Scalloped Potatoes and Parsnips

Scalloped Potatoes and Parsnips

One of my mother’s go-to dishes for Thanksgiving has always been scalloped potatoes. I can’t say I really loved her version (sorry, Mom, you’re a great cook, but this was never my favorite dish). This recipe came about (as many of our recipes do) because we happened to have a couple of leftover parsnips from another recipe we made and I started flipping through cookbook indices looking for inspiration. I found it in the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics Cookbook. The recipe is actually titled Potato Parsnip Gratin, but since the overall dish follows the same theory as my mom’s scalloped potatoes, that’s how I think of this recipe.

A few words of warning in advance. The Gruyere is a very strong cheese and even if you like strong cheeses, it might not smell like it goes well with the potatoes and parsnips when you put it in the oven. But trust me. Once it melts, it’s absolutely fantastic and perfect with the sweet parsnips and the creamy potatoes.

Slicing the potatoes and parsnips thinly is really the key for this dish. You can use a mandoline, but if you take it slowly, you can make perfectly thin slices with a sharp knife. For the parsnips, stop slicing about half an inch from the top of the parsnip to leave yourself a handle for slicing. You can also use a food processor with the slicing attachment. If you want to slice the potatoes and parsnips by hand, leave yourself about 20-30 minutes for slicing before assembly.

Scalloped Potatoes and Parsnips, from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

• 1/2 cup shallots, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
  

  Cheesey Potato Goodness

• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 cups potatoes, sliced
• 2 cups parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a small bowl, combine the shallots, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
3. Grease a 11×7 inch baking dish.
4. Spread half of the mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.
5. Combine the cream and milk in a large measuring cup (with spout) and pour half of the mix into the baking dish.
6. Layer half of the potatoes and half of the parsnips.
7. Sprinkle the other half of the shallot mixture on top.
8. Repeat the layering with the other half of the potatoes and parsnips.
9. Pour the second half of the cream over the top.
10. Top with the grated cheese.
11. Bake, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes, or until the sliced potatoes pierce easily with a fork and the cheese is brown and bubbly.
12. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Golden Brown and Delicious

Notes: This was so good I went back for seconds. Then I went back for seconds the next night too. The cheese, which smelled a bit too strong for a scalloped potato dish, was absolutely perfect. It was both crisp on the top and smooth and creamy underneath. The rosemary and thyme came from our garden and they were amazingly flavorful. I used a mixture of red, white, and purple potatoes for a unique look, though any type of potatoes would work fine. Just remember, there’s no need to peel your potatoes for this dish. You can make this dish in advance and reheat it with no loss in flavor or texture. Just make sure to reheat in the oven at 350 (not the microwave). Letting the dish sit for 5 minutes before slicing helps the milk and cream set so that when you cut it, you don’t get a pool of liquid in the bottom of the dish.