Potatoes Au Gratin
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Creamy, cheesy, and indulgent, this potatoes au gratin recipe is perfect for holiday meals or any dinner that calls for something special.
This wonderful classic potatoes au gratin recipe is one of my go-to Thanksgiving side dishes, but it’s also perfect for any special dinner. It involves layering thinly sliced potatoes with heavy cream and grated cheese in a casserole dish, and then baking until the cream thickens and blankets the potatoes in a rich, creamy sauce. This dish is definitely worthy of a special occasion, but honestly, enjoying this au gratin potatoes recipe feels like a special occasion all on its own.
“I only gave this five stars because I couldn’t give it 10 stars. This may be my favorite side dish ever. It is amazing!”
What You’ll Need To Make Potatoes Au Gratin
- Russet Potatoes: Their high starch content makes them ideal for absorbing the cream and creating a soft, melt-in-your-mouth consistency. Russet potatoes are also ideal for making mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and twice-baked potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes are not recommended.
- Salt: Enhances the natural flavors of the potatoes and balances the richness of the cream and cheese.
- Black Pepper: Adds a mild, warming heat that complements the creamy, cheesy layers.
- Finely Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano: Provides a salty, nutty depth that melts into the potatoes, adding flavor and texture. Be sure to use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano (not cheese labeled as Parmesan), which can be identified by its rind or labeling. If it’s unavailable, Pecorino Romano is a flavorful substitute.
- Heavy Cream: Creates the velvety sauce that makes this dish creamy and indulgent. You may be tempted to cut calories by using half & half or milk instead of cream. Please don’t! This is one of those recipes that requires heavy cream to thicken up.
- Fresh Thyme (Optional): Adds a hint of herbal freshness to balance the rich, creamy flavors.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by slicing the potatoes as thinly and uniformly as possible. You can use a mandoline slicer if you have one, but I never bother. (Pro tip: When slicing wobbly potatoes, it helps to cut a thin slice along the length of the potato, then turn the potato cut-side down on a cutting board so that it sits flat.)
Place the potatoes in a large bowl and toss with the salt and pepper. Be sure the potatoes are evenly coated.
Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Arrange some of the potato slices, edges overlapping, in a single layer on the bottom of the dish.
Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the potatoes.
Pour a quarter of the cream over top.
Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cheese, and cream, forming four layers. Pour any leftover cream over top.
Place in the preheated oven and bake, uncovered, for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and golden brown on top. (Don’t cover the dish with foil or you won’t get the beautiful coloring on top.) The top layer of the potatoes should be golden by the time the dish is done baking but if you want just a bit more browning, feel free to stick the baking dish under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes; just keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves, if using, and serve. (Note: If you have a large crowd coming and plan to double the dish, you’ll get the best results by baking it in two 2-quart baking dishes instead of one larger dish. The potatoes will cook more evenly that way.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Scalloped potatoes are typically made with thinly sliced potatoes baked in a simple cream or milk sauce, while potatoes au gratin include cheese, like Parmesan, Gruyere, or Cheddar, in the sauce and often have a crispy, cheesy topping. The addition of cheese is the key difference between the two dishes.
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Potatoes Au Gratin
Creamy, cheesy, and indulgent, this potatoes au gratin recipe is perfect for holiday meals or any dinner that calls for something special.
Ingredients
- Butter to grease the baking dish
- 2½ pounds Russet potatoes (3 to 4), peeled and sliced very thin
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (4 oz) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2¼ cups heavy cream
- Fresh thyme, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease an 8-inch (or 2-quart) baking dish with butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the salt and pepper until evenly coated.
- Arrange some of the potato slices, edges overlapping, in a single layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the potatoes, and then pour a quarter of the cream over the cheese. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cheese, and cream, forming 4 layers. Pour any leftover cream over top.
- Place in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and golden brown on top. Let the dish settle on the counter for about ten minutes. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, if using, and then serve.
