Scalloped Potatoes- Easy and Delicious

I love scalloped potatoes. If they didn't take so long to make I would make them more often. Unfortunately most scalloped potatoes recipes just take too long to warrant making them during the week. That was until I found this recipe. On the weekend I was perusing food blogs and recipe websites and I came across this recipe. They were ready in half the time that it usually takes to make most scalloped potato recipes and they were simply delicious! This is definitely my new go to scalloped potatoes recipe.

Scalloped Potatoes
Original recipe by Cook's Illustrated
Slightly modified

2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced (If you don't have fresh I'd advise leaving this out all together. Dried thyme doesn't yield a great flavor)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs (about 5 med) russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 half and half
2 bay leaves
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes, broth, cream, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of a potato slice with some resistance), about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

3. Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish (or other 1 1/2 quart gratin dish). Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.