As the owner of this food blog since 2008, I find myself on call for everyone – friends, bloggers, family, neighbors – when it comes to recipe questions, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not even necessarily about recipes on my blog, but about cooking in general. I don’t mind helping at all, but my phone is constantly buzzing with texts and emails. And that’s not even counting all the comments on my blog; sometimes, it can be up to 100 a day. Phew.

I have blogger friends who tell me that they always tackle comments in the morning when they’re fresh and ready for the day. Not me. We all know by now that mornings and I don’t get along. My husband and I don’t talk until at least 10 AM to keep things tranquil. He’s not a morning person either. We’re quite the combo.

So you can imagine what kind of response I would write to the person asking me if they can replace the cup of sugar in the cookies with a cup of salt if I responded in the morning. No bueno. I decided a long time ago that nighttime is the best time. I’m a lot nicer.

These Scalloped Potatoes with cheese, ask me anything you want to know about them. They’re fabulous, by the way. And that’s coming from someone who loves her mashed potatoes.

The most important thing in scalloped potatoes is to make sure you slice them thin. No one wants to bite into a thick potato. Do they? I sure don’t.

SCALLOPED POTATOES INGREDIENTS

• Potatoes – Yukon or Russet potatoes are best for this dish.
• Butter, flour, and milk – For your roux, these ingredients make the base of a creamy sauce.
• Salt and Pepper – are essential to flavor this dish.
• Cheddar cheese – I like a sharp cheddar cheese because it gives the dish a lot of flavor. You could definitely use any cheese you like.
• Paprika – mostly used for color but adds a little flavor.

WHAT ARE THE BEST POTATOES FOR SCALLOPED POTATOES?

I prefer Yukon gold or Russet potatoes for this dish. Yukon potatoes tend to hold their shape better and don’t need to be peeled, but Russets work well too.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCALLOPED POTATOES AND POTATOES AU GRATIN?

Scalloped potatoes are traditionally in a creamy sauce whereas potatoes au gratin have a crunchy breadcrumb topping.