- Make Ahead: If absolutely necessary, this dish can be assembled a day ahead and covered tightly with plastic wrap (pressing the wrap directly against the potatoes so they don’t discolor too much). Store in the refrigerator and bake before serving. Note that the potatoes on top will still discolor a bit in the fridge, but it shouldn't be noticeable after baking.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 399
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Sodium: 518 mg
- Cholesterol: 101 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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Hello. These potatoes are delicious. My family enjoyed them very much. Didn’t need quite as much cream. I’m thinking of making these for thanksgiving. I will need to triple the recipe. Do you suggest cooking in 3 separate pans? Do you have any idea of how much longer it will take to cook? It took a good hour and 15 minutes tonight. Should I increase the temperature? Thank you!
Hi Tanyia, glad you enjoyed this! If you want to triple the recipe, yes, I would use three separate pans so they bake evenly. I would keep the oven temp the same – – they will take a bit longer but not much so keep a close eye on them. Hope you have a great holiday!
Potatoes au gratin is a staple in our house, but this is by far the best recipe we’ve come across. I made it exactly as called for here with three tiny exceptions. I rinsed the sliced potatoes in water laced with a very small amount of lemon juice to keep them from browning, let them air-dry in a colander, then layered them in a bowl with about a quarter of the salt and pepper on each layer before tossing.
The result was quite simply the best Potatoes au gratin we’ve ever had, no doubt due to the use of imported Parmigiano Reggiano. The creamy deliciousness was even better the next day with the (very small) leftovers. I highly recommend this recipe to everyone.
By the way, I routinely seek new recipes from on-line site like this one, but am invariably disappointed and left wondering if any of the authors actually even made the recipes touted on their sites. This site is the most welcomed exception though. I have made several other dishes using Chef Segal’s’ recipes and all have turned out fabulous.
Hi Jenn,
I noticed just recently you changed your recipe for potatoes au gratin in particular the part about mixing the potatoes with salt and pepper in a bowl rather than putting salt and pepper in a cup and pour it over the potatoes during the cream part. By applying salt and pepper on it directly does that allow for a better taste?
Hi Cy, You really can do it either way. However, sometimes I notice that the salt and pepper cling to the bottom of the bowl when mixed with the cream, so you don’t get all of the flavor unless you whisk really well. Hope that clarifies!
So easy and Yum! My family likes onion and i don’t so I added a tsp of onion powder to the salt n pepper mix. Got rave reviews! Thanks!
I made this recipe alternating potatoes and sweet potatoes. Both ways are delicious. It’s nice to change it up a bit. Thank you Jen for all my families favorite meals!
I followed this recipe to a T. No flavor at all😣
Thank you for noting the number of potatoes vs how many pounds. It helps figure out if I have enough at home because I don’t have a food scale, and rarely when I buy produce do I weigh it at the store unless I know in advance what I am preparing and know I need X amount. I love recipes that give ball park numbers for quantity as well as pounds.
This is an excellent recipe. It was great! And easy!
Made these twice. The first time they were excellent. The second time I didn”t use russet potatoes, just whatever I had on hand…definitely not as good…will definetely make them again using only russets!
I love your recipes & am a huge fan of potatoes au gratin so will certainly make this…with one addition: GARLIC!! Really – it takes a gratin to whole new levels.
This was totally delicious and easy to make. A great change from Gruyeré and my new favorite. I used a food processor to slice the potatoes. I started using convection at 350° but 25 minutes in it became clear the top was browning too fast so I switched to regular. Thanks for your great recipes!
Can you double the recipe? if so, how long would you cook if I use 6 potatoes and double the cream and cheese?
Hi Janet, Yes, you could double this (you’d need to double all the ingredients). You can use either two 8 x 8-inch baking pans or one 9 x 13. Bake time will be a bit longer than an hour, but I’m not certain how long so just keep a close eye on it. Hope you enjoy!
So doing the regular recipe plus a half of one should work fine in a 13x9x2 pan but would need extra cooking time? Any guess how much extra time? Thanks in advance for your reply!
Hi Randy, I think the cooking time should be about the same. Hope you enjoy!