Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe

Potatoes au gratin is an amazing classic French recipe that consists of layers of thinly sliced peeled potatoes, milk, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs.

While the original version is delicious in its simplicity, I take it a few steps further with cream, garlic and cheese to make it one of the best potato side dishes around.

Ingredients for this recipe:

• 5 pounds peeled and thinly sliced russet potatoes, ¼” to 1/8” thick
• 1-quart heavy whipping cream
• 4-6 finely minced cloves of garlic
• 1-pound shredded gruyere cheese
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 stick melted unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• sea salt and white pepper to taste

Serves 16

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Procedures:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Combine the sliced potatoes, cream, garlic, gruyere cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper together in a large bowl until completely mixed together.
3. transfer the mixture to a deep 13x9 casserole pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray and flatten out with a spoon to make level.
4. Cover in foil and bake in the oven at 400° for 80 to 90 minutes.
5. Remove the foil and evenly sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and cheese completely coating the sliced potatoes.
6. Drizzle on the melted butter and place back in the oven to back for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked throughout.
7. Let cool at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.

CHEF NOTES:

• If you see an au gratin potatoes recipe online that does not have breadcrumbs on top then it is most likely not an accurate representation of potatoes au gratin.
• Milk/Cream – I believe heavy whipping cream provides a full fat, full flavor options for potatoes au gratin and is absolutely the best ingredient to use. If using milk, you need to go through the process of making a roux and thickening the milk a bit, kind of like a gravy, before adding it to the sliced potatoes.

• Cheese – There are a few options you can use when using cheese. For cheaper alternative cheeses try using Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese or even Mozzarella cheese. For more expensive full-flavored cheeses use Gruyere or Comté.
• Breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs are incredibly traditional in potatoes au gratin and you can use panko breadcrumbs, or any simple breadcrumb will do.
• You can also feel free to use Yukon potatoes as well.
• I mix everything first in a bowl to ensure the potatoes are seasoned and coated.
• When it’s done cooking in the oven, The outside edges of the pan should be bubbling.
• REHEATING\ POTATOES AU GRATIN: To reheat the potatoes au gratin simply add your desired portion to a pan, cover with foil and bake in the oven at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until hot. In addition, you can simply add them to the microwave and heat until hot.
• STORING AND FREEZING POTATOES AU GRATIN: Potatoes au gratin can be stored in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen covered for up to 2 months. Simply thaw them for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating them.