From-scratch Cheesy Potatoes at Home

Cheesy potatoes are the supreme side to ham (genuinely anything).

11 years ago, I decided to venture out and make kitchen-made cheesy potatoes in a home kitchen. Crazy? Yes. Savory? Of course! I will admit, it’s not as unfussy as opening a few bags of hash brown potatoes and mixing them with cream of chicken or mushroom soup. But in my opinion, it’s a million times better and truly not all that time consuming.

This method consists of boiling cubed potatoes and tossing them in a kitchen-made sauce of sautéed onions and garlic, thickened by flour, broth and milk. Sour cream and sharp cheddar is mixed in as well giving this casserole tang and of course, the desired cheddar-y flavor.

Prepare to fall in love.

To Make Kitchen-made Cheesy Potatoes Gather:

• russet potatoes – The dependable potato for this casserole.
• unsalted butter – You will also need more for greasing pan.
• yellow onion – Adds a sweet and subtle onion flavor to the dish.
• green onion – Lends mild onion flavor.
• garlic – Adds distinct punchy flavor.
• unbleached all-purpose flour – Helps to thicken the sauce.
• low-sodium chicken broth – Or substitute with a low-sodium vegetable broth.
• whole milk – Lends richness and creaminess.
• sour cream – Gives this casserole tanginess and helps with the creaminess as well.
• kosher salt – Enhances the flavors in this dish.
• black pepper – Adds distinct bite and flavor.
• sharp cheddar cheese – Sharp cheddar is a must to taste that cheesy flavor.

Roughly peel 3 pounds of russet potatoes. I like to leave some of the skin on to genuinely drive the “hey guys, these from-scratch cheesy potatoes are made without a mix” appearance.

Add the diced potatoes to a pot, fill with water, covering the potatoes by a couple of inches. Cover, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are only tender. The potatoes should still have a little resistance when you try to pierce them with a fork and will finish cooking in the oven. Once the water starts boiling, it’s about 10 minutes – depending on the size of your potatoes of course.

Once partially cooked, remove the pot off of the burner and transfer the potatoes into colander that is set into a sink and let them cool a little.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (or 180°C).

Grease a 2-quart baking dish with a little butter.

In a 10-inch skillet melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and add 1 medium diced yellow onion and a pinch of kosher salt and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.

Once softened add in the 3 chopped green onions and 1 clove of minced garlic.

Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Next sprinkle the 4 tablespoons of all purpose flour over top, stir it into the butter and cook for 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium low and while stirring, pour in a 1/2 cup of both low-sodium chicken broth and whole milk.

Continue to stir until mixture is creamy and thick – this should only take a few minutes. Remove the pan off of the burner.

Next add in 1 cup of cold sour cream and stir until incorporated.

Lastly, add in 2/3 of the cheddar cheese.

Stir to combine. The cold sour cream will bring the sauces temperature down so when you add it to the bowl it won’t instantly melt the cheese. Alternatively you can add all of the cheese and not use any for the topping.

Transfer the slightly cooled, drained potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

Add in the sour cream mixture and gently stir.

Until combined.

Transfer the creamy, cheesy potato mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread it evenly and top with the remaining sharp cheddar. Bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 40 to 5o minutes or until hot and golden brown in spots.

I rotate the baking dish halfway to ensure even cooking and browning. Once baked, allow the cheesey potatoes to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

So there we were eating dinner and I look around at everyone’s plate. The mounds of cheesy potato goodness piled high on all our plates was laughable. A regular at dinner looks at me and says “these are the go-to kitchen-made cheesy potatoes I’ve ever had.” It truly was a verbal dozen roses, or like when he does the dinner dishes or makes me a cup of coffee.

Ps. those crispy edges are all MINE.

A regular here these kitchen-made cheesy potatoes and I hope you do too!

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How To Make From-scratch Cheesy Potatoes in Advance:

Prepare as instructed. Allow everything to cool completely before covering tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove the casserole from the fridge while your oven preheats. Bake as directed, allowing a little extra time if needed.

Enjoy! And if you give this Kitchen-made Cheesy Potatoes recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!