Make-Ahead Scalloped Potatoes (A.K.A. Irish Turkey)
This is a long-requested dish for holiday dinners. Since we've moved south we either spend Thanksgiving in Charlotte with cousins or with our "Southern Family," the Youngs/Thomases here in Georgia. Big shout out to this family who has welcomed us as their own and still puts up with us, seven years later. LOL. We love you!!
Our friend, Tori, who does not care for turkey, renamed this dish "Irish Turkey" on Thanksgiving yesterday as he piled his plate with a, let's just say extremely large, helping of these potatoes that may or may not have made his wife gasp. I thought it was time to blog.
This dish is 100% a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. It's tried and true and delicious. America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated are my go-to for recipe inspiration and testing and in this case, there is nothing to be done to make it better. But if you want, you can explore with smoked cheese, adding peppers and whatnot. I'm a purist and make it as-is.
The "mise en place" is crucial in this recipe...and takes some time so allow yourself about 40 minutes of measuring, peeling, slicing, dicing.
Ingredients:
4 TBS unsalted butter
2 medium-to-small onions, minced
4 medium garlic cloves pressed through garlic press (or minced)
1 TBS minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 bay leaves
5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/8" thick (you'll want a mandoline or food processor for this chore! And definitely russets, which will keep their shape/texture)
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded - if you're making right away, shred the cheese. If you're freezing or storing for another time, shred or prep when you're ready to finish. I do purchase a block of cheddar and grate it in the food processer but you can purchase pre-grated cheese. I just think you get a better product by grating yourself.
Directions:
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the onions. Cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook about 30 seconds (until fragrant). Don't walk away - garlic burns quickly and will ruin the dish.
Stir in broth, heavy cream, and bay leaves. Then stir in the potatoes, one handful at a time. This will begin to seem like there are way too many potatoes but keep going. Put them all in and gently stir/fold etc. so that all potatoes have been coated with liquid.
Bring to a simmer, put a lid on it, reduce heat to med-low. Continue to simmer, stirring often, until the potatoes are mostly tender (a fork or paring knife can stab the potatoes with ease.) This will take about 15-18 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves - this might take a minute but find them and toss them.
Pour the potato mixture into a 13x9 baking dish (or two 8x8) and press to even out.
Here is where you can continue to cook or refrigerate/freeze until a later date. For Thanksgiving I usually make this Tuesday or Wednesday and store in the fridge until Thursday morning when I finish it.
If you choose to finish the potatoes another day: cover with saran wrap, poke holes for ventilation and refrigerate. Once cool, you can cover tightly with foil and freeze (but write a note to yourself that there is plastic wrap under the foil!)
To finish if frozen or refrigerated: If frozen: thaw at least 24 hours before baking. If refrigerated, pull from fridge 20 minutes prior to finishing. Remove the plastic wrap, sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the potatoes, cover tightly with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven until warm - 30-40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook until the cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling (30-40 minutes longer)
To finish if making right away: Sprinkle the cheddar over the top and bake in a 400 degree oven, uncovered until the cheese is golden brown, 20-30 minutes.
Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Our friend, Tori, who does not care for turkey, renamed this dish "Irish Turkey" on Thanksgiving yesterday as he piled his plate with a, let's just say extremely large, helping of these potatoes that may or may not have made his wife gasp. I thought it was time to blog.
This dish is 100% a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. It's tried and true and delicious. America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated are my go-to for recipe inspiration and testing and in this case, there is nothing to be done to make it better. But if you want, you can explore with smoked cheese, adding peppers and whatnot. I'm a purist and make it as-is.
The "mise en place" is crucial in this recipe...and takes some time so allow yourself about 40 minutes of measuring, peeling, slicing, dicing.
Ingredients:4 TBS unsalted butter
2 medium-to-small onions, minced
4 medium garlic cloves pressed through garlic press (or minced)
1 TBS minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 bay leaves
5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/8" thick (you'll want a mandoline or food processor for this chore! And definitely russets, which will keep their shape/texture)
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded - if you're making right away, shred the cheese. If you're freezing or storing for another time, shred or prep when you're ready to finish. I do purchase a block of cheddar and grate it in the food processer but you can purchase pre-grated cheese. I just think you get a better product by grating yourself.
Directions:
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the onions. Cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook about 30 seconds (until fragrant). Don't walk away - garlic burns quickly and will ruin the dish.
Stir in broth, heavy cream, and bay leaves. Then stir in the potatoes, one handful at a time. This will begin to seem like there are way too many potatoes but keep going. Put them all in and gently stir/fold etc. so that all potatoes have been coated with liquid.
Bring to a simmer, put a lid on it, reduce heat to med-low. Continue to simmer, stirring often, until the potatoes are mostly tender (a fork or paring knife can stab the potatoes with ease.) This will take about 15-18 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves - this might take a minute but find them and toss them.
Here is where you can continue to cook or refrigerate/freeze until a later date. For Thanksgiving I usually make this Tuesday or Wednesday and store in the fridge until Thursday morning when I finish it.
If you choose to finish the potatoes another day: cover with saran wrap, poke holes for ventilation and refrigerate. Once cool, you can cover tightly with foil and freeze (but write a note to yourself that there is plastic wrap under the foil!)
To finish if frozen or refrigerated: If frozen: thaw at least 24 hours before baking. If refrigerated, pull from fridge 20 minutes prior to finishing. Remove the plastic wrap, sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the potatoes, cover tightly with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven until warm - 30-40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook until the cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling (30-40 minutes longer)
To finish if making right away: Sprinkle the cheddar over the top and bake in a 400 degree oven, uncovered until the cheese is golden brown, 20-30 minutes.
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| Could not be bothered with cooking today... |
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