This Creamy Lighthouse Potato Casserole is a potato lover’s dream. It’s decadent with a creamy, lightly garlic infused sauce. Topped with a crunchy, buttery, and savory Parmesan and panko topping will easily become your favorite side dish for any occasion.
Lighthouse Inn Potatoes are the iconic dish that was served by the Colonial Revival hotel in New London, Connecticut. Sadly, the Inn closed in 2008 but the popularity of this dish remains to this day.
I’ve never met a potato dish I didn’t like– especially one with a decadent creamy sauce and a buttery crunchy topping. This recipe isn’t a fussy one to make. It’s simply small chunks of potatoes, cooked in cream. Let me show you how:
For this recipe, Russet potatoes are what you’ll need. Red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes are too waxy, and you won’t get the texture as with starchy Russets. As much as I love sweet potatoes, they would turn to mush if you’d like to substitute those in this recipe. So, it’s best to stick with Russet potatoes!
Starting with the topping, you’ll need panko crumbs, Parmesan, melted butter and salt. Stir together and set aside.
The potatoes are cut into 1″ chunks and will be cooked in “light cream”. I puzzled a bit about what light cream is, and concluded that is American whipping cream (not the aerosol kind). Yes, you can use Heavy Whipping Cream. I decided to use part Heavy Whipping Cream and part “Half and Half”, since I keep that on hand. It worked! I deviated a little from the original recipe by adding 2 large cloves of garlic to the cream. This is totally optional. Add the potatoes into a saucepan…
An important ingredient to add is baking soda. The baking soda helps to neutralize the tannin in potatoes, that helps to prevent the sauce from breaking. (It’s a cooking science thing.) The additional seasoning is simply salt and pepper.
Yes, I know this is decadent, but you’ll need to add unsalted butter to the cream (off-heat). Yep! Stir until melted and then pour the contents into a 9×13 baking dish. Evenly sprinkle the panko topping and bake in a 375F oven for 15-20 minutes. NOTE: The mixture might seem a bit “soupy”, but the released starch in the potatoes will thicken this right up!
The aroma is so inviting. It’s important to let this dish cool for 15 minutes. It’s time to serve.
I’ll take a generous helping, please. (I’ll work off the calories later on.)
TASTING NOTES: What a comforting potato recipe! The potatoes were perfectly cooked, and the creamy sauce was rich and decadent. The cheesy panko crumb topping added a wonderful texture to the dish. I liked the addition of garlic, as it added a little extra “zip” to the sauce. I’d also consider adding fresh thyme for an added “herby” flavor. You can definitely make this dish ahead of time, by the way. This would pair perfectly with a Prime Rib Dinner or even Roast Chicken.
Creamy Lighthouse Inn Potato Casserole Side Dish
Equipment
- 1 9×13 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese grated 1 cup
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted plus 6 tablespoons cut into 6 pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 2 ½ pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks NOTE: Do not substitute Yukon Gold or Red "waxy" potatoes. Sweet potatoes won't work as a substitute, either.
- 3 cups light cream I used regular whipping cream. Half and Half isn't recommend, as it tends to "break" in the sauce.
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda do not omit
Instructions
- NOTE: We prefer the texture of light cream for this recipe, but heavy cream will also work. Do not use half-and-half; it has a tendency to break. Grate the Parmesan on a rasp-style grater.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine Parmesan, panko, melted butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl; set aside.
- Bring potatoes, 2 1/2 cups cream, baking soda, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook at bare simmer, stirring often, until paring knife slides easily into potatoes without them crumbling, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Off heat, stir remaining 1/2 cup cream and remaining 6 tablespoons butter into potato mixture until butter has melted, about 1 minute. Transfer potato mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan-panko mixture over top. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling around edges and surface is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Serve.
Notes
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