Updated March 29, 2020. New photos and slight modifications to the original recipe
Are you ready for a twist on scalloped potatoes? This side dish, will out shine the rest. With a hint of spice and a surprising take on the classic, your holiday dinner table will never be the same! Heck, forget the holidays! Isn’t it odd, how we tend to only serve certain foods at certain times of the year. I say, throw caution to the wind and make Salsa Scalloped Potatoes tonight, and if you love it as much as we do, serve it again next week!
The first time I came across this recipe, it was in the milk calendar. The what calendar, you’re probably asking? Up until last year, the Dairy Farmer’s of Canada would put out a yearly calendar with recipes promoting milk. Every recipe used milk and always looked amazing. I still have back issues of some of the calendars, safely tucked away. You can now find the recipes on their website, a more convenient way to search them out, but I still love flipping through the original copies.
Twenty years ago, Salsa Scalloped Potatoes, appeared in the 1998 milk calendar. I remember eating this dish for Easter that following year. And I’ve had a version of this recipe glued into my tattered spiral bound notebook ever since, this is where I keep my most treasured recipes. Now, though, I share them here for you and me, so we always have a them at the ready!
Ok, let’s dig in, literally, scoop up all that good cheesy, spiced up goodness in these Salsa Scalloped Potatoes. I love a twist on a classic. It’s like a remix of a song, that goes from good to great, after a bit of tweaking. These potatoes are phenomenal. The sauteed peppers and onions add a great base to your potatoes and the salsa kicks it up a notch. Top it with the cumin flavoured cheese sauce and you won’t be able to resist seconds.
How to make Salsa Scalloped Potatoes
This doesn’t take much more time than the original version. Start by dicing your peppers and onions nice and small. Saute these in a bit of butter until soft. Then slice your potatoes nice and thin. I use a mandolin, so all my slices are the same size, ensuring a nice even bake.
Next, start your roux, by melting a bit of butter and quickly stirring in the flour, cooking this until it reaches a nice golden colour, slowly whisk in the milk and spices and let this cook until it starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese a little bit at a time, so that it incorporates evenly and you end up with a beautifully smooth cheese sauce.
Now comes the layering. I did three layers, this will depend on the shape of your baking dish, whether you spread out or go up. If you’re using a taller baking dish, I would do three layers. The layers will be a third of the potatoes, then a third of the pepper and onion mixture and a third of the green onions. Between each layer pour a third of the cheese sauce. Top everything with the remaining cheese and bake.
These potatoes will become a new favourite. Whether it’s for weeknights or holidays, both deserve a dish this good. Is there anything better than a delicious twist on a classic? Yes, classics are classics for a reason and you can still make the original, but having an alternative this good, just might push this to the top of your side dish hit list.
If you love Salsa Scalloped Potatoes, check out these other delicious side dish recipes, I’m sure they’ll hit the spot:
- Smashed Butternut Squash with Sage
- Homemade Garlic Herb Bread
- Rutabaga and Apple Mash with Crumb Topping
If you get a chance to make this or any other recipe on the blog and want to share. Please feel free to tag @candyjarchronicles or use #candyjarchronicles on Instagram, so I can see your post. I’d love to see what you’re cooking in your kitchen!
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Salsa Scalloped Potatoes
A Mexican twist on the classic. Salsa Scalloped Potatoes is the cool cousin of the cheesy original. A recipe jazzed up with peppers and salsa. A new holiday favourite, guaranteed.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lb red potatoes, sliced thin
- 1 cup bell peppers, diced fine (I used one red and one green)
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 5 tbsp butter, divided
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups cream
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 4 cups Colby Jack cheese, grated and divided
- 1 cup salsa, drained well
- salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a casserole dish and set aside.
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In 2 tbsp of butter, cook yellow onion and peppers until soft. Set aside.
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Peel and slice potatoes very thin. A mandolin works perfectly for this.
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In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, melt remaining butter, add in flour and whisk frequently for 3-4 minutes or until the flour is fragrant and golden. Then, slowly pour in the cream, cumin and garlic powder and whisk until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in two cups of cheese and mix until smooth. Stir in the salsa.
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Divide the potatoes into three and layer a third of them on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half the pepper mixture and green onions, spoon on 1/3 of the sauce and spread it around. Repeat once more, then finish with the final layer of potatoes, remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
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Cover and bake for an an hour covered. Remove cover and place under the broiler for about five minutes or until the cheese turns golden and bubbly.
RECIPE NOTES
Recipe adapted from the Milk Calendar (Dairy Farmers of Canada).