Harrison's Favorite Scalloped Potatoes

Cooks like to make others happy with food. When someone comes to visit I always want to make their favorite treat/dish. Seven year old Harrison is a good eater. His mother Amber is a great cook and has introduced her children to a wide variety of food. Amber kids don't want to go to McDonald's, they want Sushi.
Amber made Harrison's Favorite Scalloped Potatoes and sent me a photo to document his joy. Amber is a talented photographer, check out her work on Amber Linderman Photography.

Harrison's Favorite Scalloped Potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion chopped fine (I used 2 large shallots with excellent results last night)

1 pinch dried thyme (you can use a sprig of fresh thyme if available)

6 medium sized russet potatoes (about 2.5 lbs)- sliced 1/8 inch thick with a mandolin

2 cloves garlic, minced (I used one large one)

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

2 bay leaves

4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated

fresh grated Parmesan, to taste

1 cup diced good quality ham

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme, garlic, salt and pepper and cook 30 more seconds. Add the potatoes, broth, cream and bay leaves. If the potatoes aren't nearly covered with liquid, you can add a few more tablespoons of cream/broth (I like mine saucy!) Bring mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook- stirring occasionally until the potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the mixture to an 8" square baking dish, gently press potatoes into an even layer and sprinkle the top with the cheddar/ Parmesan mixture.  Bake until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15- 20 minutes. 

Let cool 10 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy! We sure do...

(and kudos to you food photographers! It's harder than it looks!)

Thanks Amber!