Potatoes au Gratin – Immaculate Bites

What Is Au Gratin Potatoes?

This incredibly delicious recipe boasts a classic French twist. The word au gratin refers to any dish topped with breadcrumbs or cheese and butter, then browned to perfection. That can’t be bad, right? Then use that exquisite blend to top sliced potatoes in a decadent cream sauce, and you’ve got the perfect dish for the holidays. Double yum!

Recipe Ingredients

Although scalloped potatoes and potato au gratin have almost the same ingredients, you can easily identify these two on how they are prepared. But for a foodie like me, the name doesn’t matter, especially when it tickles your tastebuds. 😉

1. Potatoes – Russet potatoes and Yukon are the best potato choices for this recipe. Their high starch content makes them creamy and fluffy after baking.
2. Roux – Butter and flour make the perfect roux essential to this recipe, giving it a nice body and structure. It’s the only gluten-containing ingredient, but you could replace it with a gluten-free all-purpose flour.
3. Aromatics – Garlic, onion, and thyme infuse the already decadent sauce with more savory flavors. Yay!
4. The Dairy – Heavy cream, whole milk, and evaporated milk make a rich palate-pleasing sauce. But if you don’t have all of these, don’t sweat it because it’ll work with the milk you have. Just don’t forget to add a pinch of nutmeg to liven up the flavor. 😉
5. Cheese – One of my guilty pleasures is adding more cheese on top of everything. My favorite cheese combo is Gruyere and cheddar. Aah! So good!

How to Make Potatoes au Gratin

Prep the Ingredients

• Slice the Potatoes – Peel and wash potatoes, then slice into about ⅛” slices. Use a mandolin, if desired, for even and fast prep.
• Saute – Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Then add onions, garlic, and thyme, and saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic. (Photos 1-2)
• Add Liquids – Gently pour in the cream, whole milk, and evaporated milk, followed by salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Gently bring the cream mixture to a boil and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. (Photos 3-4)
• Add Cheese – Add about ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese and ½ cup of Gruyere cheese, Jarlsberg, or another melty cheese and stir until smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat. (Photos 5-6)

Assemble and Bake

• Oil the Baking Dish – Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with butter or cooking spray.
• Assemble – Place half of the potatoes in the greased pan, top the potatoes with the sauce, and add the rest of the potatoes and any other remaining sauce. (Photos 7-9)
• Bake – Cover the dish with foil paper, then bake for 45-50 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove the foil, sprinkle the potatoes with the remaining cheese, and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are bubbly and brown. (Optional: Broil for 5 minutes more for a crustier and browner top.) (Photo 10)
• Serve – Top with thyme sprig if desired. Serve warm.

Recipe Variations

1. Meaty Surprise – Adding crispy bacon bits? Oh yes! That would be fantastic! I also love throwing in ham, sausage, or roasted turkey. Deli meats are welcome, too. 😉
2. Cheese Swap – Trade out the cheeses for your faves. Mozarella, Fontina, parmesan, Monterey Jack, you name it. Drooling!
3. Seasoning – Go for an iconic Cajun touch with Creole seasoning or herby notes from Italian seasoning. Sounds great!
4. Gluten-Free Version – Skip the flour, and that’s it! Simple and easy.

Tips and Tricks

1. Slice the potatoes thinly and uniformly as possible so they’ll cook evenly. Using a mandoline will make it easier.
2. You can microwave the sliced potatoes for about 3-5 minutes to cut the oven time.
3. Let the au gratin potatoes rest for a few minutes before serving to give them time to settle and firm up a bit.
4. You can also make this potato au gratin recipe in a crock pot. Assemble as you would in a baking dish and cook on high for 3 hours.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

If you want to make everything ahead before a big busy day, these homemade au gratin potatoes are perfect. Save your sanity by making this deliciousness ahead for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Refrigerate: Simply prepare and assemble the dish until the baking part, then cover it with tin foil and place it in the fridge overnight. When ready to bake, follow the baking directions below. Moreover, you may bake it ahead, let it cool and cover it with foil. Then store it in the fridge for up to three days.

Freeze: Although I don’t recommend freezing this dish because it affects the texture, you definitely can. Let it cool completely before wrapping the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Then store it in the freezer for up to three months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake.

Reheat: For best results, bake it at 300-325℉/150-160℃ for 75 minutes.

FAQs

What to Serve With Potatoes au Gratin

I could make a really long list for this. But I’d love to share some of my best holiday recipes to go along with this ultimate potato side:

1. Pineapple Glazed Ham
2. Spiced Roast Turkey
3. Pork Tenderloin Roast
4. Prime Rib Roast
5. Blackened Spatchcock Chicken

More Fabulous Potato Side Dishes To Try

1. Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes
2. Twice Baked Potatoes
3. Hasselback Potatoes
4. Southern Green Beans and Potatoes
5. Fondant Potatoes

Conclusion

This creamy au gratin potatoes recipe is so easy to throw together for regular weeknight meals or special occasions. Would you like more awesome recipes for the holidays? Then subscribe to my newsletter to keep them coming. And don’t worry because it’s free! 😉

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.