What ingredient do you add to SCALLOPED POTATO'S to give extra flavor?!
Answers: When I make them they always taste Bland, I'm making them tonight with ham so I need to kick it up a notch.
First, Msnorthe is right about Scalloped Potatoes not having cheese on them........Those are called Au Gratin Potatoes, which I prefer to scalloped potatoes, for the same reasons you pointed out.....too bland......although when I do make scalloped potatoes, I add onion, garlic, a dash of cayenne pepper and definately applewood smoked bacon (from Trader Joe's [TJ's to the rescue again!!!] Enjoy your ham dinner tonight......
Christopher
Sharp white cheddar cheese and a few scallions or shallots
Here are several recipes to check out:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=SCALLO...
Ham
garlic....or maybe red pepper...or both
I put in tons of cheese....and then melt cheese on the top. I also make them with cream of mushroom soup, and lots of cheese.
Onions
Cheese
Black Pepper
Garlic Salt
Little bit of Rosemary
Any or all of the above, depending on what you like.
rosemary, shelled sunflower seed, thyme , look in the spice cabinet and experiment.
Bay leaf.
Sharp cheddar cheese (a lot!), sour cream, onions, and garlic
Sharp cheddar cheese, half & half, paprika, sliced green onions
I heat the milk with a bay leaf, and I mix in chopped onion, thyme and rosemary with the potatoes, and cover the top with a good sharp cheese.
Crumbled, crispy fried bacon bits and finely chopped onion. Ham does nothing for them flavour-wise and true scalloped potatoes don't have cheese in them.
PUT IN GARLIC POWDER ,ROSEMARY,SCALLIONS!!!
When I make them, I slice a couple of cloves of garlic and add them to a buttered gratin dish with the potatoes, salt and pepper and then cover everything with heavy cream (or a mix of cream and milk.) Bake at 325 for about an hour until thickened.
The garlic turns very sweet after being roasted in the oven and adds a nice subtle touch to the potatoes.
I personally think that the flavor goes into the roux. Use real butter and lots of it. I always put in onion powder, salt and pepper. The salt also gives it flavor. I use to make this white sauce years ago when a neighbor had her Swedish fish dinner.
Scalloped potatoes, I think, come from the French classic, potatoes dauphinoise. With those they simply rub the dish with a clove of garlic, season with salt and pepper and then pour cream or half and half over it and bake until the potatoes are done and the cream has browned quite deeply. I think the only garnish I have ever seen on them is chives.
I can tell you that everytime I have served this dish my friends, including ones from France, rave about it.
A little bit of nutmeg and some freshly ground pepper. Seeded mustard can also give a touch of piquancy (it has vinegar in it) and texture which is appealing.