Potatoes Au Gratin (or au gratin potatoes) is a dish that you can have anytime of the year, although our favorite time to enjoy them is during the fall and winter. They make a perfect side dish with just about anything and are especially great to serve to a larger group of people.
Whenever I make these potatoes, they’re always the first thing to disappear, so I’d say it’s a pretty good sign. The potatoes are tender, creamy and soak up all the delicious garlic and cheese flavors and it’s finished with a crisp, golden, bubbling top!
What is an Au Gratin?
An au gratin is a traditional French technique that is comprised of a dish topped with cheese, butter, breadcrumbs, or a combination of the three and baked and/or broiled to form a browned and crisp top. The most commonly known gratin dish is a potatoes au gratin, although many different things can be made into a gratin.
How to Make Our Potatoes Au Gratin?
Ingredients
Process
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a casserole dish.
- Very thinly slice potatoes – using a mandoline, if you have one, helps tremendously.
- Combine cream, shredded cheddar, Parmesan, and garlic. Stir together.
- Add sliced potatoes and toss together. Season with salt and pepper and toss together.
- Take a stack of potatoes and line baking dish, keeping potatoes upright on a slight angle. Repeat until all potatoes have been used.
- Pour excess cream mixture over potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
- Dot top with remaining butter.
- Cover baking dish with foil and bake.
- Remove from oven, uncover potatoes.
- Sprinkle top with Parmesan.
- Continue to bake until potatoes are fork tender and top has crisped. Transfer to broiler and broil on high for 1 minute, until top has browned. Remove from oven, cool slightly and serve.
Tools You Will Need
- mixing bowls
- wooden spoon
- vegetable peeler
- measuring spoons
- liquid measuring cup
- dry measuring cups
- cheese grater
- mandoline (optional, but preferred)
- 3 quart baking dish
Why This is the BEST Potatoes Au Gratin You Will Ever Have
We know it’s a bold statement to make, but we truly believe our recipe is the most delicious au gratin you will ever taste!
- We don’t layer the sliced potatoes atop one another. Instead we stack them vertically in rows. We think they cook more evenly this way and each and every slice of potato gets nice and crispy on top.
- The minced garlic makes a huge difference in flavor!
- We use heavy cream! A lot of recipes we’ve see use whole milk, which definitely works fine, but using heavy cream really pushes this dish over the top in decadence and you can be sure that you wont have a watery base once the dish is baked, but instead a nice creamy sauce.
- We use white cheddar AND Parmesan cheese. Most recipes use just Parmesan cheese, but we also throw in some white cheddar cheese, making this au gratin extra cheesy, creamy and delicious.
Russet Potatoes or Yukon Golds for Potatoes Au Gratin?
Either potatoes will actually work great for this recipe. We use russet potatoes because they bake very well. Russets also absorb liquid better than their waxy counterparts, so they will soak up all the delicious flavors and still maintain their structure. Both types of potatoes have a high starch content which will help to thicken the sauce.
I would just avoid using something like a waxy red skinned potato because they contain less starch and will likely still be firm even after they’re baked.
Tips and Tricks for Potatoes Au Gratin Success
- The heavy cream should coat all the potatoes evenly to ensure they don’t dry out.
- Covering this dish in foil in beginning of the baking process will allow the potatoes to soften without drying the dish out. Once the potatoes get to a good point, uncovering them will allow the top of the gratin to brown and crisp up, while allowing some of the excess liquid to thicken and evaporate.
- Keeping the slices as uniform in thickness as possible will greatly help even cooking throughout the gratin.
- Using a mandoline will not only ensure even thickness, but will also reduce the prep time. If you don’t have a a very sharp knife is the next best thing we recommend.
- I don’t recommend soaking the potatoes in water ahead of time for our potatoes au gratin (as some recipes call for). Soaking them will cause them to lose some of their starch, which helps to keep this dish creamy. The dish will still get a nice, crisp top without soaking the potatoes.
Variations for Our Potatoes Au Gratin
- Replace the cheddar cheese with shredded gruyere cheese, comté or fontina. Also replace the Parmesan cheese with Pecorino.
- For a more savory garlic flavor, you can roast a few cloves of garlic ahead of time and mash them into the cream mixture before tossing the potatoes and pouring over the dish.
- Swap the heavy cream out with whole milk; although the mixture won’t get quite as thick and creamy if using milk.
- Instead of thyme, use different herbs(or in combination with thyme). Chives, green onion and rosemary are all great alternatives.
- Toss some diced ham or crumbled bacon into the potato and cream mixture!
I love this crazy delicious, creamy, and comforting cheesy potatoes au gratin. It’s the perfect carb-y side dish to enjoy all season long.
Make Ahead Instructions
Tightly wrap the dish in foil and refrigerate up to 24 hours ahead of time. When ready to bake, just place the covered gratin in the oven, adding about an extra 5-7 minutes of baking time to the dish (covered).
More Delicious Potato Recipes You Will Love
Potatoes Au Gratin
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter divided
- 3 pounds (4 or 5 medium) russet potatoes peeled
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan divided
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a baking dish with 2 tablespoons butter.
- Very thinly slice potatoes (using a mandolin, if you have one).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cream, shredded cheddar, 4 tablespoons Parmesan, and garlic.
- Add sliced potatoes and toss together until all potatoes are well coated. Generously season with salt and pepper and toss together.
- Take a stack of potatoes and line baking dish, keeping potatoes upright. Repeat until all potatoes have been used.
