Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon and Gruyere

A classic! Creamy, rich, and a family dinner favorite. This simple potato dish deserves a spot in your recipe file!

I remember scalloped potatoes showing up on our dining table quite often as a child and we all LOVED it. How can you not like scalloped potatoes? Everyone's favorite starch baked in cream and cheese until bubbly. Can't get much better... except when you move from the boxed mix you grew up on and sink your teeth into a homemade version.

Sure, the homemade kind is a bit more labor intensive but it's still not bad. Invest in a mandoline and you can whip this dish together in 20 minutes or less. Your oven does the rest!

You can easily skip the bacon if you don't want to mess with it but I love the salty bite it adds. Gruyere is pricey, and you can sub in something else instead (even cheddar!), but for a special occasion, I like the nutty flavor it lends.

Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon & Gruyere

6 slices bacon, chopped

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced thyme

3 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Layer the bottom with a third of the potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then layer half of the onions, thyme, and reserved bacon. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over top. 

Repeat with another third of the potato slices, sprinkle again with salt and pepper, and then a layer the remaining onions, thyme, and bacon. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over top.

Layer the remaining potato slices and carefully pour the broth over top followed by the cream, being careful to evenly distribute both.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil, sprinkle on remaining 1 cup cheese, and return to oven to bake an additional 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and most liquid is absorbed. 

Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Simply Recipes