Potatoes au Gratin – forget scalloped potatoes, THIS is the creme de la creme of all potato recipes!! Also known as Dauphinoise Potatoes, this French classic is adapted from a Julia Child’s recipe. With layers upon layers of finely sliced potatoes baked in, cream, butter and cheese with a hint of fresh thyme, it’s luxurious and thoroughly indulgent.
Bonus: It’s the ultimate make ahead potato side dish! And next time, try Brie Dauphinoise…
Potatoes au Gratin
Potatoes au Gratin? Or Scalloped Potatoes?
If you’re wondering what the difference is between Scalloped Potatoes and Au Gratin Potatoes, scalloped potatoes are made with a flour-butter-milk roux, whereas Potatoes au Gratin are made with 100% indulgence: cream, butter and cheese.
So I ask you again: Potatoes au Gratin? Or Scalloped Potatoes?
There’s no contest. Cream trumps flour Every. Single. Day. 😂
Potatoes au Gratin for the win!!!
All the essential food groups present
I was going to say that it’s quite remarkable how so few ingredients can make something so luxurious. But the reality is, it’s pretty hard to go wrong when potatoes, cream, butter and cheese are involved.
We’re working with all the good stuff today!
Best kind of potatoes for au gratin
This is the sort of potato dish where we want the potatoes to breakdown and become lovely and soft under that golden cheesy crust, so we need to ensure we use starchy potatoes. Australia – I use Sebago (those dirt brushed potatoes). America – Russet is perfect, and for those of you in the UK, King Edward or Maris Piper are perfect. Or any other starchy potatoes – Dutch creams, King Edwards or red delight.
To be honest, as long as you do not use a waxy potato then it’s going to work great – I’ve used all sorts over the years. Waxy potatoes are the kind used for potato salads and if used in Potatoes au Gratin, the layers sort of slip apart and you’ll have paper-thin-potato UFO’s flying all over the place.
Been there, done that. Not good, my friends.
How to make potatoes au gratin
Thinly sliced potato is layered with a cream-butter-garlic mixture, sprinkled with thyme and the mandatory cheese in every layer. Bake covered for 75 minutes (yes really, it takes that long), then uncovered just to make the cheese on top lovely and golden.
While it might seem daunting to thinly slice 1 kg / 2 lb of potatoes, this is the sort of task where you’ll quickly get into a rhythm. By the 3rd potato, you’ll be slicing like a pro!
Though having said that, a mandolin will make short work of it….
I am yet to meet a form of potato I don’t like. And of all the ways to cook potato, this is my favourite. (UPDATE: Though the newly invented Brie Dauphinoise version is also a hot contender!).
Sure, sometimes I stray and get excited by my latest obsession. I went mad for Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes, and crazy over Parmesan Crusted Potatoes. I thought Twice-baked Stuffed Jacket Potatoes were the ant’s pants.
But Potatoes au Gratin are a classic that I’ll love forever and ever. First made using Julie Child’s recipe which then evolved slightly over the years to what it is today. A slightly more streamlined assembly process, the addition of garlic and… I upped the cheese.
Do you think Julia would approve?? 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cream , full fat (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb starchy potatoes , Russet, Sebago, Maris Piper (Note 2)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 1/2 cups gruyere cheese (colby, cheddar, havarti or tasty), freshly grated yourself (Note 3)
- 2 tsp thyme leaves , fresh (optional – but highly recommended)
Instructions
- Cream Mixture: Place butter, cream and garlic in a jug. Mix until combined.
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (both fan and standard ovens).
- Slice potatoes: Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8"/3 mm thick. Or use a slicer!
- Layer 1: Spread 1/3 of the potatoes in a baking dish (Note 3), then pour over 1/3 of the Cream Mixture, scatter with 1/3 of the salt, pepper and thyme. Sprinkle with 3/4 cups cheese.
- Layers 2 & 3: Repeat for the 2nd and third layer, but do not finish with cheese on the top layer (will add later).
- Cover & bake: Cover with lid or foil, and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the potatoes in the middle are soft (use knife to test), it might take 1 1/2 hours. (Note 5)
- Top with cheese, bake again: Remove foil, top with cheese. Bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Stand 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Au Gratin Potatoes recipe originally published December 2014. New photos, recipe video and updated post in December 2018, then some tidying up done in December 2020. No change to recipe!
Feed your potato obsession
Life of Dozer
Made ahead on Christmas eve and reheated for boxing day. Was fantastic! I completely forgot the thyme and only put gruyere in one mid layer and on top, as was juggling lots of things at the same time but it was delish nevertheless. I doubled the recipe and used 2 dishes. I used all the cream/butter/garlic mix on the first bake and then made another one cups worth of cream and butter, which I divided over the 2 dishes when it had cooled and before putting into the fridge. I put baking parchment directly on the top to block the air then wrapped with cling film and I didn’t get any greying on the potatoes. It was out of the fridge for 90 mins or so before going into the oven but reheat time was longer than suggested – Probably 45 mins+, I used a meat thermometer to check it. A doubled recipe fed 12 adults on boxing day with no spare. Thank you!
