Comfort Food Recipes I Love: Hearty Scalloped Potatoes

When the temperature drops, our recipes tend to focus a lot on “comfort foods” – those dishes that emanate warmth, carbs and, of course, comfort! I have a number of dishes in my repertoire that I visit each time the chilly season hits. Here, one of my absolute favourites: Hearty Scalloped Potatoes!

Hearty Scalloped Potato Ingredients:

  • 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes (peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk (2% is my go-to: it lends more creaminess in the dish)
  • Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
  • 3-oz slab of bacon (cut into lardons) or 4 stripes of pre-sliced thick-cut bacon, also cut into thin “sticks.”
  • 1 clove of garlic, large
  • 1 small leek, thinly sliced
  • 4-oz of a Reblochon-style cheese (think a creamy Brie-like texture), cut it into 4” slices

Directions:

  • Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees
  • In a medium saucepan, combine the potato chunks, cream and milk and bring it to a simmer
  • Season with salt and freshly-ground black pepper
  • Cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes crush easily when pressed with a fork
  • Strain the potatoes (reserving the cream/milk liquid) and set aside
  • In a secondary sauce pan, over medium-low heat, add in the bacon and cook for 7-10 minutes until the fat is rendered and the bacon is golden in colour.
  • Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon (important! You want to keep that bacon fat in the pan) and place on a plate lined with paper towel. Increase the heat and add in the garlic and leek to cook until soft.
  • In your gratin dish, scatter half of your bacon, garlic and leek on the bottom of the dish, then add half of the potatoes and press down with a spatula or a fork gently. Add half of your cheese here.
  • Proceed by adding another layer of the bacon, leek mixture, the rest of the potatoes and top with the remainder of the cheese.
  • Pour the reserved cream and milk until it sits halfway up the dish and bake for 10 minutes more.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!
Like any baked dish, it’s even better a few days later – the flavours really intensify!