Quarantine Cuisine: Scalloped Potatoes

Hot cheesy scalloped potatoes.

The United States and Canada extended the border closure and quarantine requirement for an additional month. That means it's time for me to get back into the Bellingham condo kitchen and make some comforting food.

I had potatoes that were getting old, so I decided to use them for scalloped potatoes. I went to my favourite online cooking site, Taste of Home and selected their Never-Fail Scalloped Potatoes recipe.

Never-Fail Scalloped Potatoes

TasteofHome.com

Ingredients:

Organize the ingredients.

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
1 cup thinly sliced onion


Directions:

Slice the potato and onion.

My modifications are in italics.

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. To keep them from browning while you work, place them in a bowl of cold water. Slice the onion. Set these ingredients aside until the sauce is made.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk to prevent lumps. Bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Click here for a video.

Making the cheese sauce.

Remove from heat and stir in the grated cheese until melted.

Layer the potatoes, onion and sauce.

I love cheese, so I increased the amount to 2 cups, reserving half a cup to melt over the top at the end.

Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Drain the potatoes. Place half of the potatoes in the dish and layer with 1/2 of the sliced onion and half of the cheese sauce.

Repeat the layers with the cheese sauce on top.

Bake covered at 350° for 50 minutes. My oven took 60 minutes for the potatoes to soften.

Uncover and continue to bake until the potatoes are tender and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes longer. I topped the dish with the reserved half cup of grated cheese at the end and continued to bake it uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.

Make it a Meal:

I oven baked seasoned pork chops during the last 30-minutes the potatoes were in the oven. A chilled steamed artichoke with mayonnaise rounded out our comfort meal.

Comfort food centered around cheesy scalloped potatoes.

What have you been having for comfort food these days? -- Margy