Are you ready to make the best, most addictive scalloped potatoes of your life? The kind where every single bite is the best bite—that crispy, cheesy, golden-brown top layer? This incredible, from-scratch-tasting All-Crust Sheet-Pan Scalloped Potatoes recipe is your new holiday secret weapon. We’re talking impossibly thin, tender slices of creamy potato, baked in a single layer with a luscious garlic-thyme cream, and topped with a magnificent, bubbly blanket of Gruyère and Parmesan cheese.
This isn’t just another potato gratin recipe; it’s a guide to a modern, show-stopping side dish that brilliantly solves the biggest problem with traditional scalloped potatoes. No more waiting for the middle to cook through! No more soggy bottom layers! This is pure, cheesy, crispy-edged perfection, and it’s perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate “All-Crust” Holiday Side Dish
What makes this Scalloped Potato recipe truly “the best” is its ingenious sheet-pan method. This recipe is a masterpiece of simple, rustic elegance. Instead of a deep casserole dish, this method uses a large sheet pan to create a thin, even layer of potatoes. The star of the show is the classic combination of buttery Yukon Gold potatoes, which are sliced paper-thin and baked in a rich, from-scratch garlic and thyme-infused cream. The real magic, however, is the magnificent crust, a savory and nutty blend of gooey, melted Gruyère and salty Parmesan cheese that covers the entire surface. The result is a gratin where every single serving is a perfect, crispy, cheesy “corner piece.”
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 1 hour |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 8-10 |
The Cheesy Dream Team: The Essential Ingredients
This iconic dish uses a handful of high-quality, simple ingredients to create its signature rich and savory flavor.
- The Potatoes (Yukon Golds are KEY!):
- For the best, most creamy and flavorful result, it is essential to use a waxy potato like a Yukon Gold. Their lower starch content is the key that helps them hold their beautiful, thin shape without falling apart, and their naturally buttery flavor is perfect for a gratin.
- The Cream Sauce: A simple but elegant combination. The garlic and fresh thyme are gently simmered in the heavy cream, which is the secret to infusing the entire dish with a deep, aromatic flavor in minutes.
- The Cheeses (The Flavor Powerhouses!):
- Gruyère & Parmesan: The secret to a truly complex and delicious flavor is using a blend of cheeses. Nutty, earthy Gruyère provides that classic, Alpine flavor and an incredible, gooey melt.1 Salty, sharp Parmesan adds a wonderful depth and helps to create a beautiful, crispy crust.
- Freshly Grated is Best!: For the absolute smoothest, non-greasy result, it is highly recommended to shred your own cheese from a block.
The Sheet-Pan Masterclass: The Secrets to Perfect Scalloped Potatoes
This recipe uses a few simple but brilliant professional techniques that guarantee a flawless, impressive result.
- The Mandoline is Your Best Friend: The number one, non-negotiable secret to a scalloped potato dish that cooks evenly and has a beautiful, elegant texture is to slice your potatoes very thinly and uniformly.2 A simple, inexpensive mandoline slicer is the absolute best tool for this job, creating perfect, paper-thin slices in seconds.
- The “Steam then Sear” Bake: The secret to potatoes that are perfectly tender all the way through, with a crispy top, is the brilliant “cover and uncover” method. The initial bake while the pan is tightly covered with foil steams the thin potato slices, making them incredibly tender. The final, uncovered bake is what allows the top to become that magnificent, bubbly, golden-brown gratin crust.
- The Sheet Pan is the Star: The genius of this recipe is using a large sheet pan. This creates a thin, even layer of potatoes that cooks much faster than a traditional, deep gratin, and it maximizes the surface area, which means you get the maximum amount of that delicious, crispy, cheesy top layer!
Step-by-Step to the Best All-Crust Scalloped Potatoes
This elegant, festive side dish is a joy to prepare.
Part 1: The 5-Minute Assembly
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to a hot 450°F (3$232^{\circ}C$).4 Lightly grease a large, 18×13-inch sheet pan with butter.
Step 2: In a small saucepan, bring your 2 cups of heavy cream, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to a simmer over a medium heat.
Step 3: While the cream is heating, use a mandoline to thinly slice your 2 1/4 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds.
Step 4: Arrange half of your potato slices in a single, overlapping layer on the prepared sheet pan. Sprinkle them evenly with salt and half of your grated Parmesan cheese.
