I’ve been getting a steady supply of zucchini from a community garden that I’m participating in, as well as the prolific plant growing in my flower bed. But not everyone in the family is as excited about sauteed zucchini as I am. So I’m finding some creative ways to work it into favorite dishes. My Easy Scalloped Potatoes is now Easy Zucchini Scalloped Potatoes.
What makes these easy is that I use a hand-held mandolin that cuts both the potatoes and zucchini into super-thin slices in a few minutes. If you’re slicing by hand, try to make the slices as thin as you can.
The dish is lower in fat because I use 2% milk instead of cream or half-and-half. It still ends up pretty creamy because of the starch released from the potatoes. Always use russet (the basic, tan Idaho-type potatoes) in this recipe. Red potatoes are waxy and don’t release much starch.
Once you’ve got the zucchini and potatoes in those nice thin slices, pile them in layers, sprinkling them with salt, pepper, dried onion flakes and a few dots of butter before adding another layer. It’s best to end up with the potatoes at the top, if you don’t want to broadcast the zucchini’s presence. Then pour 1 1/2 cups of milk, or fat-free half-and-half, over the slices. Don’t be dismayed if it seems like there’s too much zucchini and potato; they “cook down,” as the zucchini sheds a lot of moisture. You may also want to add a little garlic, or sprinkle cheese (cheddar, gruyere or parmesan, for instance) amid the layers for a gratin. (The difference between scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin? Au gratin potatoes are cheesy.)
Most scalloped potato recipes call for an hour of baking, but I’m usually short on time. So I pop the dish in the microwave for 10-12 minutes to get the cooking started. The thinly sliced veggies are fork-tender in about 25-30 minutes. If you turn the heat up higher, the sauce is likely to boil over and leave a mess in the oven. If your casserole dish has a lid, use it the first 5 minutes of microwave cooking, then take it off to let moisture escape. If you choose to cook it totally in the oven, cover it with foil or a lid for the first 10 minutes, then remove it once the milk starts getting bubbly. Add the bread crumb/cheese mixture near the end of baking time to let them get crisp.
I mentioned something about the zucchini to my husband, Kim, as we were eating this dish last week. “There’s really zucchini in this?” he asked. Stealth mission accomplished.
EASY ZUCCHINI SCALLOPED POTATOES
3 medium russet potatoes
2 medium or small zucchini
1/4 to 1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons dried onion flakes (or 1/4 cup chopped onions or chives)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 cups milk
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs, crushed potato chips, or crushed cornflakes
Peel and thinly slice potatoes. Thinly slice zucchini. Layer about 1/3 of the potatoes and zucchini in a9-by-13-inch-inch or 2-quart round casserole dish. Sprinkle on salt, pepper and 1/3 of the onion flakes and parsley. Evenly top with thin slices or dots of butter.
Repeat layers.
Pour the milk or half-and-half over the potatoes. Microwave on high for 10-12 minutes, stopping to stir potatoes once or twice to make sure they are immersed.
Transfer to the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost tender. Mix the cheese and breadcrumbs together and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes. Serves 5-6.
Options: Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheddar cheese on each layer of potatoes and zucchini for Zucchini Potatoes Au Gratin. Also, instead of using the microwave method, you can bake the potatoes in the oven for about 1 hour.
