German Scalloped Potatoes

The Germans love their potatoes. Like me, the Germans love their potatoes cooked in all kinds of ways. They use them for almost every meal. Today, each person on average, consumes about 150 lbs of potatoes per year.

Potatoes were introduced to Germany in the 17th century, but became popular in the 18th century. Back in the 18th century, Frederick II of Prussia (also known as Frederick the Great) was looking for ways to feed his nation and lower the price of bread. He proposed the potato as a suitable new addition to the nation’s diet. Potatoes are called Kartoffel in Germany and German speaking countries, like Austria.

Potatoes are popular in Germany for many reasons, but one reason is because of the military, believe it or not. When an army camped on a field with traditional crops, which they did without consideration for the peasants, the crops would be destroyed and the harvest gone. Because of this, German peasants quickly saw the value of the potato, which would not so easily be harmed by military movements taking place on the surface.

One of the popular potato dishes in Germany is scalloped potatoes, though they often are made with a bit of mustard. I made some German scalloped potatoes from a recipe from one of my German cookbooks, that included mustard, bacon onions and garlic. No wonder they were so good. 🙂

German Scalloped Potatoes of Kartoffelauflauf mit speck

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200*C.

olive oil

3/4 lb bacon, diced

1 onion, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

3 lbs potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 cup heavy whipping cream

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheese

fresh parsley, chopped

Slice the potatoes into thin round slices.

Get a skillet very hot add the oil and cook the bacon until it is browned, for about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Add the garlic and onions and cook for about 7-10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Combine the mustard, cream and the salt & pepper. Add the onions, garlic, bacon and most of the chopped parsley to the mustard and cream mixture and mix together thoroughly.

Add a single layer of the potato rounds to the prepared casserole dish.

Add a layer of the cream mixture, then repeat until the potatoes and cream are all used.

Top with the cheese. You can use whatever type of cheese you like, though cheddar is usually recommended. I used Mozzarella this time, because that is what I had. Using different cheeses will give different flavors and qualities to the potatoes. Play around with them. Use what you like most or mix and match them.

Bake for about 1 hour, or until the cheese is all melted and forms a golden crust on top. Sprinkle a little parsley on top and enjoy it while it’s hot. You can leave out the bacon if you like, and it will still be very good.

We had two types of potatoes for this meal. The German scalloped potatoes and the potatoes in in my focaccia. Potato Focaccia Pugliese

Since fall weather is slowly creeping in, and the weather is getting a little cooler each day, this was a perfect meal for fall. Our days of dining out on the deck are becoming limited for the rest of the year. We are going to enjoy it for as long as we can though; one ray of sunshine at a time.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.