Scalloped Potatoes without cream sauce

There’s also an everyday French recipe for boulangere potatoes that uses no cream or milk at all. Just sliced potatoes, sautéed onions, salt, pepper, maybe some fresh thyme and then chicken stock is poured over it and baked in a hot oven.

Much lighter and very tasty.

When I was in France bicycling (by myself) many years ago, I had the great fortune to spend an evening with a friend of a friend, on their farm in Brittany. My host made a delicious but simple potato dish that is quite similar to the dauphinois potatoes my mother made. Heat oven to 350. Slice the potatoes, medium (1/4"), simmer in milk with a thinly sliced onion and salt until just barely soft, and then tip everything into a buttered baking dish - one that's fairly shallow. Scatter a medium handful of a cheese like an Emmental (alas, I don't remember what that cheese in Brittany is called), grated, dot with a touch more butter, and bake in the oven for about a half an hour. When I've made this over the years, I add finely chopped fresh thyme and a generous shaking of ground nutmeg to the milk.

One of these days, I should post this recipe here. This dish tastes good, can be made ahead, and is lighter than your typical gratin dauphinois or scalloped potatoes. ;o)

You are seeking gratin dauphinois which indeed is centuries old.

It is essentially milk or cream, salt (and pepper) and potatoes. The traditional version does not have cheese on top.

Just make sure the milk (or cream) reaches mostly covers the potatoes. As it bakes the potatoes will absorb some of the moisture and some of water in the milk will evaporate.

Flour is superfluous, the potatoes have more than enough starch for this preparation. Onions are not part of the classic gratin dauphinois but are an enjoyable addition (sometimes I add roasted garlic puree to the milk).

It is worth going out of the way to acquire really good milk (or cream) for this dish since it is basically a three ingredient preparation. If you use supermarket grade milk you will end up with a supermarket grade gratin dauphinois. Heating up mediocre milk does not make it superior.

Best of luck.

Not sure exactly what your question is. I make this all the time, but I add diced ham to it also.
9x13 pan
2 russet potatoes
1 onion (I use more because I like onion)
AP flour
black pepper
milk or 1/2 and 1/2, 2 to 3 cups
Slice onions in food processer thinly (2 or 3 mm disc)
remove onions, slice potatoes same
in 9x13 pan, spray with cooking spray,lay down a layer of potatoes, top with onion and ham (if using).
sprinkle with black pepper (to your taste, I use a lot because I like it that way, I also do a sprinkle of cayenne, again because I like it).
using a spoon, dust a good bit of flour over this layer. I really don't measure, but it's moderately covered.
Continue layering until dish is filled, last layer is potatoes.
Heat your milk until warm. Pour into a corner of the dish until the milk nearly reaches the top. Cover tightly with foil to prevent the top layer of potatoes from burning. Bake at 350 until potatoes are cooked, usually about and hour to an hour and a half. remove foil to let top get a bit brown if it's not already.
cut into portions and enjoy.

If you search recipes, there are tons of versions to look at / think about / try!

https://food52.com/recipes/search?q=Scalloped%20potatoes

I don’t use flour with my scalloped potatoes at all, I layer in potatoes and milk, I like to add some caramelized onion or shallot, parmesan and a teeny pinch of nutmeg between potato layers and on top I pour cream over not milk. About halfway though baking I like to add more parmesan on top. They’re delicious!