Step 5: Top with the remaining potato slices in another overlapping layer and sprinkle them with salt. Drizzle your hot, infused cream mixture evenly over all the potatoes.
Part 2: The Two-Stage Bake to Golden, Bubbly Perfection
Step 1: Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when you pierce them with a paring knife.
Step 2 (The Best Part!): Carefully remove the foil. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with your 1 1/2 cups of shredded Gruyère and the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Step 3: Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and continue to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. You will know it is perfectly done when the top is a beautiful, deep golden brown and is very crusty and bubbly.
Let the gratin cool for a few minutes before serving.
All-Crust Scalloped Potatoes (An Easy Sheet-Pan Recipe!)
A rich and cheesy recipe for ‘All-Crust Sheet-Pan Scalloped Potatoes,’ a perfect side dish for a holiday meal. This gratin-style dish features thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes arranged in a single, overlapping layer on a sheet pan to maximize the crispy, browned surface area. The potatoes are baked in a savory garlic-thyme infused cream sauce and topped with a generous blend of Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses until tender, bubbly, and golden brown.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/4 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly grease an 18×13-inch sheet pan with butter.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream, garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to a simmer. Once simmering, turn off the heat.
- Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, thinly slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds.
- Arrange half of the potato slices in a single, overlapping layer on the prepared sheet pan. Sprinkle them evenly with salt and half of the grated Parmesan cheese.
- Top with the remaining potato slices in another overlapping layer and sprinkle with salt.
- Drizzle the hot cream mixture evenly over all of the potatoes.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.
- Carefully remove the foil. Sprinkle the potatoes with the shredded Gruyère and the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 more minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the top is very brown and crusty.
- Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Special Equipment: The recipe calls for an 18×13-inch sheet pan. A mandoline is highly recommended for slicing the potatoes thinly and uniformly.
- This is a classic and decadent side dish, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
- The sheet pan method creates more surface area compared to a deep casserole dish, resulting in more of the desirable crispy, cheesy crust.
- The two-stage baking process—covered first, then uncovered—is key to ensuring the potatoes become tender before the cheese topping browns.
What to Serve With Your Scalloped Potatoes
This beautiful and savory-sweet dish is a fantastic and incredibly versatile side dish. It is the perfect accompaniment to almost any holiday main course.
- Holiday Roasts: It is an absolute must-have alongside a classic Roasted Turkey, a Glazed Ham, or a beautiful Prime Rib.
- Weeknight Dinners: It is also the perfect, elegant side for a simple roasted chicken or some pan-seared pork chops.
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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Make-Ahead: This is a perfect make-ahead dish! You can prepare and fully assemble the entire, unbaked gratin up to 2 days in advance. Simply cover it tightly and store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready for your dinner, you may need to add 15-20 minutes to the total baking time.
- Storage: Store any leftovers, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat this dish and bring back its original crispy crust is on a baking sheet in a hot 400°F ($200^{\circ}C$) oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Frequently Asked questions (FAQs)
Q1: Why were my potatoes still crunchy after baking?
Crunchy potatoes are almost always because they were not sliced thinly enough. The 1/8-inch thickness is crucial for allowing the potatoes to steam and become tender in the short, initial bake. A mandoline is the key to this perfect, uniform thickness.
Q2: Can I make this side dish ahead of time for a holiday dinner?
Yes, absolutely! This is an ideal make-ahead side dish. You can fully assemble the unbaked gratin up to two days in advance. When you are ready for your dinner, you can simply pop it in the oven to bake.
Q3: Can I use a different kind of potato?
Yes! A waxy potato like a Red Bliss would also hold its shape beautifully. If you prefer a softer, more “fall-apart” texture, a starchy Russet potato will also work, but be sure to slice it very thinly.
Q4: Can I use a different kind of cheese?
Of course! This recipe is wonderful with other good-melting cheeses. A classic sharp white cheddar, a nutty fontina, or a classic Comté would all be fantastic substitutes for the Gruyère.
Q5: Can I make this in a regular casserole dish?
You can, but you will lose the magic of the “all-crust” method! If you bake it in a traditional, deep casserole dish, you will need to significantly increase the baking time (likely doubling it) to ensure the center potatoes are cooked through.