Bacon Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes

I am slightly embarrassed how long it's been since I posted a recipe here on Old Blue Silo.

*crickets chirping*

Recipe posts are often times pretty intense. Food photography is extremely challenging. Half the time I cook without a recipe so when it comes down to sitting down and writing the recipe, I have to figure out how to translate measurement. 

And.

I need to be honest with you.

I just haven't cooked that much this past year. I started a job last summer that involved many hours during my week and I never really fell into a cooking routine that worked for us. I recently accepted a new position that I believe will allow me a little bit more flexibility to start cooking more often. I am pretty excited. I love to cook. I just don't love it when it's rushed.

Today, I am excited to finally share my go-to potato side dish with you. I typically only make this dish for large gatherings. This is one of the first recipes I wrote on my own and one of the first recipes I made after meeting my husband. We were having a large harvest party one fall when we were dating and I needed several dishes to set out. I researched and researched how to make home-made scalloped potatoes. I took several recipes, combined them and added my own twist.

I recently took this dish to my husband's family Easter dinner. Many were confused why I was outside at the picnic table taking pictures of my plate of food. Once I explained that I was going to post the recipe on my blog, Internet disconnect Granny thought I was going to post my recipe on a billboard  next to the road. She was confused. I was confused.

This recipe is not going on a billboard.

It all starts with potatoes. 4-6 of them. Really enough to fill a large pan. It's just one of those things you'll just know. All great cooks have that inner potato intuition.

PO-TA-TO

PA-TA-TO

Remaining ingredients for Bacon Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes:

• 2 Cups 2% Milk, Half & Half or Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
• 6 Slices of Cooked and Crumbled Bacon
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese
• 2 Tbs All Purpose Flour
• 1 Stick Butter
• ½ Tsp Garlic Powder
• ½ Tsp Seasoned Salt
• 1 Tsp Pepper
• 2 Tablespoon Freeze Dried Chives

You'll start by scalloping the potatoes into slices and filling a large pan or baker.

Then you'll move onto the stove, bringing a sauce pan of milk or cream and butter to boil over medium heat. Once boiling, stir in sour cream followed by flour until mixture is smooth. Continue stirring and add spices: chives, seasoned salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Reduce heat to create a low simmer. Simmer mixture for 5 minutes and continue to stir or it will burn. For the love of cheese and potatoes, please. do. not. burn. it!

Pour mixture over potatoes chilling patiently in their pan.

Bake these babies at 350 degrees for an hour.

Yes, an hour.

If you're strapped for time, you can crank up the heat to 400 degrees and try 40 minutes.

I like my taters tender and slow cooking them is the way to go.

Once your taters are tender, pull the pan out of the oven but leave the oven on. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the pan and top with the bits of bacon. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bacon is crispy.

I hope I made scalloped potatoes easy for you and that you'll never make them out of a box again!

I promise your family will love these as much as my friends and family do.

Please click the button below for a printable version of this recipe!