The BEST Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe

When
your main dish recipe needs a decadent side dish sidekick, there’s
nothing like a creamy, thyme-infused cheesy potatoes au gratin recipe to
do the job and to do it easily too.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine French

Keyword potatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 370kcal

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, pressed in a garlic press
1 medium onion, thinly sliced or minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, or 3 stalks of fresh thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups heavy cream , or try half and half or whole milk
1 cup chicken broth
5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thinly, about ⅛ inch thick
3 bay leaves
1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Melt
the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add the garlic
and cook for 30 seconds, stirring until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the
onions, thyme leaves, and kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper
and cook until onions become soft, stirring occasionally, for about 4-5
minutes.
Stir
in the cream or milk with the chicken broth. Add the potato slices and
bay leaves and bring to a rolling simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to
medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are
nearly fork-tender.
Begin
stacking the potatoes with the sauce in a 1 ½ quart baking dish (an 8 X
8 or 9 X 6) sprinkling half of the cheeses as you layer, finishing with
a layer of cheese.
Bake
uncovered for 45-55 minutes or until the cream is bubbling around the
edges and the cheese is golden brown. Let rest for 5-10 minutes until
serving. This dish can be prepped ahead before baking and refrigerated
for up to 3 days before baking.

Notes

There’s no need to peel thin-skinned Yukon gold potatoes before
baking. If using thicker-skinned russet potatoes, peel them first.
The potatoes can be prepped and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking.
To freeze potatoes au gratin: Wrap tightly with foil and freeze the
au gratin potatoes before baking. Bake from frozen for 1 ½ to 2 hours at
350°F.
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated The New Best Recipe

Nutrition

This easy-to-make recipe for potatoes au gratin features creamy, crispy-edged, cheese-laden goodness infused with thyme, making it an irresistibly decadent side dish that perfectly complements any meal.

Few side dishes offer as much comfort as those crafted with potatoes. Creamy mashed potatoes, buttery parsley potatoes, the finest potato salad, smashed, twice baked, roasted potatoes, and a myriad of others. However, au gratin potatoes hold a special place in my culinary affection. If you’re curious about what au gratin potatoes entail, it’s thinly sliced potatoes enveloped in cream, adorned with cheese, and cooked under the broiler. In essence, au gratin potatoes epitomize deliciousness.

Similar to my Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes recipe, I employ a blend of cream and chicken broth infused with the essence of garlic and sautéed onion. No need for a complicated roux or canned soup here. The outcome? Creamy interior potatoes with crispy edges, harmoniously fitting in whether sliced, spooned, or stacked alongside any dinner spread, be it roast turkey, a premium steak, or simple garlic burgers.

What Sets Apart Scalloped Potatoes from Au Gratin Potatoes

Curious about the distinction between au gratin and scalloped potatoes? Many home cooks seek this clarification! Truth be told, at this juncture in the development of potato side dishes, the two are largely interchangeable, featuring similar ingredients and characteristics.

Both au gratin and scalloped potato recipes share the following defining features:

Arrange and bake layers of creamy potatoes in a shallow dish.

Topping these layers with a delightful crust of cheese, breadcrumbs, or another gratin-style crisp.

While au gratin potatoes involve layering cheese throughout, scalloped potatoes typically feature cheese solely on the top layer. As a personal touch, I generously incorporate cheese across every layer.

Ingredients for Simple Potatoes au Gratin

To craft these effortlessly delightful au gratin potatoes with their perfectly creamy, cheesy allure, you’ll only need a handful of key ingredients:

– Butter

– Garlic

– Onion

– Fresh thyme

– Kosher salt and pepper

– Heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk

– Chicken broth (to add fluidity to the cream, preventing excessive thickness)

– Potatoes, either Yukon Golds or Russets

– Bay leaves

– Gruyere cheese (for its delectable, melty nuttiness)

– Parmesan cheese (bestowing an earthy, salty, umami flavor)

Which Potatoes are Ideal for Au Gratin?

