Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes (Print-Friendly)

Thinly sliced potatoes layered with creamy cheese sauce and baked until golden and tender.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 lbs Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

→ Dairy

03 - 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
04 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
05 - 2 cups whole milk
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

→ Seasonings

08 - 1 teaspoon salt
09 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
10 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
11 - 1/4 teaspoon paprika

# Cooking Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
02 - Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk continuously for 1 minute until combined.
03 - Slowly pour milk into the roux while whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
04 - Remove from heat. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and half of the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses until fully melted and smooth.
05 - Arrange half the potato slices in the prepared baking dish. Top with half the onion slices, then pour half the cheese sauce over. Repeat layers with remaining potatoes, onions, and sauce.
06 - Sprinkle remaining shredded cheeses and paprika evenly over the top layer.
07 - Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes at 375°F.
08 - Remove foil and continue baking for 25-30 minutes until potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown.
09 - Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes to allow the dish to set before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cheese sauce is silky and rich without requiring any mysterious ingredients or complicated technique.
  • It reheats beautifully, making it the perfect make-ahead side dish that actually tastes better the next day.
  • Those crispy cheese edges that form on top are genuinely addictive, and you'll find yourself fighting over the corner pieces.
02 -
  • Don't skip the roux step or try to thicken the milk with cornstarch instead—the flour creates the proper body for a sauce that actually coats the potatoes evenly.
  • Slice your potatoes as thin as possible without them falling apart, because uneven thickness means some pieces cook through while others stay crunchy.
03 -
  • Use a mandoline for slicing if you have one, because uniform thickness means everything cooks at the same rate, no hard spots or mushy edges.
  • Taste the sauce before layering and adjust seasoning aggressively—the potatoes are bland, so the sauce needs to carry all the flavor.
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