Scalloped potatoes are another of those dishes that mean different things to different people. Scalloped potatoes recipes can vary greatly both in traditional form and modern cuisines but generally the one consistent thing will be the shape of the potato, irrespective of how the dish is prepared, cooked and served.

Firstly, let’s dispel any myth that it has anything to do with or relation to the shellfish scallops. There is a word in Old English – collops- which is thought to derive from the Old French word – escalope. Escalope has long been recognized as a flattened, boneless piece of meat and given that this involves slicing a piece of meat thinly, it is reasonable that the word scallop was coined for thin-nish slices of potatoes. Whatever your scalloped potato recipe calls for, it will always involve cutting thin slices of the principal ingredient.

The exact origin of the first scalloped potatoes recipe is unknown. There’s an old Yorkshire recipe for Collops which refers to frying thin slices of potatoes, so it’s probable that scalloped potatoes recipes began in England but it could have logically been America or Ireland.

Here are 2 variations of scalloped potatoes

Scalloped potatoes with sour cream and crunchy topping:

8 medium potatoes

 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 cans, cream of chicken soup

1 pint sour cream

1 onion

¼ cup melted margarine

1 cup Cornflakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Wash the potatoes. With skins on, slice them thinly (if you have a mandolin or food processor it will be quicker and easier)
• Peel and chop the onion
• Lightly sauté the onion in a little butter until soft and golden but not brown
• In a large bowl combine the potatoes, 1 cup of the cheese, the cans of soup, sour cream and the onion
• Put the mix in a casserole dish
• Bake, uncovered, in the oven for 45 minutes
• Combine the remaining cheese, margarine and cornflakes
• Remove the casserole from the oven and top the potatoes with the cheese mix
• Return the casserole dish to the over to bake for a further 30 minutes

Scalloped potatoes and ham

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups of milk

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

4 large russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

12 ounces ¼ inch sliced baked ham

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Butter a shallow casserole or lasagne dish.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan
• Add the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the milk.
• Return saucepan to the heat and whilst stirring bring to a simmer
• When the sauce has thickened, remove pan from the heat and season with salt and pepper
• Set sauce aside
• In a skillet, melt some butter and sauté the onions until golden brown.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish
• Add a layer of potatoes
• Spread out half of the onions, ham, cheese on the potato layer
• Top with another ⅓ of the sauce.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Continue layering ingredients
• Make the final layer of sprinkled cheese
• Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.