Danish Scalloped Potatoes (Flødekartofler)

The recipe I have presented just below is an old and very traditional Danish way of preparing potatoes. In Danish this recipe is called Flødekartofler which directly translated is Cream Potatoes. Some people also prefer to call this dish Flødestuvede kartofler which sounds wrong for me, because I have always been used to the word Flødekartofler. This is of course just two different names for the same thing. I think the best English name for this Danish dish would be Scalloped Potatoes, Creamed Potatoes or maybe Creamy Potatoes.

The traditional recipe for Flødekartofler, or Scalloped Potatoes, is very simple and very delicious. Over the years people have developed the original recipe into different variations. Therefore, today there are many different ways of preparing this dish. However, the old and traditional recipe only contains five different ingredients; potatoes, light cream, onions, salt and pepper – all very simple ingredients which almost everybody have in the home most of the time.

In the Nordic kitchen, and Denmark in particular, potatoes are a very popular ingredient. Potatoes have always been a much consumed ingredient in Denmark. Especially, in the 50ies to 90ies simple boiled potatoes were almost always a part of the dinner table. The reason for this is because potatoes are relatively cheap, they are easy to cook and they can be prepared in many different ways so that you get a variation in the taste. The climate in Denmark is very suitable for growing potatoes and it is very typical that people living in the rural areas of Denmark have their own little potatoes production in the garden.

Danish Scalloped Potatoes (Flødekartofler)

2-3 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Danish title: Flødekartofler
Cuisine: Danish
Category: Dinner

Ingredients:
1.2 kg (2.6 lb) potatoes
2 large onions
500 ml (~17 f.oz) light cream (18%)
1-2 tbsp salt
pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash and peel the potatoes.
2. Cut the potatoes into thin slices (about 1 mm or 1/20 inch thick). You can with advantage use a food processor or grater if you have one.
3. Peel the onions and dice them. You can also blend them, if you think that is easier.
4. In an oven proof dish; Mix the potatoes, diced onions, salt and pepper. If your oven dish doesn’t have a non-sticking coating; coat the inside with some butter or oil.
5. Pour the light-cream over the potatoes.
6. Cook the potatoes for about 1 hour at 200 C (400 F). Sometimes, the cream will bobble-up a little bit; use a tablespoon to stir in the potatoes so that you avoid a mess in the oven.

Tip: Serve the scalloped potatoes together with most meat.