It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving in my home without scalloped potatoes, a rich and salty casserole made with thinly sliced potatoes, cheese, and cream. Scalloped potatoes, or potatoes au gratin, have been around for centuries. The French word gratin was originally derived from another French word, the verb gratter meaning “to scrape.” In 16th century France, every bit was scraped (graté) from the pan so that no amount of food was wasted. The term “le gratin” has also been used in France to describe the “upper crust” of society. Today, the word gratin describes any number of casserole-like dishes with a broiled and browned top layer.
Cheese and breadcrumbs are often thought to be an essential component of gratin dishes. While they certainly are part of many gratin recipes, a traditional gratin dauphinois is made without cheese and breadcrumbs. The dish is made from thinly sliced potatoes and heavy cream, baked in a pan rubbed with butter and garlic– uncomplicated and divine in its simplicity. Gratin dauphinois is native to the former Dauphiné region of France; it relies on a perfect balance of a few quality ingredients to infuse the dish with flavor. I tasted this dish once on a trip to France, and it was a real treat. Today, many add cheese to the gratin dauphinois, but the original dish is all about the cream.
My Dairy-Free Saffron Scalloped Potatoes are inspired by the gratin dauphinois. I wanted to create a delicious gratin with a thick, rich sauce that could be enjoyed by people who don’t (or can’t) eat dairy. I relied on rich and creamy full-fat coconut milk for the sauce, thickened with a simple roux of flour and non-dairy butter substitute (I used Organic Earth Balance; any non-hydrogenated spread will do). If you can’t tolerate flour, I’ve offered a gluten free substitution for the roux below. Saffron helps to offset the natural sweetness of the coconut and adds a lovely golden color to the sauce. The whole thing is so creamy and reminiscent of melted cheese sauce, I’m tempted to serve it at Thanksgiving this year to see if anybody will guess it’s dairy free! Whether you’re vegan, lactose intolerant, keeping kosher or just watching your dairy intake, these potatoes will add a really special flavor to your holiday buffet.
For more on the history of the gratin, click here.
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Dairy-Free Saffron Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds potatoes - Russet or Yukon Gold
- Pinch saffron threads (make sure it's a good quality saffron-- it's much more expensive, but the cheap stuff has no flavor)
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated butter substitute (or use butter for dairy)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons flour (gluten free substitution below)
- 15 ounces coconut milk (1 can)
- 1 cup almond milk (or use milk for dairy)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
- Pinch cayenne, or more to taste (adds heat)
- Paprika for garnish (optional)
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Peel the potatoes, slice them thin, and cover with cold water till ready to use—this will keep them from turning brown.Grind the saffron threads in a mortar and pestle to a powder. Add 2 tbsp of hot water to the ground saffron and let it soak for 5 minutes.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Drain the sliced potatoes and place half of them in a thin layer on the bottom of the dish, with each slice overlapping the next.
- In a small saucepan, melt 2 tbsp non-hydrogenated dairy free butter substitute over medium heat. Whisk in 2 ½ tbsp of flour to form a thick paste. Continue whisking for a minute or two until the mixture turns a sandy brown color.
- Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, a quarter cupful at a time, followed by the almond or soy milk.
- Whisk in the salt, garlic, cayenne, and saffron water. Heat the sauce over medium, whisking frequently, till it boils and thickens slightly. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
- Pour half of the sauce over the layer of potatoes, using a ladle or large spoon to make sure the potatoes are evenly covered with sauce. Put the sauce back on the stovetop over low heat to keep warm.
- Make another layer with the remaining potato slices.
- Use a whisk to break up the top of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the top layer of potatoes, again using a spoon or ladle to control the sauce. Make sure every potato is covered and no white areas remain.Cover the dish with foil. Place in the oven and bake covered for 60 minutes, till the potatoes are tender.
- Remove the foil and turn on your broiler. Place your baking dish 4-6 inches below the broiler. Broil the potatoes for a few minutes until the top is nicely browned.
- Sprinkle the top of the casserole lightly with paprika. Serve potatoes warm as a side dish.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
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This is a go to holiday recipe for me, everyone loves it there are rarely leftovers. I am not sure why I reserve this for holidays since it it easy to assemble. this for I have made it more times than I can count. Thank you!
I made this recipe and it was awful. I changed out the potato starch with rice flour. I added thyme. I served it for dinner with 12 people. Few ate it and nobody raved. I would change the oil to olive and add a chicken base to add more flavor. I would use cashew milk. The most people said was that it was missing flavor. Not happy with this recipe at all.
Mary– question. Would you scribble on somebody’s painting that they worked on for many months to perfect, and then call it awful and messy? Making substitutions to a recipe and then leaving a negative review is the equivalent of this. With regards to your subsctitutions– rice flour and potato starch are NOT interchangeable, starch will thicken the sauce better and give it a much better consistency overall. Thyme doesn’t work with the balance of flavors here. And there is no oil in the recipe at all– not sure if you used oil, or if you used the butter substitute that was recommended and just called it oil in your comment? Either way, you didn’t make the recipe as written, so you can’t expect it to turn out great. Others have enjoyed this recipe, I am sorry you didn’t. I am very open to criticism and feedback– community feedback helps, good and bad, because I take note of it often use the notes to better the recipes. However, I don’t think it’s fair to criticize this recipe when you made something different.
Love this recipe! do you know how long it will last in the fridge for ?
Hi Emma, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! This recipe should last in the fridge for up to two days.
Made this for a luncheon that featured raclette and fondue for mostly vegetarians. I made this for some of us vegans. Followed the recipe exactly but added one finely chopped onion to the sauce, used a smaller pan. also sprinkled a little truffle salt on top. It was a huge hit. Some said it was better than the version with cheese. I have a lot of extra slid potatoes, so will make more this week. Recommend if making more than 2 layers of potatoes and sauce to double the sauce.