Loaded Baked Potato Casserole (Easy Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin? ›

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.

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).

dry potato powder or flakes! It's used for thickening many things such as sauces and gravy, and is a great way to thicken your scalloped potatoes because you'll keep the potato taste!

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

The phrase au gratin literally means "by grating" in French, or "with a crust," from the verb gratter, "to scrape, scratch, or grate."

As it turns out, the biggest nemesis to this dish is high heat. Low and slow is the way to go when making scalloped potatoes. It will produce a tender, flavorful potato; however, making certain the heat is right is just step one. Milk curdling is also tied to how much fat your dairy contains.

After too long, the potatoes may start to absorb water, which could result in mushy fries. So, while an overnight soak may be beneficial for steak-cut french fries, you might want to allot only a few hours at most when it comes to thinner varieties.

Use one tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of liquid you would like to thicken. Stir out all the lumps. A few minutes before your casserole is done, add it a little at a time until you are happy with the thickness. Then, let the casserole finish baking.

Your potatoes are under cooked you can simply cook them a little longer. If you have already added other ingredients to them put them in the oven and cook them for maybe a half an hour.

Why did my scalloped potatoes turn gray? ›

My potatoe are sort of purple or gray

Your potatoes have oxidized, which means you prepped them too far ahead.

Other Measures To Prevent Watery Scalloped Potatoes

First, it's essential to choose the right type of potatoes. Go for starchy varieties, such as russets, rather than waxy types, such as red potatoes. Starchy potatoes are less watery, contributing to a thicker, creamier dish.

A: You can store peeled potatoes in water in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Peeled potatoes left out by themselves at room temperature, on a refrigerator shelf or wrapped in foil or plastic wrap will still get dark overnight, so submerge them in a bowl of water, cover and refrigerate.

There's moisture naturally found in potatoes, and moisture is drawn to higher concentrations of salt. (This is a process called osmosis.) So, if you put the potatoes in a salt water bath, that will help draw out some of their moisture, resulting in crispier fries.

Once the potatoes have soaked, rinse and drain them. Then — also very important — use a towel to pat them down until they are nice and dry before moving onto the next step.

Why are they called funeral potatoes? Funeral potatoes get their unique name from being a crowd-pleasing casserole served as a side dish at after-funeral luncheons (particularly in the culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).

Potato-based

In the US, the dish is referred to variously as funeral potatoes, potatoes au gratin, scalloped potatoes, or au gratin potatoes. In English Canada, it is called scalloped potatoes or potatoes au gratin.

If your potatoes aren't cooked properly, they will have a slightly crisp or al dente texture. You want to be sure the dish cooks evenly, so rotate the dish in your oven halfway thru cooking and be sure to test for doneness in more than one spot, in case your oven heats unevenly.