Making Potatoes Au Gratin

An effortless, cheesy classic potato meal is potatoes au gratin! A fast cheese sauce is poured over thinly sliced potatoes and onions, which are then cooked till golden.

A family favorite recipe for Sunday dinner or a make-ahead holiday side dish is potatoes au gratin!

This recipe for potatoes gratin produces simple cheesy potatoes that are reminiscent of scalloped potatoes but packed with flavor.

They are the ideal Christmas side dish to serve with baked ham, roast beef, or even pork tenderloin!

For potatoes au gratin, use cheese

Which cheese works best with potatoes gratin? Pick cheeses with lots of strong flavors when cooking gratin potatoes. Our favorite picks are stronger-flavored kinds like sharp cheddar, parmesan, and/or Gruyere (or swiss).

If you can find it, I highly recommend getting gruyere cheese to give a rich richness to potatoes gratin. Use provolone or swiss for a flavor close to Gruyere if it’s not readily accessible!

Choosing the Right Potato for Potatoes au Gratin

The finest potatoes for gratin are red-skinned or Yukon gold potatoes, just like when cooking scalloped potatoes. These two waxy potatoes may maintain their shape effectively and do not need to be peeled due to their thin skin.

Although baked potatoes or russet potatoes have an excellent flavor, they are more starchy.

They’re better suited to mashed potatoes because they don’t keep their shape as well and the meal can become mushy.

Potatoes Au Gratin vs. Potatoes Scalloped

So what distinguishes au gratin potatoes from scalloped potatoes? Both dishes have roasted potatoes (and frequently onions) in a creamy sauce, making them quite similar.

Scalloped means to “bake with milk or a sauce,” but au gratin is defined as being topped in cheese or breadcrumbs.

The cheese in this dish is what makes a difference. Despite this, if there is cheese in the dish, the term “scaled potatoes” is still frequently used!

Making Potatoes Au Gratin: A Recipe

Everyone enjoys potatoes gratin because it includes soft potatoes in a creamy, cheesy sauce.

1. Slice the potatoes and onions thinly.

I use a cheap mandoline to cut uniformly thin slices. They are inexpensive, save a lot of time, and can be found for under $20.

2. Using flour and butter, prepare the cheese sauce according to the method below.

Add a little milk to create a white sauce before finishing with a ton of cheese. If preferred, other ingredients can be added, such as fresh thyme, garlic, and herbs.

3. Put the gratin together.

The potato pieces and onions should be piled up and placed in the casserole dish on their sides (instead of laying them flat like a traditional gratin). This makes the potatoes gratin recipe very attractive and is simple to do.

The potatoes’ crispy edges offer more flavor and texture, and who doesn’t adore the crunchy, delectable cheesy bits? If preferred, top with a little additional cheese.

For the final 90 minutes of baking, top these potatoes au gratin with fresh parsley.

Time-saving hint

If you’re pressed for time, arrange the potatoes and onions in the dish according to the recipe, then wrap them in plastic. 10 minutes at maximum power when using a microwave (be careful, it will be hot when removing the plastic wrap).

Add the cheese sauce and bake for 45 to 55 minutes as instructed below. Simply a little bit quicker, but equally tasty!

Make-Ahead

You can prepare this dish up to 24 hours in advance. As any exposed potato pieces can slightly darken the sauce, make sure the potatoes are completely covered. Refrigerate after covering tightly with plastic wrap.

30 minutes or more before baking, take out of the refrigerator. The baking time may need to be extended by 10 minutes.

Although we typically have these as a side dish, I occasionally prepare potatoes gratin with ham by adding leftover sliced or diced ham (from our favorite Crock Pot Ham) before baking.

1. Set the oven to 400 °F.
2. Slice potatoes into 1/8″-thick slices after washing. Slice the onion as thinly as you can.
3. Potatoes and onions are stacked one on the other. Stacks should be placed vertically in a 2.5- to 3-quart oiled casserole dish.
4. Cook for two to three minutes after combining butter and flour in a pan. Add milk and spices. Stir constantly until thick and bubbling over medium heat. Cheeses should be added and melted after the heat is turned off.
5. potatoes with cheese sauce. Bake for 60 minutes with a foil cover that has been cooking spray-coated.
6. When the potatoes are cooked and the foil is removed, bake the potatoes for a further 20 to 30 minutes. Before serving, let cool for 15 minutes.

Notes

Potatoes should be thinly sliced.
For optimum results, shred your cheese from a block. If desired, the sauce can also include garlic and fresh herbs (such as thyme or rosemary).
Before pouring the cheese sauce into the casserole dish and baking it, wrap it in plastic wrap to shorten the baking time. Microwave on full power for about 10 minutes (be careful, it will be hot when removing the plastic wrap). Add the cheese sauce and bake for 45 to 55 minutes as indicated.
Once the foil is removed, extra cheese (cheddar or parmesan) can be added on top if preferred.

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