Perfect with Ham. Decadent, sophisticated yet warm & comforting.
This is a recipe I got from Williams-Sonoma. You know – the cookware shop in the mall that always smells like pumpkin pie and mulled cider around the holidays? They do such an amazing job with their brand, that I literally walk out of the store with reams of spices, mixes and sauces that I’ll never use. But it sure was fun!
Although I like to keep it healthy around the holidays – I do it within reason. I mean, give it a rest sometimes right? These amazing scalloped potatoes are both decadent and sophisticated yet still homey. The combination of leek and gruyere elevates the dish from ordinary – to holiday worthy and special!
I lightened it up a little:
The original recipe calls for FULL heavy cream. If you’re used to eating healthy, the heavy cream will be a little too rich & you may actually prefer my lighter version, made with half-n-half instead. You can use whole milk as well, just make sure not to allow the milk to boil. Warm it just enough that it barely comes to a simmer – otherwise it will “break” and become watery when you bake it. We don’t like that.
APC Smart-Planning Tip:
Make up to 2-days ahead! Just follow the recipe and do everything except pouring the hot cream or milk over the potatoes. Wrap the casserole dish of the assembled potatoes in tin foil and store in the fridge. The day of, just heat the cream, pour it over the potatoes and bake. Easy!
Gruyere & Leek Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cups chopped leeks, white and pale green parts
- 2 tsps kosher salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
- 3¾ lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
- 3 cups half ‘n half or whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a 9×13” baking dish.
- In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Peel the potatoes and slice into ¼” thick rounds. If you have a mandolin – it’ll go much faster and the potatoes will be the same thickness for more even cooking.
- Now just make 3 layers of potato, salt and pepper, leek and gruyere: A layer of potatoes spread in an even layer in the baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, spread 1/3 of the leek mixture over that, followed by 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat for the other 2 layers.
Next: Heat the half ‘n half, pour and bake 90-minutes
- In a small saucepan, heat the half ‘n half over medium-high heat until it is simmering. Pour the hot cream evenly over the potatoes. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet just in case there’s any bubbling over! We don’t want a mess on Thanksgiving, right?!
- Bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and let it bake a little more – until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown! Usually about 30 minutes more (about 90-minutes total baking time). Let it stand for about 5 minutes, while you gather everyone to the table. Enjoy! You can run it all off tomorrow 😉
