Old-Fashioned Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes

When I first started teaching myself to cook, I relied heavily on The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. This was my cooking Bible. Of course, you have to realize the Internet didn’t exist back then (computers didn’t even exist back then). One of the first recipes I learned was scalloped potatoes. Of course, over the years, I have adapted this recipe to our tastes. But, I still use the old-fashioned procedure (If it’s not broken, why fix it?). For today’s busy moms, I would recommend trying this on a weekend, as it does require a little more time. It’s not difficult to make, but total time, including baking, will be about 2 hours. Oh, but it is so worth it! Nothing beats a good old-fashioned, down-home recipe. It's as if you could taste the love that goes into it. To the original version, I’ve added onions, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and thyme (not major changes, just enough to really enhance the flavors). Hope you enjoy this “blast from the past.”

Missing from photo above: flour

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 15x10x2-inch baking dish.

Chop onions. Set aside.

Thinly slice potatoes. I use the slicer attachment on my food processor, it saves so much time (especially with my poor knife skills). 

Place a layer of potato slices in the bottom of prepared dish (slightly overlapping if needed). Sprinkle with 1/3 of the chopped onions (about 1-1/2 Tablespoons). Sprinkle with flour (about 1-1/2 Tablespoons), Parmesan cheese (about 1-/2 Tablespoons), dried thyme (about 1/2 teaspoon), salt (I use garlic salt for this) and pepper to taste. Dot with small pieces of butter (about 3 Tablespoons). 

Place another layer of potatoes over the butter and repeat steps above. 

Repeat, again, for a total of 3 layers.

Pour milk over all, until level of milk is halfway up sides of pan (2-1/2 to 3 cups).

Bake in pre-heated oven for approximately 1-1/2 hours, or until evenly browned. 

Today’s method of preparation would be to combine the butter, milk and seasonings in a large saucepan, heat it, then pour over the sliced potatoes and bake. Yes, that is much easier (I have to agree); but part of the charm of doing it the old-fashioned way is it never tastes exactly the same each time you make it (because measurements aren’t exact, only estimated). Old cookbooks never gave you precise measurements (a dash of this, a pinch of that, dot with butter, etc.). So, when you’re feeling a little “adventurous” give this method a try.....you'll taste the love!

 
OLD-FASHIONED PARMESAN SCALLOPED POTATOES
Source: Adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 or 7 Russet potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• Flour (about 1-1/2 Tablespoons per layer)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (about 1-1/2 Tablespoons per layer)           
• Dried thyme (about 1/2 teaspoon per layer)
• Salt and pepper
• Butter (about 3 Tablespoons per layer)
• Milk (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups)

   
DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 15x10x2-inch casserole.
2. Place a layer of potato slices in the bottom of casserole dish. Sprinkle with
    1/3 of chopped onions. Sprinkle with flour, Parmesan cheese, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Dot with small
    pieces of butter.
3. Repeat, for a total of 3 layers. Add enough milk until level of milk is halfway up sides of pan (2-1/2 to 3
    cups).
4. Bake at 350° for 1-1/2 hours, or until evenly browned.

Serves: 8-10