Scalloped Potatoes with Chevre

My roommate, E, and I made dinner together Sunday night. She wanted to make her scalloped potatoes with chevre (almost all the ingredients came from our growers market) and asked me to pick up something to go with them. I picked up broccoli crowns (which we steamed) and beets (because I like them and wanted some for the week), which I roasted. More on that later, in a separate post.

E had bought some lovely waxy potatoes from a local grower that were red on the outside with a pink ring in the flesh. After some research, I'm still not sure what type of potatoes these are (and she didn't remember what the grower told her), but I think they might have been red thumb potatoes. These potatoes had a very waxy coating that she had to scrub off thoroughly (it looked a little like she was peeling a sunburn from these potatoes), but after this coating was removed the potatoes had an absolutely brilliant crimson skin. She sliced them thinly, into circles, then layered them with chevre, threw on some whipping cream and topped them with double-seasoned breadcrumbs from a local bakery. Once the potatoes finished baking, the creamy base had turned just faintly pink and the potatoes were tender, but held their shape beautifully.

She didn't use a recipe or measure, so the recipe that follows is entirely my estimation and you should make adjustments as you see necessary (and to taste). We ate this as a main dish, but you could certainly serve it as a side dish.

E's Scalloped Potatoes with Chevre
5 medium, waxy potatoes, thoroughly scrubbed and sliced into 1/8" slices
6 ounces chevre
3-4 ounces milk or heavy cream
Dried basil
Garlic powder

breadcrumbs*
2-3 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a 10" round baking dish, add one layer of the sliced potatoes and then spread a small amount of chevre on each potato slice. Sprinkle with a small amount garlic powder and basil. Top with another layer of potatoes and cheese. Repeat until all your potatoes have been used, ending with a layer of potatoes on top (we had three total layers of potatoes). Pour on the milk or cream. It should not cover the potatoes.

In a medium bowl toss approximately 1 cup of breadcrumbs with the olive oil, garlic powder, and black pepper, then spread the bread crumbs evenly over the top of the prepared potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly and golden. Test to make sure the potatoes are tender before serving. Serve hot.

*E used a bread with rosemary incorporated into it already, which is why I referred to them as double-seasoned breadcrumbs. The hint of rosemary helped make the flavor of this dish bright, so consider adding a pinch of rosemary.

Steamed brocs, scalloped potatoes, and roasted beets

If you're making this gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs or leave them off entirely (though you might want to add a bit of garlic and black pepper to the milk/cream before you pour it over the potatoes--but then I just really like garlic and black pepper).