Martha Stewart's Go-To Cheese For The Richest Scalloped Potatoes

There's little sense in making "light" scalloped potatoes. The dish is composed of potatoes layered with cheese and a cream sauce — it's meant to be rich. Martha Stewart clearly understands this when she calls for 5 ounces of shredded Gruyère cheese in her scalloped potatoes recipe, available on her website. She sprinkles the cheese between each layer of thinly sliced potatoes to create a deliciously gooey side.

We're not complaining, as we feel like Gruyère is one of the best cheeses to cook with. Its nutty, rich flavor is traditionally the star of another cheesy dish, fondue. The high water-to-oil ratio helps it melt evenly, creating a thick creaminess that pairs perfectly with potatoes. Aging the cheese allows little flavor crystals known as tyrosine to form, giving it a more complex taste. Usually, the younger cheese is used in cooking, while the aged version is eaten on its own. If you're struggling to find an affordable Gruyère near you, you can also look out for Comté, a cheese that's similar in flavor and often less expensive.

Martha Stewart doesn't stop at cheese when she ups the richness of her scalloped potatoes. She first cooks the thinly sliced potatoes in milk, which thickens the liquid when the potatoes release their starch. This also makes the potatoes creamier, and we want as many creamy elements in this dish as possible. She then drains the potatoes and adds the milk to her heavy cream to create the sauce.

Stewart's other secret is using Yukon Gold potatoes, which she feels have a more pleasing texture and hold their shape better than other varieties when baked in the cream sauce. In a video attached to the recipe, she explains, "Waxy varieties, such as new potatoes and fingerlings, are low in starch and have a creamy texture and hold their shape well when cooked." She especially prefers the Yukon Gold because "they release just the right amount of starch but still hold their shape." We love this potato variety for its firmness and recommend using Yukon Golds in any dish that takes a while to cook, like soups and stews.