Scalloped Potatoes

This is an excellent recipe for Scalloped Potatoes from an old Betty Crocker Cookbook that I've been making for decades. It's my go-to recipe, and I don't think I've made any other recipe, other than to use a box mix. (Those box mixes are good, but don't come close to the real thing!) You can also find the recipe online, but the online recipe calls for one more tablespoon of butter in the sauce than the one listed in the cookbook. Here is the online version of Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes.

Scalloped Potatoes are simply potatoes baked in a white sauce without the addition of cheese. While this recipe calls for chopped onion, I do not add it. It's just a personal preference, is all. You can easily adjust the oven temperature and baking times. I will list that at the end of the recipe. This will come in handy if you are baking something else at the same time, such as a ham, or a meatloaf.


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2 pounds potatoes (about 6 medium, or about 4 cups of thinly sliced potatoes) I use Russet potatoes
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup) I do not add
an additional tbsp of butter for the top


You can either peel the potatoes or leave the skins on. If you are leaving the skins on, scrub them and remove any "eyes". Cut them into quarters or eighths and thinly slice them, measuring about 4 cups. Place them in a bowl of cold water while you are doing this to prevent them from browning while you prepare the white sauce.

To prepare the white sauce, in a heavy saucepan, heat 3 tbsp of butter over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in the milk. Increase the heat and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and spread in a greased 2-quart casserole or a greased 9 x 13" pan. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and cut the additional tablespoon of butter into small pieces and spread over the potatoes. Cover pan with foil and bake in a preheated oven 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake another 60 - 70 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.


NOTE:

Alternatively, you may choose to bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes covered, and then uncover and bake another 60 - 70 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Alison Roman's Salted Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

I stumbled upon this recipe touted as "The cookie that broke the internet". Intrigued, I decided I'd give it a try, as I like shortbread, and I've been intending to make chocolate chip cookies lately. So given these are a combination of the two, why not test it out with the rest of the world? I'd never heard of Alison Roman before, but it seems that everyone else has. I found a video of her making the cookies on Youtube. I watched it a few times, and found it helpful.

It looks like she only uses 2 cups of flour in the video, while the recipe on the NY Times website calls for 2 1/4 cups. Her dough looked softer than what mine turned out to be. I don't actually own her cookbook, so I just followed the recipe found on the NY Times website (you can find it elsewhere, too). 

Here are some of the changes I made:

I used:
- Godiva 51% semi sweet chocolate chips, instead of chopping bittersweet chocolate, because that is what I had on hand
- Turbinado raw sugar, instead of Demerara sugar, because that is what I had on hand
- coarse sea salt, rather than flaky sea salt

It makes for a crispy cookie that is a nice combination of salty and sweet. I think it will become a favorite that will be made often. You need to chill the dough for a couple of hours, so plan accordingly.


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Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tbsp (255 grams total) of salted butter (2 1/4 sticks), COLD butter if using a stand mixer, room temperature if using a hand-held mixer, cut into 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (55 grams) light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 (325 grams) all-purpose flour

6 ounces (170 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (not too fine, you want chunks, not little shards)

1 large egg, beaten (this is brushed on the outside of the cookie dough, not actually put into the dough itself)

Demerara sugar, for rolling

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (I used coarse sea salt)

Directions

1)  Line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric mixer, beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla on medium-high until it's super light and fluffy, (3-5 minutes for a stand mixer or 6-8 minutes for a hand-held mixer). Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and with the mixer on low, slowly add the flower, followed by the chocolate chunks, and mix just to blend. If necessary, knead the dough by hand to ensure the flour is totally incorporated. At this point, the dough should be smooth and feel like Play-Doh with no pockets of flour. 


2)  Divide the dough in half, placing each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over so that it covers the dough and prevents your hands from getting sticky. Form the dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help smooth it out. Each log should be about 6" long and 2 to 2 1/4" in diameter. Chill the dough until totally firm, about 2 hours.

3)  Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the outside of the dough with the beaten egg and roll in the demerara sugar (this will make for really crisp edges)

4)  Using a serrated knife, carefully cut each log into 1/2" thick rounds. If you hit a piece of chocolate, slowly saw back and forth through the chocolate. If the cookies break or fall apart, just piece it back together - the dough is very forgiving. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 1" apart (they won't spread much). Sprinkle with desired amount of sea salt. Bake 350 degrees just until the edges are beginning to brown. about 12-15 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before removing to cool thoroughly on a wire rack. 


Other Notes:

1.  The cookie dough can be rolled into logs and made ahead of time and tightly wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to one week, or in the freezer for one month.

2. Store baked cookies in plastic wrap in an airtight container for up to 5 days.