temp did you use? If it was kinda high, 400 or so, that would dry out the potatoes. I'd keep the temp at 350 or 375, cover with foil and uncover the last 15 minutes to brown.
From: Kathy Czopek (kcopek at icon-stl.net)
Date: 20 Nov 1995 03:40:39 GMT
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One thought about your scalloped potatoes:
How thick were the slices?
Thinner would certainly cook better.
My mom always boiled the potatoes first, then sliced & layered them in a baking dish with milk/chees/spice mixture -- THEN baked. I guess that's cheating? (sure tasted good -- mmmmm.)
From: alewine at phoenix.net (Lara Alewine)
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 18:58:09 GMT
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Kathy Czopek wrote:
>How thick were the slices?
Thanks for the suggestion. My slices were about 1/8"-1/4" thick. I thought about boiling them first but was too leary to. Now that I know that it works for you, I'll try it that way. That would be the solution to my problems. :-) Thanks again!
From: madelin at north.pacific.net (Madelin Holtkamp)
Date: 21 Nov 1995 17:53:22 GMT
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When you make scalloped potatoes, you need to put enough of the liquid to come almost to the top of the potato layers. The potatoes will soak up a lot as they bake and some will evaporate. I sometimes sprinkle the layers of potatoes with a bit of flour (just a dusting) when I use cheese so that the cheese doesn't separate from the liquid. I find that most temperatures work fine, but it your oven is on very hot because of something else you're cooking, cover that scalloped potatoes during the first half of cooking.
From: padik at onion.com
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 95 23:01:06 EST
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Classical scallop potatoes have no cheese! Also skimmed evaporated milk leaves no moisture to cook the potatoes in! Did you use salt, pepper and onions? I concur with the suggestion of covering for 1 hour and uncovering for browing the last 15 minutes. If you are trying to lower fat just go with skimmed milk. The classical Scallop Potatoes I made a few weeks ago was actually made with a little 1/2 & 1/2! If you are lowering your fat intake make GOOD potatoes and eat less of them!
From: katya at u.washington.edu (Linnie K. Gardner)
Date: 21 Nov 1995 06:14:01 GMT
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If you're using russet potatoes, you should boil them first. I like yellow finn potatoes the best, and they only need to be about half-boiled. just slice 'em up and pour heavy cream over them. They turn out divinely that way, especially if you layer in some bits of ham or some chanterelles. :)
From: jmclarke at ccs.carleton.ca (Joan M Clarke)
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 1995 17:24:02 GMT
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Linnie K. Gardner wrote:
> If you're using russet potatoes, you should boil them first......
Why not just zap them in the microwave instead of boiling. That way, they aren't already soppy with water when you put them in the baking pan with all that other liquid?
From: katya at u.washington.edu (Linnie K. Gardner)
Date: 22 Nov 1995 20:16:13 GMT
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Joan M Clarke wrote:
>Why not just zap them in the microwave instead of boiling.
Because our microwave doesn't work. :) Also, I think microwaved potatoes smell a little odd. If you drain boiled potatoes in a colander, pat them dry, and then slice them, there's very little water clinging to them.
From: besko at pilot.msu.edu (Lisa Besko)
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 13:57:35 GMT
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I usually put a few layers of velveta "cheese" and onion in. I also Salt and pepper them as I go along. Then I heat the milk up an add the flour to the warm milk (about 1/2cup flour per quart of milk). Pour the milk and flour mixture over the potatoes until covered or nearly covered and bake at 350 until done.
From: kpauley at freenet.columbus.oh.us (Kathy Pauley)
Date: 24 Nov 1995 07:59:46 -0500
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Ok, I'll offer a different version of my scalloped potatoes. I take a can of Cream of Celery soup, dilute with 1 can of milk and add onions. I layer the (thinly sliced - using a food processor works well) potatoes, soup mixture, dabs of butter, salt and pepper. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at about 350. These turn out nice and creamy. You can probably use a different "Cream of" soup if you prefer.