Au gratin potatoes demand a robust potato variety that can layer effectively and maintain its structure post-baking.

For the perfect au gratin, Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes prove to be the best choices. As these potatoes simmer in the cream, their starch content contributes to thickening the luscious sauce.

Should you peel the potatoes beforehand? With thin-skinned Yukon Gold potatoes, I skip peeling them before cooking. However, for russets with their thicker skins, I prefer to peel them prior to cooking.

What Cheese Works Best for Au Gratin?

Traditionally, Parmesan cheese is a preferred option as it adds a sharp, salty tang. Additionally, shredded Gruyere performs excellently, melting seamlessly while infusing an earthy, nutty essence. While many Americanized renditions of scalloped potatoes favor cheddar cheese instead, for classic au gratin, Parmesan and Gruyere elevate the dish to perfection.

How to Prepare Au Gratin Potatoes

Crafting au gratin or scalloped potatoes follows a series of simple steps while allowing room for improvisation, based on the ingredients available. Here’s the basic process:

Begin by thinly slicing your potatoes. For precise and uniformly thin slices, I rely on my favored hand-held mandoline set to a uniform ⅛-inch thickness (#2 setting). Avoid rinsing or soaking the potatoes, as this will wash away the starch content responsible for thickening the sauce. When using thin-skinned Yukon Gold potatoes, peeling them beforehand isn’t necessary before cooking.

If a mandoline isn’t at your disposal, endeavor to slice the potatoes as thinly and evenly as possible by hand. Although it might take more time, refrain from hurrying the process. Trust me, the exquisite result of these potatoes au gratin will make the extra effort worthwhile.

Saute the onion, garlic, and thyme in butter initially, or opt for a quicker method by directly layering them with the potatoes. To expedite the baking process, I sometimes thinly slice the onion and layer it with the potatoes, omitting the initial sauté step. Surprisingly, the onion cooks to perfection through this method.

Prepare the creamy sauce by combining the cream or milk with the chicken broth.

Pro Tip: Scrape off the waxy edges from the pieces of Gruyere or Parmesan and incorporate them directly into the sauce for an added infusion of cheesy flavor.

Cook the potatoes by adding the slices and bay leaves to the saucepan, bringing them to a rolling simmer. Let them cook for approximately 20 minutes until they’re nearly fork-tender. Cooking the potatoes in the creamy mixture on the stovetop allows their natural starches to release, thickening the sauce without requiring a floury roux often found in other recipes. Additionally, this method gives the potatoes a head start before they enter the oven.

Layer the ingredients and bake the dish uncovered. The combination of layering cheese with the potatoes and topping it off with more cheese is what defines an exceptional au gratin. Once layered, bake the dish uncovered for 45-55 minutes, or until the cream bubbles around the edges, and the cheese develops a golden-brown hue. Baking the potatoes without a cover aids in thickening the creamy mixture, allowing it to absorb into the potatoes, while also creating a crispy, delectable cheese crust.

Is It Possible to Prepare Au Gratin Potatoes in Advance?

Absolutely! Assembling homemade au gratin potatoes ahead of time is not only possible but encouraged. This step is particularly beneficial after putting together the dish.

Can Au Gratin Potatoes Be Frozen?

Yes, you can freeze au gratin potatoes before baking. To do so, freeze them beforehand and later bake from frozen at 350°F for approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Alternative Ingredient Options

For optimal flavor, I recommend using fresh thyme instead of dried thyme. Dried thyme tends to have a more concentrated flavor, so opting for fresh thyme is preferable.

To reduce the richness, consider using a substitute for heavy cream. While heavy cream produces the richest, creamiest sauce for these potatoes au gratin, whole milk or half and half are viable alternatives.

Experiment with different cheese varieties. This dish is incredibly adaptable, allowing for the use of any meltable cheese available, such as cheddar, provolone, and fontina, among others.