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 –What Is the Difference?
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.
Which Potatoes Are Best For Au Gratin Potatoes?
Au gratin potatoes are very simple to make but choosing the right potatoes is key. You want to select a potato that has a good amount of starch so that it both absorbs and thickens the sauce. This will prevent the sauce from running all over the plate. Avoid low starch/waxy potatoes like red potatoes which will result in something more akin to au gratin soup.
Russet potatoes have the highest starch content and will yield a very creamy sauce. The downside of Russets is that, being so high in starch, they fall apart easily. The next step down in starch content is something like a Yukon Gold potato. It has a moderate starch level so it will still thicken the sauce, though not as much as a Russet, but it won’t break down like the Russet and will hold its shape better. So it really comes down to personal preference. You can try both and see which you prefer. And if you choose to go with Yukon Gold or similar because you want the potatoes to hold their shape well you can always add a little more flour when you’re whisking up the base to ensure the sauce thickens up nicely.
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.
What Main Dish Pairs with Au Gratin Potatoes?
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. Serve Au Gratin potatoes with poultry, beef, pork, or fish. And pretty much any vegetable pairs with au gratin potatoes as a second side.
This potatoes au gratin recipe is wonderfully creamy, cheesy and flavorful and has received tons of rave reviews over the years. Several of my friends and family members 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.
© Bhofack2 | Dreamstime
Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe
Let’s get started!
Dice the onions, mince the garlic, and thinly slice the potatoes. 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”.
THIS ONE is about half the cost and will also do the job just fine.
Heat the butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat, add the flour and whisk until smooth. Continue simmering and continually whisking the mixture for two minutes.
Add the milk, cream and salt and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Bring to a low simmer and continue whisking until the sauce is thickened.
Whisk in the cheese until it’s melted.
Add the onions and garlic.
Stir in the potatoes.
Pour the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for about 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.
Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
© Bhofack2 | Dreamstime
For more delicious side dishes be sure to try our:
- ULTIMATE Green Bean Casserole
- Zucchini Au Gratin
- Cauliflower Gratin
- Mashed Potatoes with Parsnips and Horseradish
- Baked Endives with Ham and Bechamel
- Waldorf Salad
- Rotkohl (German Braised Red Cabbage)
- Old Fashioned Baked Beans
- Loaded Colcannon
- Ultimate Corn Pudding
- Pea Salad
- Broccoli Salad
PERFECT Au Gratin Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds moderate to high starch potatoes (see blog post for more info) , thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (use full fat)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (another fabulous option is half Gruyere/half Emmentaler)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided in half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt the butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Simmer, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and stir to combine. Add the milk, cream and salt and whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer and whisk until thickened. Whisk in the Cheddar and half of the Parmesan cheese. Whisk until melted. Stir in the potatoes.
- Pour the potato mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are soft. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet December 3, 2019
RitaR says
Delicious, and super creamy!
Christine says
Using a DIFFERENT recipe, I committed the cardinal sin of au gratin potatoes and ended up with DRY results. I used THIS recipe to rescue my already baked dry au gratin potatoes. I made the cheese sauce as directed (with TexMex shredded cheese that I had on hand) added my already baked potatoes to the sauce and baked in a casserole dish at 350 for 30 minutes covered with foil, then removed the foil and browned on 400 for 20 minutes. I let them rest for 10 minutes after baking. Results are superb. These are authentic au gratin potatoes – can be served for any holiday occasion or week night dinner. Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Christine, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the feedback!
Ashley Pardue says
Do you think I could add some blanched or steamed brocolli in there when I’m putting it together?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I don’t see why not, Ashley, go for it!
Valerie says
Planning on trying this recipe but I’m nervous because I’m over doubling this recipe using 4 1/2 lbs of sliced potatoes. Following the directions but any advice in the changes of heat and time for cooking? I’m also planning on pre cooking the day before.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Valerie, the oven temperature will remain the same and the cooking time will just depend on how “deep” the potato layer is (i.e., the width/length of the baking dish). Bake it for the recommended time and then check the potatoes for doneness (pierce the potatoes with a fork to see if they’re soft) to determine whether they need to bake a little longer.
Bryan says
Just like everyone of your recipes that we’ve tried to date, this recipe is perfect! So delicious! Thanks so much for your site!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Bryan, I appreciate it! :)
Julie says
Made this Au Gratin Potatoes recipe tonight. The only change I made was to use 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk as that is what I had on hand. This dish comes together easily and creates a cheesy and creamy dish that is unbelievably yummy!! Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Julie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Lyn says
The recipe states the difference between au gratin and scalloped potatoes is the addition of cream cheese in au gratin. This recipe says it’s au gratin but has no cream cheese in the ingredients list. Also, in the picture there is definitely something green. Is that chives or parsley? I don’t see that in the ingredients list. Please advise.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lyn, it’s not “cream cheese”, it’s “cream AND cheese.” It’s chopped parsley just for added visual appeal.
Patti and Todd says
My wife and I made this recipe. It was very good! We used russet potatoes and the potatoes stayed together. The only other changes were a combination of 10% cream diluted with 1% milk to make up the 2 cups of whole milk and a mix of 3/4 cup of Old Cheddar and 3/4 cup of Gruyere cheese. Great recipe no changes needed.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Patti and Todd, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Anonymous says
Husband loved them! No changes necessary.
