My Next-Level Scalloped Potatoes recipe involves jalapenos, beer, & Monterey Jack cheese - truly living up to the name! An easy recipe to make, it’s gluten-free, too!
Originally published December 30, 2014. Updated on 3/12/2023.
It was early enough that the store was blissfully empty and quiet, but we were in a rush to get home and get to work.
We decided to pick up a couple food items needed for the coming days.
En route to pick up the cheapest, smelliest tuna they had (the cats prefer it that way!), I noticed something from the corner of my eye: Jalapeno cheddar instant cheesy scalloped potatoes.
It kinda stopped me dead in my tracks- why hadn't I ever thought to put jalapeno in homemade scalloped potatoes.
It was an epiphany!
We ALMOST bought the pack of easy scalloped potatoes, but (at least!) one too many childhood experiences with dehydrated "Hamburger Helper" type potato products got in the way.
Besides, we had potatoes and almost a litre of heavy whipping cream at home left over from other recipes, I'd just make my own potato gratin recipe from scratch.
The BEST Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
After adding everything I wanted to my cheesy potatoes - beer, because I LOVE beer as an ingredient when it comes to cheese (even if I won't drink beer as a beverage!), onions, garlic... it was amazing.
The creamy sauce almost didn't make it to the potatoes, from uh.. "quality control". 🙂
The smell coming out of the oven was maddening. Why is it that the recipes that put out the most tantalizing smells seem to start doing so the earliest in their cook times, and have the LONGEST cook times?
I was very frustrated, and was pretty ravenous by the time it finished cooking - maybe not the best thing to make first thing in the morning, for breakfast!
Actually, I lie. It WAS the best thing to make for breakfast. SO GOOD.
Good news: part of what makes these au gratin potatoes such a perfect side dish is that it’s SO versatile!
This is the perfect holiday side dish, as it would go well with the main course at pretty much any of the holiday meals. You can serve it alongside ham at your Easter Holiday dinner, just as easily as you can serve it up at Christmas dinner.
It’s also the perfect addition to any weekend dinner table - serve it alongside a meatloaf, pork chops, roasted chicken - whatever!
Whether you’re making it for your holiday table, or just regular weeknight comfort food, you can never go wrong with layers of potatoes, smothered in cheese sauce!
It’s basically the king of potato side dishes, IMHO.
Ingredients
This original recipe uses simple ingredients - easily found in any grocery store - and is SUPER adaptable. A few ingredient notes for you:
Potatoes
The base of this recipe is 4 pounds of potatoes, and there’s some room for customization as far as that goes.
Personally, I like to use red potatoes, but you can use buttery Yukon Gold potatoes just as well.
I’m not a fan of using Russet potatoes in scalloped or au-gratin potato recipes, though - it’s a texture thing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Russet potatoes in other uses, like my recipes for Bacon Roasted Loaded Potato Skins, Irish Nachos, Canadian Poutine, and my Peppermint Patties Recipe ... yes, you read that right!
... just not so much when it comes to scalloped potatoes!
Anyway, in terms of use, I like to leave the skins on, both for taste and nutrition. If you’re not into the skins, feel free to peel the potatoes before slicing them.
Also: For best results, slice your potatoes pretty thin.
Thick slices tend to cook unevenly and take much longer to cook. The cooking process can cook off the sauce and result in not- great proportions of sauce to potatoes.
I like to use my Mueller Multi Blade Adjustable Mandoline Slicer for this.
Cheese
I like to punch my easy homemade cream sauce up with lots of cheese - I use two different types.
As written, I use Monterey Jack Cheese in the cheesy sauce, and sharp cheddar cheese to top it with, but you don’t need to feel married to those types of cheese.
Cheese is the best way to customize a scalloped potatoes recipe, IMHO!
In the sauce, you can use pretty much anything you like - cheddar, gouda, havarti are all favourites that work particularly well in this recipe, with or without the jalapenos.
Mozzarella can be tricky to work with in the sauce, due to the way it melts, so I tend to avoid that one.
In terms of topping, Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano, and Asiago are all great alternatives, as they bake up to a nice brown, somewhat crunchy crust.
Aromatics
I use Jalapenos, yellow onion, and fresh garlic in this recipe.
The way the jalapenos are cooked - and the amount of the milk fat in this recipe - makes for a very mild heat level. It’s definitely about getting the flavour of the jalapenos, rather than the heat of them.
