Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin
You know, potatoes kind of get taken for granted.
We tend to treat them as ballast, something to add a meal to give it extra bulk. We toss a few potatoes in the oven to go with the roast, or maybe whip up a batch of mashed potatoes to serve on the side. Sometimes we’ll integrate the potatoes into a main dish like a Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole, but we still assume the potato is mostly there to fill space – it isn’t the star of the show.
But every so often, a recipe comes along that make us see potatoes in a different light. That shows us the potato can be more than just plain and practical – it can be decadent.
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Creamy potatoes au gratin is one of those dishes. Wafer-thin slices of potato…drenched in a rich sauce loaded with heavy cream and two kinds of cheese…flavored with onion, garlic, bay leaf, and fresh thyme….and baked to a golden, melt-in-your mouth perfection.
No, it’s not health food. And yes, it takes a little time to make. But when you bite into a forkful of these Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin, it’s like seeing Cinderella cast off her rags and turn into a beautiful princess right before your eyes.
RECIPE TIPS
I can’t seem to find Gruyère cheese. Is there any other kind that will work?
You can substitute fontina, mozzarella, or sharp cheddar. But if you can manage to find real Gruyère, definitely use that – it has a fabulous nutty flavor like nothing else.
If I don’t have heavy cream, can I use just milk?
As long as it’s whole milk and not skim or low-fat, you can get away with it. But the dish won’t be as rich and decadent as it would be with the milk-and-cream mixture.
Why do I have to cover the potatoes with aluminum foil?
It holds in moisture, so the potatoes sort of steam and bake at the same time. Then you take it off for the last half hour so you can get that nice golden-brown coating on top.
OK, I did that, but the top doesn’t seem to be browning. What can I do?
It’s probably not quite close enough to the heat. Try popping it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Just a couple, though – don’t let it burn!
How to Make Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and slice the potatoes to ⅛ inch thickness. A mandoline works best to slice potatoes into uniform size but you can use a knife too. Submerge into a bowl of cold water as you work. This keeps the potatoes beautiful white.
- Melt butter in a pan. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add bay leaf, onion, salt and pepper. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add thyme, cream and milk and bring to a slow simmer.
- Add cheese and stir until melted together. Set aside
- Drain and pat dry potatoes. Prepare pan – rub butter or apply cooking spray to a 8×8 baking dish.Place potatoes in dish.
- Remove bay leaf from cream mixture. Carefully pour cream mixture over sliced potatoes, ensuring all potatoes are covered. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for one hour. Remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes, uncovered or until cheese is golden and potatoes are cooked through.
- Enjoy!
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TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS CREAMY POTATOES AU GRATIN RECIPE
Baking Pan:This modern classics square baking is perfect for this holiday recipe
Measuring Cups and Spoons: Each cup’s “ml” and cup sizes have passed clearly engraved marking, and you can quickly identify the cup scale according to the color of the handle.
Mandoline: This is everything you need in one – with 5 interchangeable blades for slicing, julienne & grating & unlimited thickness settings with easy thumb dial control, it’s perfect as an onion chopper cutter, vegetable peeler, and garlic chopper.
Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin
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Ingredients
- 6 russet potatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese grated
- 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 Tablespoons fresh Thyme chopped or 1 Tablespoon dried
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and slice the potatoes to ⅛ inch thickness. A mandoline works best to slice potatoes into uniform size but you can use a knife too. Submerge into a bowl of cold water as you work. This keeps the potatoes beautiful white.
- Melt butter in a pan. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add bay leaf, onion, salt and pepper. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add thyme, cream and milk and bring to a slow simmer.
- Add cheese and stir until melted together. Set aside
- Drain and pat dry potatoes. Prepare pan - rub butter or apply cooking spray to a 8x8 baking dish. Place potatoes in dish.
- Remove bay leaf from cream mixture. Carefully pour cream mixture over sliced potatoes, ensuring all potatoes are covered. Cover with aluminum foil.
- 10. Bake for one hour. Remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes, uncovered or until cheese is golden and potatoes are cooked through.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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I haven’t made this recipe yet but I do make a variation of it. Thought I might try this recipe.
The cheeses in the recipe I make has a bit of crumbled blue cheese and sharp or extra old cheddar cheese. I do not like blue cheese but with the cream and sharp cheddar it tastes yummy all melted together. And I only use 2 or 3 tablespoons of blue cheese not a lot! Or if not blue cheese my other go to is Havarti Herb and Spice. It melts great and is a creamy soft cheese.
I am making your recipe tonight Corey! Can’t wait to give it a try.