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Scotch Baked Potatoes
Peel and slice raw potatoes very thin, using 6 medium sized potatoes. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarin. Place potatoes in shallow baking dish, sprinkle well with salt and pepper, and enough milk to cover the potatoes, add the beaten egg. Then sprinkle grated cheese over top, using 1/2 cup, and bake in moderate oven, 375 degrees about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
A plain scalloped potato gratin, thickened by egg rather than flour. The original gives a temperature, which is unusual for its era, but leaves the milk quantity and the pan size to the cook.
- Slice thickness is the whole recipe"Very thin" means about 1/8 inch or less; a mandoline or the slicing disc of a food processor is ideal. Thick slices will still be firm long after the custard has set and the cheese has browned.
- How much milkNo amount is given; the recipe says only "enough milk to cover the potatoes." For 6 medium potatoes, something in the region of 1 1/2 to 2 cups will bring the milk level with the top layer, depending on the size and depth of the dish.
- Add the egg off the heatBeat the egg with the melted butter and a few spoons of the cold milk before pouring it over, so the butter does not seize into flecks. The egg is what turns the milk into a soft custard around the slices.
- Time it by the potato, not the clockThe recipe itself allows for this: "or until potatoes are tender." Thirty minutes at 375F may not be enough unless the slices are very thin, so start testing with a knife tip at 30 minutes and give it longer if needed.
- Cover for the first halfUncovered from the start, the cheese sets into a lid and browns hard before the interior is done. Foil for the first 30 minutes, then uncover to colour the top.
- The cheeseThe recipe says only "grated cheese"; a firm, sharp cheddar suits it. Grate it yourself; pre-shredded cheese is coated with starch and gives a grainier crust.
- MargarinThe older spelling of margarine, offered here as the cheaper substitute it was. Butter is the better choice, and one tablespoon in total is modest either way.
- YieldServes about 4 to 6 as a side dish. Let it stand 10 minutes out of the oven so the custard firms enough to cut.
Scalloped potatoes baked in milk are old and widespread; the "Scotch" label on versions like this one in American cookbooks appears to have signalled thrift and plainness rather than any documented Scottish origin. A stated oven number of 375 degrees suggests a date after oven thermostats became common on home ranges, from the 1920s onward, and the offer of margarine alongside butter points the same way. The egg does the work that flour or a white sauce does in other scalloped potato recipes, binding the milk into a custard with less fuss and fewer pans.