Sure, they’re high maintenance but just look at these creamy, veggie-topped scalloped potatoes.

2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2+ cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
3+ teaspoons pepper (to taste)
3+ tablespoons minced garlic (to taste)
2 bay leaves
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8″ thick
1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese, or any combination of your favorite cheeses
3+ tomatoes, sliced 1/2″ thick
2 bell peppers, sliced in 1/2″ thick strips
1 onion cut into 1/2″ rounds
8 mushrooms, cut into 1/2″ slices
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional oil to grease the pan
3 teaspoons of your favorite seasoning for vegetables
1 1/4 cups breadcrumbs

  • Soak sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes to remove the starch. Pat them dry and set aside.
  • Whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup milk in a small bowl and set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan combine the remaining 1 cup of milk and 1 1/2 cups of cream. Stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  • Add garlic and bay leves to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
  • Reduce heat to medium low and add the potatoes. If it looks dry, add more cream. Gotta keep those babies moist! Simmer until partially cooked- check periodically with a fork to be sure the potatoes don’t get too soft. They should be tender, but not all the way done (~10 minutes, although this depends on your stove, the potatoes, your saucepan etc.).
  • Remove the potatoes from the head and gradually stir in the egg-milk mixture. Add 1 cup of grated cheese, cover the pan with a cloth and set aside.
  • Preheat the broiler and place the tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper and your spices of choice (we used organic no-salt seasoning). Toss vegetables to coat and broil until tender. They should be charred around the edges, ~10 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 F and coat a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with olive oil.
  • Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with breadcrumbs. Spoon out half of the potatoes and arrange them over the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the vegetables. Arrange the remaining potatoes on top of the vegetables and pour in the rest of the cream mixture from the saucepan. Make sure you take out the bay leaves!
  • Arrange remaining vegetables as the final layer.
  • Bake until potatoes are tender and golden and mixture is bubbling like molten lava. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs and return to oven for another 5 minutes.
  • Let rest 10 minutes. Enjoy.