PERFECT Au Gratin Potatoes

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Look no further for the BEST au gratin potatoes recipe!  Perfectly creamy, cheesy and flavorful, this recipe continually gets rave reviews and is destined to become your go-to from now on!

One of the cardinal rules of good potatoes au gratin is that it cannot be dry.  The cheesy cream sauce needs to ooze out.  Not run out all over the plate in a big wet mess, but just slowly oooooze out.  Here is a classic creamy potatoes au gratin recipe at its very best!

I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who doesn’t like potatoes.  I’ve met plenty of picky eaters, but even the pickiest will eat potatoes in one form or the other.  However they’re prepared, they’re the perfect comfort food.  And combined with cream and cheese, they’re simply heavenly.

Au Gratin Potatoes vs Scalloped Potatoes 

The two have come to be confused and are often used interchangeably as any online search will show.  But they are two different dishes.  Similar but different.  The primary difference lies in the addition of cheese.  Au gratin potatoes include cream and cheese whereas scalloped potatoes are simpler, featuring only cream.

One way to look at it is that with au gratin you get everything scalloped has plus more – deliciously more!  Au gratin potatoes are always my first choice.

The Best Potatoes For Au Gratin Potatoes

Many recipes call for Russet potatoes.  My favorite is the Yukon Gold potato and I’ll tell you why.  You want to select a potato that has a moderate amount starch in it so that it both absorbs and thickens the sauce.  This will prevent the sauce from running all over the plate.  Potatoes that are very low in starch, like some varieties of fingerlings and red potatoes, will have a hard time absorbing the liquid which increases the risk of ending up with something more akin to au gratin soup (though this can be mitigated by adding a little more flour and/or increasing cooking time). 

You also want a potato that will to some extent hold its shape and doesn’t fall apart and turn to mush.  And that’s the challenge with using Russets for things like au gratin potatoes and scalloped potatoes. Russets Potatoes are really high in starch and as a result they absorb too much liquid, break down and don’t hold their shape.  That’s why they’re not a good option potato salads and it’s for that same reason that they’re really not ideal for au gratin potatoes.  Yukon Golds, having a moderate amount of starch are a great choice.  They’re not so low in starch that they won’t absorb the liquids and they not so high in starch that they’ll fall apart.  In other words, they’re kind of a “Goldilocks” variety of potatoes, which is why they’re so versatile in use.

Can You Make Au Gratin Potatoes Ahead of Time?

YES! Au gratin potatoes are the perfect make ahead potato side dish!  Simply assemble the dish a day ahead of time, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and then bake it the next day.  Increase the baking time a little to account for the dish being cold. You can also set it out on the counter and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before baking while you’re prepping other things.  And don’t worry if the potatoes are a little discolored, you won’t notice it once the potatoes are cooked.

For even better results we recommend par-baking the dish first.  That means you’ll bake it 3/4 of the way, remove it from the oven, let it cool completely, cover and refrigerate, and then bake it the rest of the way the following day.  The potatoes will absorb more of the liquid but you can mitigate this by adding about 1/4 cup extra cream.

This potatoes au gratin recipe is wonderfully creamy, cheesy and flavorful and has received tons of rave reviews over the years.  Several of our friends and family make this every year on holidays and other occasions and have passed the recipe on to their friends who usually request it after tasting it.

Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe

Let’s get started!

Dice the onions, mince the garlic, and thinly slice the potatoes (1/8 to 1/4 inch thick).  You can slice the potatoes by hand or you can use a kitchen mandolin to do the slicing.  It makes the job faster and easier and ensures they’re sliced the same width.  THIS ONE is the same one I bought in Germany and took back to the States with me – I love it!  It’s also Cook’s Illustrated’s “Top Choice”.

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the flour and stir to combine.  Cook for a minute or two.

Add the milk and cream, stirring continually to prevent clumping.  Slowly bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until slightly thickened.

Add the cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese and salt and stir until melted.

Add the potatoes and stir until thoroughly combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil.

Bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender (time can vary depending on thickly the potatoes are sliced).

Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and to enable the excess moisture to evaporate.

Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.  (If you used a lower starch potato variety like Yukon Gold it will be “soupier” and may need to sit a few minutes longer to enable the excess liquid to absorb).  Sprinkle with some chopped parsley for garnish if desired.

Serving Suggestions

Au Gratin potatoes makes a great versatile side dish that can be served with just about anything. And of course it’s practically a staple at the holiday dinner table.  Here are things you can serve au gratin potatoes with:

• Roast Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Beef or Lamb
• Ham
• Steak
• Pork Chops
• Salmon or other fish
• Grilled Portabello Mushroom Steaks
• Grilled or Roasted Vegetables
• Green Salad

Enjoy!

For more delicious side dishes be sure to try my:  

• ULTIMATE Green Bean Casserole
• Zucchini Au Gratin
• Cauliflower Gratin 
• Creamed Spinach
• Waldorf Salad
• Mashed Potatoes with Parsnips and Horseradish
• Baked Endives with Ham and Bechamel
• Rotkohl (German Braised Red Cabbage)
• Old Fashioned Baked Beans
• Loaded Colcannon
• Ultimate Corn Pudding
• Pea Salad
• Broccoli Salad

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet December 3, 2013