Name: Bacon Scalloped Potatoes
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 8 slices bacon , chopped fine; 1 onion , chopped fine; 2 garlic cloves , minced; 2 1/2 teaspoons salt; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 5 pounds russet potatoes , peeled and sliced thin; 3 cups half-and-half; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Why This Recipe Works

A holiday menu isn’t complete without a scalloped potatoes recipe, but the dish can be time-consuming to make. We wondered if we could create a flavorful, cheesy bacon scalloped potatoes recipe that could be prepared ahead and simply heated before serving. Simmering the potatoes with the sauce on the stovetop kept baking time to just 15 minutes. A bit of baking soda added to the potatoes made them tender without leaving behind a chemical taste. Our Bacon Scalloped Potatoes recipe can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.

Before You Begin

Other mild, semisoft cheeses, such as gouda or fontina, may be substituted for the cheddar in this recipe. Fresh chives can be used in place of the parsley.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat. Cook onion in bacon fat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in potatoes, half-and-half, and baking soda and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.

Off heat, stir in cheese, cooked bacon, and parsley and transfer mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Bake until sauce is bubbling around edges and top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead: After the potato mixture has been transferred to a baking dish in step 2, the dish can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated for 24 hours. When ready to serve, bake until bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.