This was quite good. Next time I will use half as much fresh thyme because we all felt it overwhelmed the cheese flavor, add sauteed onions, more garlic and more cheese. It took a really long time to bake and I sliced the potatoes on a mandolin; they were quite thin so next time I will prebake as instructed in note 6 and then finish off 45 minutes before the meal. Another option is to prepare and bake several hours before the meal, then let sit on the counter and simply reheat just prior to eating.
This was a hit at our holiday dinner! Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made it as shown for my family Christmas gathering and it was delicious. Leftovers last night were just as good, or better, than eating it the first time. You have a new fan!
I made this recipe for Christmas dinner this year and it was a huge hit. My family loved it! I did mix a small amount of shredded cheddar with the Gruyere cheese. Aside from that I followed the recipe exactly and will definitely make again.
We cooked this in the Weber BBQ for a xmas party and it was delicious!
I made this yesterday as a side for Christmas dinner. It turned out fantastic. I precooked it without the top cheese layer the night before and then cooked it for about 30 minutes the following day. It turned out perfect! I highly recommend it.
Absolutely delicious and a massive hit at Christmas lunch. Disappointed there wasn’t any leftovers. Will definitely make this again!
This must be the 3rd or 4th year in a row I’ve baked this marvelous recipe. My husband requests it every Christmas – it’s truly wonderful. Thank you so much! (Some notes on my style of preparation: don’t hold back on the fresh thyme and garlic, and let the chopped garlic steep in the warm butter – enhances infusion.)
Hello
I’m looking to make this for Christmas but would like to make ahead however I’m a little confused how to. Do I actually bake it with foil on the day before then refrigerate overnight then on the day add the final cheese and cream then reheat ?
The way I read it is bake it w/o reserved cream mixture and cheese add those once the dish has cooled off, then put it In fridge
I just made it! Follow recipe for layers 1 & 2 as written. For 3rd final layer only pore a tiny bit of the remaining cream, leaving about 1/2 cup reserved. Then top layer 3 with some thyme/S&P (no cheese). Cover and bake for 1.25 to 1.5 hours. Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate. When it’s time to eat, pour the 1/2 reserved cream over the top, top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 (until hot). Remove foil and bake for another 10 to let the cheese get the tiny brown spots. 🤩
I have made these potatoes multiple times and they are always a hit. Question though, do you think you can make them in a crockpot? Thanks!!
I have made scalloped or gratin potatoes 1,000 times. I love Nagi’s recipes for all kinds of things I’ve never done before and had a wild hair to see how she did these. I used Gouda instead of cheddar but same church, different pew. This is world-beater good. Bien joué, Madame. Amazing.
So delicious! I used a cheddar-Gruyère blend and added a sweet potato (didn’t have enough russet). My dish was a bit deep, took 15-20 minutes longer to cook. Everyone LOVED it!
Delish……….(chefs kiss,)
Brilliant adaptation, Nagi! I’ve tried it with several different cheeses over the years, but you know, I really like your idea of combining Mozz and Parm. You get the gooeyness from one and the umami from the other, and I think it is even better than the standard Gruyère. Cheers and Good on ya!
Utterly delicious and completely demolished in one sitting. No chance of leftovers!
I doubled this to bring for a potluck Thanksgiving dinner for 11 people. Before getting started, I read through the reviews to get an idea of issues others encountered. My main worry was the potatoes would not be cooked all the way through because I was doubling and using one large rectangle dish. I worried for nothing because it came out perfect. I used russet potatoes and even weighed them so it wouldn’t be over the recommended amount. I used full fat cream, gruyere cheese, thyme and other ingredients exactly as called for. This will turn out perfect if you follow Nagi’s recipe exactly as written and using the ingredients called for, i.e. don’t use half and half, the wrong cheese etc. If it helps others, my bake time was 1 hour 30 minutes covered plus the additional 15 minutes uncovered. Don’t skip the thyme. There was a small amount of leftovers which were even tastier the next day. Also, for folks who don’t have a scale, 2 1/2 Ibs potatoes is about 5 medium size. Plan to make again for Christmas dinner!
Thank you so much for letting us all know that 5 medium russet potatoes are equivalent to 2 1/2 lbs.!
I was wondering since I’m without a kitchen scale?
I have made a scalloped potato recipe using the old Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School method from an 1929 first addition cookbook I was given in my teens… the recipe is bland.
Question, mine curdled. I used Gouda and Swiss but otherwise followed. Do you have any idea why? Still tasted good but not so much of a looker lol Ps, I love your recipes! Use yours often.
Best potatoes EVER. Don’t skimp. Use the gruyere. I did mostly gruyere plus maybe 1/3 a fancy old hard white cheddar. I also sautéed some finely cut onion with the garlic that I added in.
I’ll be making this for our weekend bbq. But I always double (sometimes triple) the garlic haha!
Also please remember to advise your lovely neighbours here in NZ the best potato to use. Thank you ☺️