Tim says
Hi Kimberly,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made this dish today and “Perfect” is an understatement. It was delicious. A wonderful comfort food. I love the short prep time. Please think about using your culinary art to develop an Au Gratin recipe for my favorite green vegetable spinach.
Regards,
Tim
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Tim, I’m glad you enjoyed it! :) I love spinach too. I’ve got my spinach seedlings in my greenhouse right now and will be transplanting them in my garden shortly – I foresee lots of yummy creamed spinach :)
Melissa says
How thin do you set slicing to on mandaline?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Melissa, I aim for about 1/8 inch.
mmeads says
My wife and I recently had an amazing side of potatoes au gratin at an anniversary dinner and I wanted to find the recipe. I did some research online and found this one. While this is decidedly not a copycat recipe of those Pappas Bros. Steakhouse potatoes, after a few tweaks the results were equally as delicious – so good I thought I should contribute our adjustments to this recipe. Not a difficult recipe at all, but I’ll save this for special occasions due to its richness.
Yellow Potatoes – As suggested in the article, use Yukon Golds. This was a major contributing factor to the superior final texture of the potatoes. Even after the 2nd day of leftovers the potatoes are still holding their shape.
Par bake, cut & then let dry – Someone mentioned par baking and I’m glad I did it. Microwave the bunch of whole potatoes on high for 2-3 minutes (depending on size). Use the mandolin on its thin setting to make consistent slices. Spread the slices out on a parchment lined half-sheetpan to steam off and release some of their moisture while you dice the onion & garlic. This additional step did 3 things: first it dried the potatoes so that they could absorb more of the cheese sauce, secondly it sped up the final cook time and lastly it broke up the stacks of potato slices so the dish wasn’t quite so dense and the sauce can get in between the individual slices.
Use buttermilk – swap in buttermilk instead using whole milk. The slight acidity in the buttermilk helps cut through and balance the thick creaminess of the sauce. A little acidity in the sauce keeps the dish from feeling as heavy as it is.
Onion – I never realized this until I tried this recipe, I do not all the slivers of onion typically found in potatoes au gratin. After finely dicing a whole onion (about twice what the recipe states) it practically melted into the sauce, giving it a ton of flavor without the bite. That said, some in the family do like the crunch that the onion can provide. I’ve made notes in my recipe to reserve about a quarter of the yellow onion to run through the mandolin just to give a little more texture to the final product. Then everyone’s happy.
Garlic – Double the garlic to 4 large cloves, and I used a garlic press to ensure it was fully minced.
Bacon – Someone in the comments mentioned adding bacon to theirs and I’m so glad I did it too. Diced & fried 5 thick slices beforehand — just don’t cook it until it become bacon bits. You want it cooked through but not too crunchy. Bacon always goes well with potatoes.
Paprika – Used about ¼ teaspoon to add color to the sauce. Then sprinkled more on top with the parmesan just before popping it into the oven.
Cayenne – Used about 1/8 teaspoon and another sprinkle on top before its baked. Similar to the buttermilk, the pepper will help break up the cream sauce and keeps it from feeling flat on your pallet. A little goes a long way and you certainly don’t want to have spicy potatoes. It just needs sit there in the background, as an aftertaste.
Mustard Powder – Another secret flavor enhancer. I use mustard, in powder form or a squizz of “French’s finest,” whenever making a heavy cheese sauce (e.g. homemade mac & cheese). It adds complexity to the sauce & breaks up the cream. Similar to the cayenne you don’t really want to taste mustard, it just needs to be in the background. For this recipe I used ¼ teaspoon of mustard powder. But play around with it – it could probably take more than that.
Salt – I used more salt than the recipe states, maybe even ½ teaspoon more. Before you put in the potatoes – taste the cream sauce for seasoning. It needs to taste a little salty because the bland potatoes will quickly absorb all that salt. Side note: Since you’re tasting it before it goes into the oven, the final sauce will taste different. As the onions & potatoes poach in the cream they’ll release their natural sugars and so the final sauce will be a little more sweet after its been baked. If you taste it now and think the sauce is sweet before its even baked, you could mix in a dash of white vinegar or even an ounce of white wine.
Umami – The parmesan will give you both salt and meaty umami flavors so I used extra parmesan on top. But like salt or acid it’s good to have multiple sources of Umami. Try mushroom powder (that contains no added MSG) or even straight up Accent (mmm… tasty MSG).
Parsley – the picture in the article show the dish topped with chopped parsley, even though its not mentioned in the recipe. Do this. It greatly enhances the look of the final result and makes the family/guests want to dig right in. Just wait until after its cooled a bit, otherwise the parsley will wilt and turn slightly brown.
Dawn says
I love this recipe! I made one small change. I sauteed the onions and garlic before adding them to the butter and flour. I’m not sure how much of a difference that made to the flavor sense this is the only time I made them…but everyone absolutely loved them! Thank you for sharing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them, Dawn, thanks so much for the feedback!
Anonymous says
thank you Kim,Happy New Year!!
Steve Scherbel says
Thank you for the recipe …..Can I cube the potato’s rather than Slice? I have had them at Restaurants very small cubed ? I have also heard to Par boil sliced/cubed potato’s for 5 minutes,then immediately immerse in cold water ,This is to prevent the potato’s getting Mushy on you? Opinions Welcome…..
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Steve, yes to both of those questions. The mushy-ness is really only a factor if you’re using a very starchy potato instead of a firmer, waxier variety. Happy cooking!
Kim says
Can you use all cream?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kim, yes you can!