Scalloped Potatoes and Parsnips with Aged Gouda

My dad loved scalloped potatoes. We had them often, especially for the holidays. I remember him teaching me to make a basic Béchamel sauce and how you could add just about any cheese to make it your own. Scalloped potatoes seem right at home on your Easter brunch or dinner table and are a nice change from mashed potatoes. I also love that once you put them in the oven, you can be hands-off for an hour while you finalize the rest of your meal.

For this version, I added parsnips. Parsnips are an underutilized root vegetable. They taste like a carrot and a potato had a baby with the sweetness of the carrot and the earthy, creaminess of a potato. They bring a nice dimension to this dish. I selected aged Gouda for my cheese of choice, but you could use just about any cheese.

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Scalloped Potatoes and Parsnips with Aged Gouda

The addition of parsnips adds an earthy twist to classic scalloped potatoes.

Course dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword Parships, Potato Casserole, Potato side dish, Scalloped Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Equipment

• 1 mandolin or very sharp knife See my favorite kitchen items page for mandolin advice
• 1 medium-sized pot
• 1 Whisk
• 1 9 x 11-inch baking dish

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. of potatoes I used a mix of red and Yukon gold
• 1 lb. of parsnips
• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. flour
• 2 c. of whole milk
• 1 c. cream
• 1 c. chicken broth
• 1 t. salt
• ½ t. ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ t. nutmeg
• 2 c. of shredded aged Gouda cheese

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Thinly slice the potatoes and parsnips using a mandolin on the thinnest setting. You can also do this with a good sharp knife but try to cut them as thin as possible.
• Melt the butter in a medium-sized pot until hot and bubbling. Add the flour then stir to incorporate and cook down the flour a couple of minutes. Move to a whisk and begin slowly adding in the milk, cream, and broth stirring constantly to ensure no lumps. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaves, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer, continuing to stir until the sauce has thickened. I should be about the consistency of a thick cream-style soup. Remove the bay leaves and discard.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 11-inch baking dish. Layer a third of the potatoes and parsnips into the bottom of the dish mixing up the different vegetables. Top the vegetables with one-third of the Béchamel sauce, then one-third of the graded Gouda. Repeat with one-third more of the vegetables, sauce, and Gouda then the last third of the vegetables and sauce. Use a spatula to push the vegetables down ensuring everything is covered by the sauce. Top with the remaining Gouda.
• Remove from the oven and set for at least ten minutes before serving.