My younger son recently requested scalloped potatoes, wondering why I only make them when we're at the farm. I reminded him that my boys never used to eat many potatoes. This time, they gobbled them up, reminding me that people's tastes change over time.
Scalloped potatoes are a dish I learned to make from grandma. I still remember the day that she called me into the kitchen and showed me the process, step-by-step. There's no exact measurements here, but you'll want approximately the following quantities for a 8-inch by 8-inch pan of scalloped potatoes:
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 small onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced (optional)
3 medium russet potatoes, thinly sliced
milk to cover the potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
ground black pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Saute the onion and celery in butter for a few minutes, until they begin to soften. (Celery wasn't in Grandma's version, but I add it when I have it on hand.) Add sliced potatoes and milk, just enough to mostly cover the potatoes. Heat over medium heat until the milk begins to simmer. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently, for about five minutes or until the milk thickens a bit from the starch of the potatoes. Aunt Betty was in the kitchen at the time, and pointed out that you don't need to heat it on the stove top - you can just put everything in a pan and bake it in the oven. But Grandma did take this extra step, at least some of the time. I think it not only reduces the time it needs in the oven, but also leaves you with a slightly thicker sauce in the end.
Pour the hot mixture into a greased 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately one hour or until the potatoes are tender and the top is slightly browned.
Grandma would make a full 9- by 13-inch pan of these potatoes to serve alongside a meatloaf some Saturdays, and the contents would usually all disappear in one sitting. To me, this is one of those foods that tastes like childhood.