Potatoes au Gratin – forget scalloped potatoes, THIS is the creme de la creme of all potato recipes!! Also known as Dauphinoise Potatoes, this French classic is adapted from a Julia Child’s recipe. With layers upon layers of finely sliced potatoes baked in, cream, butter and cheese with a hint of fresh thyme, it’s luxurious and thoroughly indulgent.
Bonus: It’s the ultimate make ahead potato side dish! And next time, try Brie Dauphinoise…
Potatoes au Gratin
Potatoes au Gratin? Or Scalloped Potatoes?
If you’re wondering what the difference is between Scalloped Potatoes and Au Gratin Potatoes, scalloped potatoes are made with a flour-butter-milk roux, whereas Potatoes au Gratin are made with 100% indulgence: cream, butter and cheese.
So I ask you again: Potatoes au Gratin? Or Scalloped Potatoes?
There’s no contest. Cream trumps flour Every. Single. Day. 😂
Potatoes au Gratin for the win!!!
All the essential food groups present
I was going to say that it’s quite remarkable how so few ingredients can make something so luxurious. But the reality is, it’s pretty hard to go wrong when potatoes, cream, butter and cheese are involved.
We’re working with all the good stuff today!
Best kind of potatoes for au gratin
This is the sort of potato dish where we want the potatoes to breakdown and become lovely and soft under that golden cheesy crust, so we need to ensure we use starchy potatoes. Australia – I use Sebago (those dirt brushed potatoes). America – Russet is perfect, and for those of you in the UK, King Edward or Maris Piper are perfect. Or any other starchy potatoes – Dutch creams, King Edwards or red delight.
To be honest, as long as you do not use a waxy potato then it’s going to work great – I’ve used all sorts over the years. Waxy potatoes are the kind used for potato salads and if used in Potatoes au Gratin, the layers sort of slip apart and you’ll have paper-thin-potato UFO’s flying all over the place.
Been there, done that. Not good, my friends.
How to make potatoes au gratin
Thinly sliced potato is layered with a cream-butter-garlic mixture, sprinkled with thyme and the mandatory cheese in every layer. Bake covered for 75 minutes (yes really, it takes that long), then uncovered just to make the cheese on top lovely and golden.
While it might seem daunting to thinly slice 1 kg / 2 lb of potatoes, this is the sort of task where you’ll quickly get into a rhythm. By the 3rd potato, you’ll be slicing like a pro!
Though having said that, a mandolin will make short work of it….
I am yet to meet a form of potato I don’t like. And of all the ways to cook potato, this is my favourite. (UPDATE: Though the newly invented Brie Dauphinoise version is also a hot contender!).
Sure, sometimes I stray and get excited by my latest obsession. I went mad for Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes, and crazy over Parmesan Crusted Potatoes. I thought Twice-baked Stuffed Jacket Potatoes were the ant’s pants.
But Potatoes au Gratin are a classic that I’ll love forever and ever. First made using Julie Child’s recipe which then evolved slightly over the years to what it is today. A slightly more streamlined assembly process, the addition of garlic and… I upped the cheese.
Do you think Julia would approve?? 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cream , full fat (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb starchy potatoes , Russet, Sebago, Maris Piper (Note 2)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 1/2 cups gruyere cheese (colby, cheddar, havarti or tasty), freshly grated yourself (Note 3)
- 2 tsp thyme leaves , fresh (optional – but highly recommended)
Instructions
- Cream Mixture: Place butter, cream and garlic in a jug. Mix until combined.
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (both fan and standard ovens).
- Slice potatoes: Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8"/3 mm thick. Or use a slicer!
- Layer 1: Spread 1/3 of the potatoes in a baking dish (Note 3), then pour over 1/3 of the Cream Mixture, scatter with 1/3 of the salt, pepper and thyme. Sprinkle with 3/4 cups cheese.
- Layers 2 & 3: Repeat for the 2nd and third layer, but do not finish with cheese on the top layer (will add later).
- Cover & bake: Cover with lid or foil, and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the potatoes in the middle are soft (use knife to test), it might take 1 1/2 hours. (Note 5)
- Top with cheese, bake again: Remove foil, top with cheese. Bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Stand 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Au Gratin Potatoes recipe originally published December 2014. New photos, recipe video and updated post in December 2018, then some tidying up done in December 2020. No change to recipe!
Feed your potato obsession
Life of Dozer
Hi..this looks so nice …only problem for me is, i have milk intolerance (among MANY others!) and my husband turned vegan a few years ago…so i will have a go, but with soya cream and vegan cheese. Its so hard, and very frustrating/depressing that evening meals are SUCH hard work!! I used to rustle up bacon pasta, or salmon/beans/anchovy and baby tom tray bake etc…but those days are gone 😞 fussy eaters are us now. Will let you know how it goes xx
Hi Jenny – yes I feel your pain as I have vegan friends and it does take a lot more thought to make vegan dishes that are really tasty! If you type the word “vegan” into the search bar on my website you will get a list of all my recipes that are vegan which might help your dinner planning a bit! Good luck! N x
Nagi, I just wanted to say a huge thank you! Since moving out of home I’ve been on a quest to not only be able to cook for myself but also excel at it. I’ve made so many of your recipes now and I’ve honestly loved them all.
For some reason I always thought this dish was really delicate to make and weirdly intimidated by it but I had a craving and of course, you’d made a recipe for it! It was so delicious and really straightforward.
