I love potatoes– those fat little creatures in their muddy jackets who cling to your waist and never let go. Yep, those. Because let’s face it, who or what on earth tastes better than a potato? They make all those carbs they come loaded with totally worth it.
And when those potatoes are sliced paper-thin, drowned in a creamy, herby bechamel sauce and then baked to golden perfection? Food just doesn’t get any better than that.
I was dreaming of making these vegan scalloped hasselback potatoes for a long, long time. Not because I love torturing myself, but because I wanted to dream up the perfect recipe for these. A recipe that would not make anyone that loves scalloped potatoes miss all that cheese they are usually submerged in.
If you’ve never tried making a vegan bechamel, please do. I first used it in my pumpkin and spinach lasagna for two recipe a few years back, and there’s been no looking back. This creamy sauce, made with cashew or almond milk, is so dreamily delicious, you will want to smother everything you eat in it. And it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
I used yellow potatoes in this recipe because I like their look here, but go with red if that’s what you have. Spring’s new potatoes would be perfect–make sure you get medium-sized ones because you’ll need too many of the small ones and remember, you do have to slice them rather thin. I use a mandolin set to an eighth of an inch to make even slices, but if you don’t have one — or if you happen to have the knife skills of Jacques Pepin — be my guest.
When these Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes come out of the oven, all hot and bubbly and golden, you’ll want to dive in rightaway. But give them a few minutes to stand and continue to absorb all that wonderful, bechamel-y flavor and become all tender and melt-in-the-mouth. Bliss.
- 3 pounds of yellow potatoes sliced 1/8th of an inch thick (leave the skins on)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups cashew or almond milk
- 3 cloves of garlic crushed into a paste
- 1 tsp dry rosemary use 1 tbsp if using fresh
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 5 spring onions green and white parts thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- In a very large bowl, mix 1 cup of the nondairy milk, rosemary, garlic, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Toss the sliced potatoes gently in the mixture to coat.
- To make the bechamel, heat the olive oil.
- Add the spring onions with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Cook, stirring, a couple of minutes.
- Add the all-purpose flour and cook the flour over medium-low heat, scraping it up if it starts to stick, about a minute.
- Add the remaining nondairy milk slowly, whisking with a wire whisk as you pour it in. Whisking will prevent any lumps from forming and you'll have a smooth, silken bechamel.
- Add the nutmeg and more salt and black pepper to taste.
- Stir frequently over medium heat until the mixture reaches a simmer and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Turn off the heat.
- Brush or spray a 9-inch oval or square baking dish with extra-virgin olive oil. Pour any of the milk flavored with rosemary and garlic that hasn't been absorbed by the potatoes into the dish.
- Arrange the potatoes in the dish, making them stand, until the potatoes are tightly packed in.
- Now pour the bechamel over the potatoes evenly, holding back about 1/2 a cup.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any drips.
- Bake for an hour, then remove the aluminum foil from the baking dish. Pour the remaining bechamel over the potatoes and continue to bake another 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.
- Remove, let cool for 15 minutes, then serve garnished with more spring onions, if desired.
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More delicious ways to eat those spuds from the archives (search for many more because hey, I love these guys):
Golden Roasted Curry Mustard Potatoes
Carbs by themselves are the body’s preferred fuel source. It’s only when they are not properly combined with other “food” items that they have the potential to become a problem, specifically fat in the form of butter or oil.
Wow, these scalloped potatoes are delicious. I think they will be a family favourite now.
I made them according to your directions but wondering if I can omit the oil in the bechamel sauce. Do you think if I used potato flour and whisked it into the milk it would work? I would simply cook the spring onions veggie stock
Hi Diana, yes, you can omit the oil in the bechamel. Roast the flour separately, and then add to the pan after the spring onions have been water-sauteed. Hope that helps! Cheers, and thanks for letting me know you made them. 🙂
can you make the sauce using a gluten free flour