These creamy potatoes au gratin, aka French scalloped potatoes, are always the highlight of my holiday meal.
If you love potatoes, this is going to be your favorite potato dish, forever and ever. Everyone knows that sides are the best part of any holiday meal and the most elite of all the side are potato sides. For me, I would be happy with a table loaded with potato dishes: mashed, baked, roasted, french fried, salad, poutine, gnocchi, rosti, latkes, twice-baked, Hasselbacked, hash-browned, chipped, dominoes, and of course, in the glorious center would be a giant pan of creamy potatoes au gratin, aka French scalloped potatoes.
What are au gratin potatoes?
Call them au gratin or call them scalloped, whatever you call them, they are the same: peeled, then thinly sliced potatoes that are layered in a casserole dish and smothered in a cheesy, cream, milk, or white sauce, and baked until tender, bubbly, and absolutely delicious. They can come with or without a crunchy breadcrumb topping, and either way, they’re delicious, but if we are getting technical, au gratin potatoes typically contain cheese, whereas with scalloped potatoes, the cheese is optional.
What is au gratin?
The “au gratin” part of “potatoes au gratin” is a French culinary term. It comes out to mean browning with a crispy crust. The crispy crust can be cheese, breadcrumbs, or butter. The baking part is what makes au gratin potatoes special. It’s almost like au gratin potatoes are the crème brûlée of potatoes: a crispy layer that gives way to rich, creamy, indulgent potatoes.
This particular recipe is a riff off of the queen of classic French cooking, Julia Child. Extra-thinly sliced potatoes, heavy cream, butter, and nutty gruyere cheese come together into the most decadent potato dish. The best part is that you don’t need to make a sauce, the potatoes are simply baked in a cream, butter, and garlic mixture.
What do you need to make au gratin potatoes?
- potatoes – the star of the show! I like using russets because they’re big and starchy. They bake up creamy and have the best texture. You’ll need to peel your potatoes and thinly slice them.
- garlic – garlic and potatoes just go together. Julia’s recipe calls for garlic rubbed onto the casserole dish, but I like thinly slicing cloves so you get surprise bites of garlic.
- cream – cream, when heated slowly, thickens into a gloriously rich sauce. Sometimes the curd and whey separate, giving the appearance of curdling, but what is happening is the very beginning stages of cheese making! For this recipe, you’ll need full-fat heavy cream. Sometimes it’s labeled whipping cream or heavy whipping cream. Either way, you’re looking for a cream with 35-36% fat.
- butter – what are potatoes without butter? We don’t need a huge amount, since the heavy cream will be doing most of the heavy lifting. Either salted or unsalted is okay, if using salted, adjust the amount of salt when making the potatoes.
- cheese – a melty cheese is what we need and gruyère with its nutty creaminess is what I always reach for. It’s a bit more complex than cheddar and makes these potatoes extra special. If you’re not a fan of gruyère, choose your favorite of the melty cheeses: cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, harvarti, colby, or fontina.
How do you make au gratin potatoes
- Make the sauce – In a saucepan, melt some butter in heavy cream. Add thinly sliced garlic to the warm cream mixture and let infuse while you prep the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 350°F so it’s ready to go.
- Peel and slice – Peel your potatoes (rinse them off if they’re really dirty) and thinly slice into even 1/8 inch rounds. Take your time and try to cut each potato slice evenly. If you have a mandolin, this is its time to shine. If you do use a mandolin and you’re worried about the health of your fingers, get yourself some food grade cut proof gloves. I wear mine every time I mandolin and I feel so much safer. They’re machine washable and really, a finger saver!
- Layer – When the potatoes are ready, it’s time to layer. Start with 1/3 of the potatoes, laying them down in a baking dish. You can get creative here and shingle them neatly in rows or go rustic style and just pile them in. Top the layer of potatoes with 1/3 of the cream mix and repeat two more times so all the potatoes and cream are in the baking dish.
- Bake – cover the dish with foil and bake until the potatoes are completely cooked through and tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 and a half hours. Pull off the foil and use a butter knife to check: poke the middle of the potatoes and if the knife goes through softly and smoothly, the potatoes are tender. Remove the foil completely and sprinkle the grated gruyère cheese evenly on top. Return the dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melty, bubbly, and browned, another 10-15 minutes. When ready, remove the au gratin potatoes and let rest for 5-10 minutes so the potatoes set and then enjoy!
Individual au gratin
A giant dish of au gratin potatoes is showstopper, but if you want cute, you NEED to make mini au gratin potato stacks. Prep the recipe as is, but build the au gratin in a non-stick muffin tin. You’ll only need to bake them for about 30 minutes and they come out creamy, crispy, and delicious.
Make ahead au gratin potatoes
To make ahead, assemble as per the recipe, but don’t top with the final layer of cheese. Cover with foil and bake until tender. Cool completely then pour on an extra 1/4 cup of cream and top with the shredded gruyere. Cover tightly and refrigerate. To prepare, pull the potatoes out of the fridge and temper on the countertop for minimum one hour. Cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Remove the foil and bake until melted and golden, about 10-15 minutes.
What are the best potatoes for au gratin?
There are two categories of potatoes you can use for au gratin: waxy and starchy. Waxy potatoes (yellow, white potatoes, or Yukon golds) hold their shape and are tender when baked. Starchy potatoes, like russets, bake up fluffy and have more starch, which results in a creamier sauce. The choice is up to you, but personally, I like russets because starch and cream!
What is the best way to slice potatoes?
A mandolin is your best friend for slicing potatoes. You get consistently thin slices quickly. Of course, if you don’t have a mandolin, a sharp knife and cutting board will do. You can also try the big slot on the side of a box grater.
What size baking dish?
I hesitate to give a firm suggestion for a baking dish size as I strongly feel that you should use what you have. The smaller and deeper your pan, the thicker and deeper your gratin, and the larger the pan, the more shallow the gratin.
If you too love potatoes
love and potatoes
-steph
Au Gratin Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2.5 lb russet potatoes (about 5 medium)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups Gruyère cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the heavy cream, thinly sliced garlic, and butter to a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium low and heat just until the butter melts. After the butter melts, remove the pan from the stove and season the cream mix with salt and pepper. Set aside while you prep the potatoes.
- Peel the potatoes and slice thinly, either with a mandolin or a sharp knife, about 1/8 of an inch in width.
- Lay out 1/3 of the potatoes in a baking dish and pour on 1/3 of the cream. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the gruyere. Repeat, laying out another 1/3 of the potatoes and 1/3 of the cream and 1/3 of the gruyere. Finish with the remaining potatoes, pushing them down slightly to submerge in the cream.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until soft and tender (use a knife to test) about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the depth of your baking dish.
- When the potatoes are soft and tender, remove from the oven and take off the foil. Top with the remaining grated gruyere cheese and bake until the cheese is melty and golden, about another 10-15 minutes. Remove and let rest for 5-10 minutes then enjoy.
