by charityc 1 Comment
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
My version of Jamie Oliver’s scalloped potatoes with onions is one of our family’s favorite side dishes. One we almost didn’t know about it.
I made a discovery.Jamie Oliver’s 30 Minute Meals has been on one of our 900 Italian cable channels for quite some time but always dubbed, in Italian. I’d sort of given up on the plucky chef’s show until I checked again on a lark the other night. And cheerio! It was in English (I know, I know. I could watch it in Italian and maybe learn more but after working all day and chasing the little guys by night, the last thing this preggie wants to do at 8pm is study a foreign language. Sad but true.) I’ve seen exactly 1 1/2 episodes now and made my first recipe.
Jamie Oliver’s scalloped potatoes are so good. And refreshingly, I’m not the only one who thought so.
Since Jamie Oliver is actually quite famous for taking on the junk food industry, not to mention school lunches, “healthy” recipes aren’t hard to come by here. Both his show and website feature dozens of gorgeous ideas for family meals, all ready within half an hour. And nothing says family friendly like a fast recipe. While his aren’t packed with wheat germ, they’re fresh and delicious dishes designed to introduce rich flavors that everyone can enjoy together. Like me, he wants his kids to eat food, real food and come to love the ritual of the whole thing.
That’s just what we did this weekend, with these scalloped potatoes.
In fact, we even ate out on the terrace for the first time this spring. We kind of had to; it was such a gorgeous day and the food (more on this in upcoming posts) was so tasty that we had to celebrate in the fresh air and sunshine. Plus Phoebe had been begging to eat outside for a couple of weeks and if I’ve learned anything about successfully eating with kids so far, it’s stack the deck in your favor. To the terrace we go…
Foodlets Recipe Makeover: How We Updated Jamie Oliver’s Scalloped Potatoes
With every recipe makeover, our aim is always making fresh food easier or healthier and sometimes cuter. In this case we made a few updates for Jamie Oliver’s Scalloped Potatoes:
- Use yellow potatoes so you don’t have to peel them. Time saver!
- Half and half is less expensive than cream and has more uses in the kitchen (like, for coffee.)
- A dash of purple from a “red” onion makes these potatoes colorful.
- We originally used Parmesan cheese because cheddar is hard to find in Italy but I’ve made these potatoes with both and they’re gorgeous either way.
Are scalloped potatoes good for babies?
Yes! Estelle has four teeth now and she’s officially out of the purely pureed stage but we still need soft and chewy foods for her. The foodlets version of Jamie Oliver’s scalloped potatoes work perfectly for the littlest diners at the table. Remove the onions from their portions if you think they’ll object and either blend up a batch or just mash them up into small enough pieces for happy gumming.
Tools to make Jamie Oliver’s 30-Minute Scalloped Potatoes
Mandoline slicer. Makes ALL the difference for thin, uniform potatoes. 
Oven-safe skillet. Use any pan that can go from the stove to the oven, and has a lid.
Makeover: Jamie Oliver’s 30-minute Parmesan scalloped potatoes with onions
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
No reviews
Feeding a crowd? Double the quantities below.
- Author: Charity Mathews, founder of Foodlets.com
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 pound yellow potatoes
- ½ medium red onion, sliced
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup half & half
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Slice the potatoes and onions into thin slices using a mandoline slicer.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Heat a large iron skillet over a medium heat. Melt the butter. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the potatoes.Stack in any shape you like, or just let them fall naturally into the pan.
- Add liquid and seasonings. Pour the chicken broth and half & half over the potatoes. Sprinkle with thyme and bay leaf plus salt and pepper.
- Top with onions.
- Bring to a boil. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for another 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cheese on top and place in the oven. Cook until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. (Tip: Put a baking sheet under your pan in case of a bubble overflow!)
That’s it! You can make the foodlets version of Jamie Oliver’s scalloped potatoes in 30 minutes, for melt-in-your-mouth flavor that works for the whole family. Even kids with only one tooth or two.
Want more ideas for what to cook with these scalloped potatoes?
- Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
- 3-Ingredient Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Chicken Tenders with Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
