This satisfying, homey dish has plenty of rich flavor without the usual butter and cream of scalloped potatoes.
Yields one 9 x 13-inch casserole
Serves 6 to 8
Prep time: 40 minutes
Baking time: about 1 hour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and minced (about 1½ cups)
1 pound mushrooms, sliced (heaping 4 cups)
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
2 tablespoons unbleached white all-purpose flour
2 cups mushroom stock (packaged, or see the sidebar here)
1½ cups grated Gruyère cheese
Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or brush it with oil and set aside.
In a large pot on medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to become translucent. Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt, and black pepper and stir to coat the mushrooms in oil. Cook for a few minutes, until the mushrooms are browned and slightly reduced, then turn off heat.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare the potatoes by peeling, slicing lengthwise into halves or quarters, and then slicing crosswise as thinly as you can; you want about 6 cups.
Layer half of the sliced potatoes in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the flour. Spread all the vegetable and mushroom mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle with one-third of the grated Gruyère. Next, layer in the rest of the potatoes and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Pour the mushroom stock over everything and top with the rest of the cheese.
Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the top is crusty and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Good dishes to pair with Scalloped Potatoes and Mushrooms are a bit piquant and have some crispness. Start with a pickled vegetable mix, such as Giardiniera, or Watercress Toast. For a salad, try Kale, Jicama, and Orange Salad, Microgreens Salad with Sweet Carrot Dressing, or Wax Bean and Radish Salad with Buttermilk Dressing.
MUSHROOM STOCK
Commercially prepared mushroom stock in aseptic quart boxes is quite tasty and very convenient, but you can also make a flavorful mushroom stock this way: Pour 2 ½ cups boiling water over ½ cup dried sliced mushrooms, such as shiitake, and let them soak for at least 20 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with a coffee filter to remove all traces of grit.
Start soaking the dried mushrooms when you begin with the recipe, so the stock will be ready when you assemble the baking dish. The soaked dried mushrooms can be rinsed, sliced, and added as well.