Potatoes au Gratin

Potatoes au gratin are potatoes in the form of comfort. Carbs & comfort. That’s it. That’s the post. Honestly, if you need me to sell you on a cheesy potato dish to you to you, then this might not be the recipe for you. This is an indulgent dish for me. One that might appear on an Easter or Christmas holiday menu.  It is gluten-free, but still a bit of a treat because I do not hold back on the cream, butter, or cheeses. Cheeses, plural. We are having all the dairy, or we are not having any at all. Live a little and regret nothing.

Potatoes au Gratin or Potatoes Dauphinois or Scalloped Potatoes 

There is a lot going on in the potato family. When we are talking creamy and cheesy potatoes that are sliced and baked, they can typically be one of the above. There are a few differences that honestly may be a bit trivial, but worth noting just in case someone asks: 

• Potatoes au Gratin: Sliced potatoes slightly pre-cooked and then layered and cooked in a cream sauce. 
• Potatoes au Dauphinoise: Often interchangeable with au gratin, but technically made with uncooked potatoes like I have done here. 
• Scalloped Potatoes: Admittedly varied from potatoes au gratin and potatoes dauphinoise. Scalloped potatoes are made with a roux of flour, butter, and milk. 

The Tools You Will Need

• A Mandoline Slicer or a Sharp Chef’s Knife. To slice the potatoes. A Note That is Not Really That Important if You Are a Person That Follows Directions and Observes Safety Measures:  The very first time I prepared potatoes au gratin, I used a mandoline slicer without a hand guard and mandoline sliced a small corner of my finger. I spent part of Easter Sunday in the emergency room counting my blessings that I did not hit a nerve and the cut would fully heal.  Long Story Short: When slicing potatoes using a mandoline slicer, don’t be like me. Use a hand guard. Practice kitchen safety. If you don’t own a mandoline slicer, you’re in luck because this dish can be made just as perfectly with a good ole chef’s knife. I now do that all the time. No mandoline slicers to be found. 
• A Medium or Large Saucepan. To heat the heavy cream mixture. Nothing fancy here. 
• Cast Iron Skillet or an Oven-Safe Skillet. To cook the potatoes in the oven. I prefer a cast-iron skillet because most oven-safe skillets can still only withhold somewhere up to 400 to 425 degrees of heat. I love finishing my potatoes au gratin under the hottest of broilers—at least 500 degrees of heat—which will give the potatoes and cheese a nice golden and crispy top.  

Preparing the Potatoes

• The key here is thinly-sliced potatoes – not too thick, not too thin – about ¼ inch slices.  I don’t like to say “as thinly as possible” because it’s not quite that thin, as I like the potatoes to still have a bite. This is certainly possible to accomplish with a chef’s knife. I have done it and it is how I will slice potatoes probably for the rest of my life (see above for details on that). 

• Regardless of whether you use a mandoline slicer or a knife, you want to cut the slices as uniformly as possible. 
• I love Yukon Gold potatoes for this dish. Yukon Gold potatoes are buttery and creamery all on their own and amplified by the cream and cheese in this dish. For Yukon Golds, I wash them and peel as much of the skin as I feel like, leaving a little skin on each potato. Russet potatoes can work too (although you’ll likely need to increase the cooking times by a few minutes). I would not use different types of potatoes, as they’ll require various cooking times. 

The Process

• The assembly is simple and honestly a bit therapeutic. The potato slices are layered in a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet or oven-safe skillet. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as you go. The potatoes are then cooked in a cream sauce seasoned with garlic and thyme and a pinch of nutmeg and topped with parmesan and gruyere cheese. 
• Thinly cut potatoes minimizes the cook time in the oven, so they’ll cook through in just under 30 minutes. 

• One thing I love about potatoes au gratin is how easy it is to customize them by adding other ingredients that pique your tastebuds – like leeks, shallots, roasted garlic or different cheese combinations. 
• If you have even more potatoes than you can handle or you just have a serious potato craving, give these a shot: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. If you’re looking for something a little unique, you’ll love the Mashed Murasaki Potatoes (Mashed Japanese Sweet Potatoes) that I cook in dashi and typically serve with miso-braised short ribs. Obviously, sweet potatoes are used there, but you can use white potatoes and follow the same preparation method.