That said, if you want to avoid any potential of spice, you can swap them out for poblano or green bell pepper, or just leave it out entirely.
Heavy Cream & Butter
Heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, whipping cream, double cream - whatever you call it, I tend to use cream with 32-25% fat content for this recipe.
That said, you can use Half and half or whole milk, if you prefer.
As far as the butter goes, use whatever you have on hand - you’ll be salting the sauce to taste. No butter? Use the same amount of olive oil.
Flour
I use White Rice Flour, to make this recipe naturally gluten free.
If you don’t need to make gluten free scalloped potatoes, feel free to use all purpose flour instead.
Beer
As with the flour, I use gluten free beer, to keep the whole recipe gluten free.
If you don’t need it to be gluten free, use your favourite lager.
If you don’t want to use beer, use the same amount of chicken broth - I did, in this round of process photos!
Everything Else
Rounding out this recipe, you will need some salt, ground black pepper, and pan spray.
... nothing really worth commenting, for any of those ingredients!
How to Make the BEST Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Make the Sauce
Finely chop your onion and jalapenos, press or mince your garlic.
Add rice flour, whisk until well distributed and free of clumps.
Bring to a boil.
Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the Dish
Peel potatoes if you like – we don’t bother, we like the skins! – and slice VERY thinly.
I like to use a mandolin slicer, as it saves time and ensures a nice even thickness across all of the slices.
Pour a third of the sauce over top of the potatoes, tilting the pan to let it seep through the layers.
Layer another third of the sliced potatoes, pouring another third of the sauce over the layer of potatoes.
Repeat one more time, using up the remaining potatoes and sauce.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Note: for easier cleanup, I’ll usually put the pan on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. This will catch anything that may boil over.
Serve hot!
I got impatient waiting for it to brown up, and broiled it. Then I remembered why I don't broil it, lol! Aside from not looking great, it can screw with the sauce consistency!
Timing and Leftovers
I usually make and bake scalloped potatoes all in one go on the day of serving.
That said, you can always put it together a day ahead of time, and keep it in the fridge til the next day.
I like to take it out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before baking, to get the chill off it. Then, just bake following the same directions as above.
As for leftovers, let the remaining scalloped potatoes cool to room temperature before either covering - if your casserole dish has a tight cover - or transferring to an airtight container.
Leftovers should be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or so. We just reheat them in the microwave, to the desired temperature.
More Gluten-Free Potluck Food
Looking for more ideas for gluten-free foods that are great to bring to a potluck? Here are some ideas for you!
Best Coleslaw Recipe Ever
Chicken Cabbage Rolls
Chicken Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya
Cold Smoked Potato Salad Recipe
Dill Pickle Cream Cheese Dip
"Extreme" Caesar Salad
Jalapeno Artichoke "Backfire" Dip
Mango Salad
No Tomato Quinoa Tabbouleh
Pavlova Dessert Charcuterie Board
Rainbow Salad with Carrot Dressing
Seafood Mousse
Wild Rice & Edamame Salad
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The Best Scalloped Potatoes (Gluten-Free)
Equipment
- 9 x 13 Baking Dish
- Mandolin
Ingredients
- 2-3 Large Jalapenos seeded and finely chopped
- 1 Small Onion finely chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- ¼ cup White Rice Flour*
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Beer*
- 3 cups Heavy Cream **
- 1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
- 4 lbs Red Potatoes washed
- Pan Spray
- 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- In a medium or large saucepan, combine jalapenos, onion, garlic, and butter. Saute for a few minutes, until onion and peppers soften up a little.
- Add rice flour, whisk until well distributed and free of clumps.
- Add beer, whisking well until smooth. Add heavy cream, continuing to whisk, until smooth. Bring to a boil.
- As mixture starts to boil, add shredded jack cheese, continue stirring until melted and smooth. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Peel potatoes if you like – we don’t bother, we like the skins! – and slice VERY thinly. I like to use a mandolin, as it saves time.
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish, and layer about a third of the potatoes in there. Pour a third of the sauce over it, tilting the pan to let it seep through the layers.
- Layer another third of the potatoes, pouring another third of the sauce over it. Repeat one more time, using up the remaining potatoes and sauce. Cover with foil.
- Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil, return to oven for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven, scatter cheddar cheese evenly over the top, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until nicely browned.
- Serve hot!
Notes
Nutrition
Dirio Ybarra
Why the beer? Can I substitute something since I don't drink?
Marie Porter
You can - As I mentioned in the post!