Look forward to your recipe book and best wishes for your year
This is my go-to au-gratin recipe. It’s always a big hit at family gatherings. There aren’t always leftovers, but they reheat perfectly.
I cook this exactly as written. My family will not allow any variations.
Thanks Nagi!
Do you typically use mozzarella or gruyere when you prepare this recipe? Thanks!
Made this for lunch . Have two fussy eaters 11 years old boys . They tried it- and loved it . All family loved it -the best potatoe gratin I have come across 🥰
Made this for Christmas dinner to go along with Prime Rib. It was excellent!! Simple and easy to make but doesn’t taste that way!! Will definitely make this again, especially when we get tired of mashed or baked potatoes.
Great Recipe! It is my “go to” au Gratin dish!
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it has always received rave reviews from family and friends. I made it for the first time for my partner yesterday (with your salmon patties as our main) and he ate the whole thing! This will definitely become a staple in our house.
I just made this. It is very delicious
I made it for x-mas dinner it was absolutely delicious and easy to make I just noticed it is also a make ahead recipe which i am going to make on Sunday thx a bunch
The recipe is great but I made a mistake with choosing 7% fat cream. I was not sure if that’s full fat. What is the fat content for full cream?
Full cream is 35 percent fat or higher! N x
This was so good, thank you! I followed the make-ahead instructions and it was perfect for a New Year’s Eve feast with ham. I was a little worried that the potatoes blackened in the fridge but every website I consulted said that was fine, so I served it — to rave reviews!
This recipe is really wonderful and beautiful in its simplicity. I read through many of the comments and it seems that there are two common problems that people have. First, the cream curdles, and second, the potatoes take too long to cook. I will try to address each of these problems below.
Regarding the curdling issue, here are a few recommendations:
1.) Be use that your cream is fresh. I’m not saying to go out and milk your cow, all I’m saying is don’t use cream that has been in your fridge for three weeks and is close to the expiration date.
2.) Don’t add any other vegetables. I know that the idea of onions in this dish may sound great, but this isn’t scalloped potatoes. Vegetables add water and water is the enemy of a cheese-cream sauce.
3.) Secret ingredient: corn starch. If you make queso dip you know what I’m talking about. A little corn starch (about 1-2 teaspoons) tossed with the grated cheese will help prevent proteins from binding, which is one reason why curdling occurs. This recipe doesn’t need corn starch, but a little bit doesn’t hurt and it could help if something else is off.
4.) Just go with the gruyere cheese. It fits perfect with this recipe. I like to add a bit of mild cheddar just to give the dish some color, and a bit of parmesan for flavor. I use a mix of about 60-20-20 gruyere-mild cheddar-parmesan. But skip the mozzarella, and definitely don’t try this with buffalo or fresh mozzarella because the water content is too high.
As for those uncooked potatoes, the solution is simple: par boil them. Put the potatoes with their skins on in a pan of water, bring it to a boil, shut off the heat and leave the lid on. Leave them there until the internal temp of the potatoes are around 150-160 °F. Obviously don’t go too long, otherwise you will end up making mashed potatoes.
Oh, and finally, just use russets, please! This is not a recipe that you make with whatever you happen to have on hand. Don’t use Yukon Gold, or fingerling or butter or red or any other potato. Russets, that is what you use in this recipe.
As far as seasoning, I skip the garlic and just use ground white pepper and salt. I think that smoked paprika might be a nice addition as well, but again you really should keep it simple.
Hope this was helpful.
Cheers!
No substitutions? I should have read the comments before I put the baking dish in the oven, I guess. We’ll see how it turns out. I used a combo of fingerling potatoes unpeeled and Jerusalem artichokes. Somebody told me you could sub these things for potatoes. I have an hour and fifteen to go before I pull it out of the oven, but I’ll let everyone know whether this works or if it is trash can food. 🙂
I’ve made this before following the recipe. It is wonderful. However, see my post above, and as a follow up, Jerusalem artichokes are not the “potato” to use. The squirrels wouldn’t eat the stuff! Stick to the recipe.
Turned out lovely for Christmas Dinner.. made the day prior as recipe allowed, and wow. Gobbled up! Thx.
Our Xmas Menu 2021 was brought to you by Recipe Tin Eats, including the Potatoes au Gratin. I made it a day ahead according to your notes, and just like you said, it came out of the oven on Xmas Day all melty golden cheesy creamy goodness. I know this to be true coz my hips don’t lie!!
Another triumph.
This came out better than my first attempt last year. But I’m still having problems with excess liquid and the dish not setting so the potatoes just slide everywhere when I serve. What could I be doing wrong? For info, I used half heavy cream and half half and half as I didn’t have enough cream. Yellow potatoes are the ones I used. Thanks!
Use full fat cream, 35% fat.
Delicious as well as easy. I had a pork shoulder braising with apple cider at 275 degees so I put this in and baked it at the same time. It baked up perfectly and thickened nicely.
what temperature to bake on?
Why isn’t the salt pepper and thyme just mixed into the cream mixture? Is it a texture thing?
That’s what I did in mine (along with some other seasoning) and it worked out well, flavor wise.
Unbelievably delicious and easy. Cut the recipe in half for Christmas dinner for 2 and it still came out perfect
Made these a day ahead and reheated. Perfect, thank you!