- Evenly pour excess cream mixture over potatoes and lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Dot top with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
- Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven, uncover potatoes, sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan and continue to bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Transfer to a broiler and broil on high for 1 minute, until top has browned.
- Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes. Serve.
NOTES
- Ensure all the potatoes are evenly coated in cream so they cook evenly and don’t dry out.
- The foil should be tightly wrapped around the baking dish to allow the dish to steam a little and for the potatoes to get tender before uncovering it.
- Keeping the slices as uniform in thickness as possible will greatly help even cooking throughout the gratin.
- Using a mandoline will not only ensure even thickness, but will also reduce the prep time. If you don’t have a mandoline a very sharp knife is the next best thing we recommend.
- This dish can be prepped up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated, tightly wrapped in foil. When ready to bake, just place the covered gratin in the oven, adding about an extra 5-7 minutes of baking time to the dish (covered).
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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Sonia
I made this dish yesterday, delicious! It took way longer in my oven to cook so next time will put on 400c, i will definitely make again though!!
Ryan
Solid recipe. I highly, HIGHLY suggest using goat cheese and/or goat cheese with truffle. A delightful addition that adds a wonderful tang.
Celia Inez
I made these potatoes for Christmas dinner (12-25-22) for a total of 13 people. I doubled the recipe and there was enough with a small container for left overs. I ate those the next day. Thanks for the recipe.
annie
I increased the amount of servings to 15 people and you are using the same amount of potatoes? Also there seems to be a lot of liquid does it get thick while is cooking? and can you make this dish with the potatoes flat if you don’t have a 3 quart casserole.
Christina
Super easy recipe and turned out perfect! Delicious.
Brijesh
thank you for share this amazing recipe with us. this is awesome. keep it up.
Chris
Really delicious recipe. I love it yummy!!! It’s really awesome.
Dixie Lee
Made this for a dinner party serving Rack of Pork roast. This went will with the dinner and everyone said it was great. Will do this again.
Helen
lovely and easy recipes…and so tasty..wow.. more please
Yasmin
1.1.2022- Delicious recipe, and great the next day too. Served with roast beef and asparagus.
Jenny Park
Yum! Roast beef and asparagus sound perfect with this!
Nancy
I’d like to make this for New Years….I have leftover ham. Could this be added like every5-7 slices of potatoes?
Teri Lyn Fisher
Absolutely! Sounds delicious!
Susan
T his is the best scalloped potato recipe I have ever had! It was awesome and simple to make with ingredients that are e way to find. I have a food processor and it made the assembly very quick and easy. I made it for Christmas and it was a huge hit! I
Would like to cut the recipe in half for just me and my husband since This did make a lot which worked well for our family of 6. Will definitely make this again soon! Thanks for sharing!
Kelly
Is it possible with good results to sub Yukon gold potatoes for the russet?
Enzarela
I came across this when I didn’t know what to do with some leftover heavy cream in the fridge. Used 4 small potatoes and lowered the cream to 1/2 cup, everything else the same. These are DELICIOUS! Will be making these again.
Ally
Hi! I can’t wait to make these on Christmas. What size baking dish would you recommend? Thanks!
Jenny Park
Hi! A 3 quart baking dish generally works the best!
Rose
Can this be frozen before or after cooked?
Jenny Park
Hi Rose! Our gratin can be frozen after its been baked. I would only freeze it for 2-3 weeks before reheating it, for quality purposes.
M-ebrahim97
Im new to cooking and this recipe is easy and delicious. Everyone loved it.
Michelle
These were AMAZING!!!! I made them for a summer bbq for ~10 people and it blew EVERYONE out of the water! Two years later, my friends still remind me of how amazing these potatoes were! I am so excited to make them again this weekend for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner!
Nicole
Incredible recipe! Super tasty and turned out exactly like the photo. I doubled the garlic as we love garlic and used thickened cream. Will definitely add this to our regular dinner roster!
Jenny Park
So happy you enjoyed this!
Laura
What size baking dish do you use?
Lisa
Can you make this ahead of time / day ahead?
Jenny Park
Yes! I would assemble everything and bake it right before serving. This can be baked and then reheated as well, but the potatoes may get a little softer than if freshly baked!
Gladys
These are perfect! Can I combine potatoes and sweet potatoes – will there be any changes to baking time?
Jenny Park
Yes you can and baking time should stay approximately the same!
Nazgol
Hi,
Can i use any other type of cheese other than white cheddar cheese? Maybe mozzarella?
Jenny Park
definitely!
Corrie Cooks
This is an unbelievable rich twist on au gratin potatoes. This casserole develops a caramelized, cheesy, roasted-garlic crust as it bakes. However, I was wondering how would one store it to use after a day or two? Is there any meal prep tip?
Jenny Park
Hi! You can build the dish entirely and cover tightly with foil overnight to bake off the next day! I wouldn’t let it go unbaked for longer than a day though as the potatoes may turn a little.
Tracy
Made this for Easter dinner and it was the perfect complement to our smoked beef tenderloin and grilled asparagus. So easy (especially using the mandoline) and quick to come together. These are going into regular rotation. Thank you!
Teri Lyn Fisher
Yay! So happy :)
Evelyn
This looks amazing! When do you use the other 2 tablespoons of butter? Do you leave the foil off during the last 25-30 minutes?
Jenny Park
The other 2 tablespoons are dotted on the top before the gratin goes into the oven! and yes, foil stays off for the last portion of baking!:)