Goat Cheese Scalloped Potatoes

Traditional scalloped potatoes get a gourmet twist! Goat cheese scalloped potatoes are rich, decadent, and bursting with complex flavor. They couldn’t be easier to make and you can assemble them completely ahead of time! {Gluten-free}

Happy Monday! I’m a bit late on posting this – I’ve been in the kitchen all day. Finally got around to baking. I now know why I waited so long… I eat too much when I bake! Calories don’t count during the holiday’s, though.

Right?

Anyway, I’ve got one delicious recipe to share with you today! It just so happens that it pairs perfectly with my cranberry orange glazed ham!

Goat cheese scalloped potatoes. Yes, you heard me. ???

Scalloped potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes for ham. Soft, creamy, comforting and totally decadent.

Again, calories don’t count right now. ?

My favorite part of this whole dish (besides the taste) is that it can be prepared completely in advance! You can assemble the goat cheese scalloped potatoes up to two days before you’re planning to serve them. A few hours before you’re ready to bake them, simply pull them out of the fridge to take the chill off. Then, bake them until golden and bubbly. 

The secret to making them ahead is to blanch the potatoes. With this step you won’t end up with brown potatoes! It also helps the potatoes absorb the cream sauce and bake up quicker in the oven. 

Once the potatoes are blanched, I layer them with caramelized fennel, goat cheese, and fresh thyme. The fennel adds such a wonderful flavor to the potatoes, but you can also use onions. I had a bulb of fennel that I needed to use from my CSA, but I plan on using onions when I make these again for Christmas.

Now that the potatoes are layered and looking pretty, you’ll smother them with garlic-thyme infused cream. At this point you can cover them and refrigerate for up to 2 days. 

If you’re not into goat cheese you can certainly use a different cheese – I’d recommend gruyere. Still sophisticated, but not as strong as goat cheese. 

The aroma that will fill your kitchen with these in the oven is simply wonderful. Your mouth will be watering! 

I suppose I should stop typing now and get back to baking eating cookies. ?

Goat Cheese Scalloped Potatoes

2015-12-21 15:41:57

Serves 6

Traditional scalloped potatoes get a gourmet twist! Goat cheese scalloped potatoes are rich, decadent, and bursting with complex flavor. They couldn’t be easier to put together and you can prepare them completely ahead of time!

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Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

2 hr

Total Time

2 hr 30 min

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

2 hr

Total Time

2 hr 30 min

Ingredients

1. 1 Tablespoon Butter
2. 1 Tablespoon Extra-Light Olive Oil
3. 1 Bulb Fennel*, sliced
4. Salt & Pepper
5. Pinch of Sugar (about ½ teaspoon)
6. 6 Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and sliced
7. 2 Cups Heavy Cream
8. 8 Sprigs Fresh Thyme, 3 left whole and the leaves removed from the rest
9. 2 Garlic Cloves, smashed gently and peeled
10. 1 (8 oz.) Log Goat Cheese

Instructions

1. Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium sauté pan and add in the fennel. Add in the sugar and season well with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low and allow the fennel to caramelize, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a few pinches of salt and the potatoes. Blanch the potatoes for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
3. Preheat the oven to 375º.
4. Pour the heavy cream into a small pot and add 3 sprigs of fresh thyme and the garlic. Season the cream with salt and pepper and bring to a very low simmer. Let the cream simmer for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat.
5. Assemble the potatoes by buttering your baking dish (I used a 1.5 quart round) and then layer in enough potatoes to cover the bottom of the dish. Layer on some of the fennel, thyme and goat cheese evenly over the top, season with salt and pepper. Repeat the layers until everything is used up.
6. Remove the thyme springs and garlic from the cream and pour it over the top of the potatoes. The cream should come up to just under the top layer of the potatoes.
7. Bake the scalloped potatoes for 1 ½ hours or until they are bubbly and very brown. Test the potatoes for doneness by inserting a pairing knife into the center – if it glides through and feels soft they are done.

Notes

1. *2 medium onions can be used in place of the fennel.

Make Ahead Instructions

1. Prepare the recipe as written, but instead of baking let them cool completely after assembling. Cover them and refrigerate for up to 2 days ahead. About an hour before you’re ready to bake take them out of the fridge and let them sit on the counter. Preheat the oven to 375º and bake for 1 ½ - 2 hours.

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