The Creamiest Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe (Video)
Published March 21, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Learn how to make this delicious classic recipe for potatoes au gratin cooked with creamy gruyere cheese and breadcrumbs for the perfect get-together side dish.
If you’re a potato side dish fan, then you are going to love my Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes or my Scalloped Potatoes Recipe.
Potatoes Au Gratin
Potatoes au gratin is a fantastic classic French recipe that consists of layers of thinly sliced peeled potatoes, milk, salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs. Au gratin is a French word that literally translates to English as “to grate.” Obviously, this would most likely reference cheese, which would then be added to the potatoes and baked to form a crust on top.
When au gratin is applied to cooking, it means finished or sprinkled with breadcrumbs or grated cheese, or both, and then it is browned in the oven. In this instance, potatoes au gratin would have a layer of breadcrumbs and cheese on top that are then browned.
If you see an au gratin potatoes recipe online that does not have breadcrumbs on top. Then it is most likely not an accurate representation of potatoes au gratin.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The traditional ingredients for a potatoes au gratin recipe are potatoes, milk, butter, flour, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and cheese. Here is my take on each of these ingredients.
- Milk/Cream – I believe heavy whipping cream provides full-fat, full-flavor options for potatoes au gratin and is the best ingredient. If using milk, you need to go through the process of making a roux and thickening the milk a bit to make a bechamel sauce before adding in the gruyere cheese to make a mornay sauce and mixing it with the sliced potatoes.
- Cheese – There are a few options you can use when using cheese. For cheaper alternative cheeses, try using Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, or even Mozzarella cheese. For more expensive full-flavored cheeses, use Gruyere or Comté.
- Breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs are incredibly traditional in potatoes au gratin, and you can use panko breadcrumbs, or any simple breadcrumb will do.
- Potatoes – Use russet potatoes for this recipe.
How to Make Potatoes Au Gratin
Peel and slice russet potatoes until they are between 1/8” and ¼” thick. You can also feel free to use Yukon potatoes as well. I like to use a mandolin but feel free to use a sharp chef’s knife.
Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with the cream, shredded gruyere cheese, finely minced garlic, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg until thoroughly combined. Mix everything in a bowl to ensure the potatoes are seasoned and coated by tasting some of the cream after it is mixed in.
Transfer the potato mixture to a deep 13×9 casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray and even it out to make it flat.
Cover in foil and bake it in the oven for 90 minutes at 400°.
Remove the pan from the oven and take the foil off and discard it.
Evenly sprinkle on breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese over top, completely covering the cooked potatoes.
Drizzle on melted butter to help slightly brown the breadcrumb and cheese topping.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. The outside edges of the pan should be bubbling. Let the potatoes au gratin cool at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Can I Make Them the Night Before?
You can absolutely make au gratin potatoes the night before serving them.
- Assemble everything and then bake them in the oven for 60 minutes.
- Remove the au gratin potatoes from the oven and immediately top off with breadcrumbs, cheese, and melted butter.
- Cool the au gratin potatoes in the refrigerator overnight until about 30 minutes before you are ready to serve them.
- Take the potatoes out of the refrigerator and let them stand at room temperature for about one hour before placing the pan back in the oven uncovered at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until hot in the center and cooked throughout.
Make-Ahead and Storage.
Make-Ahead: These are best eaten right away. However, you can make them 1 day ahead of time by following my instructions above.
How to Store: I like to store these in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to 4 days. I also cover and freeze them for up to 2 months. Simply thaw them for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating them.
How to Reheat: To reheat them, add your desired portion to a pan, cover with foil, and bake in the oven at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until hot. In addition, you can simply add them to the microwave and heat them until hot.
CHEF NOTES + TIPS
- Feel free to use Yukon Gold or Red Bliss potatoes for this recipe.
- You can substitute half and half for the heavy cream.
- These potatoes au gratin are meant to feed many people, so feel free to cut the recipe in half.
- If you do not have a deep 13×9 casserole dish, please use two standard-size 13×9 dishes.
More Side Dish Recipes
- Cauliflower Au Gratin
- Sweet Potato Au Gratin
- Oven Roasted Root Vegetables
- Creamy Polenta Recipe
- Garlic Parmesan Potatoes
Video
Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds peeled and thinly sliced russet potatoes, ¼” to 1/8” thick
- 1- quart heavy whipping cream
- 4-6 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 1- pound shredded gruyere cheese
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 stick melted unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- coarse sea salt and white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Combine the sliced potatoes, cream, garlic, gruyere cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Ensure the potatoes are seasoned and coated by tasting some of the cream after mixing it.
- transfer the mixture to a deep 13×9 casserole pan sprayed with non-stick spray and flatten out with a spoon to make it level.
- Cover in foil and bake in the oven at 400° for 80 to 90 minutes.
- Remove the foil and evenly sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and cheese, completely coating the sliced potatoes.
- Drizzle on the melted butter and place back in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked throughout.
- Let cool at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Chef Billy, I made your potatoes au gratin for my post Christmas 2024 dinner party and they were fantastic! Every one at the dinner party raved about them. Definitely making this a favorite for special occasions. Thanks for the recipe, you made me appear like I’m a good cook!
Excellent!!
Rave reviews last night at our Christmas dinner! This is a keeper for future holiday meals! Loved the decadent recipe, thank you for sharing!
Excellent!
Made a day ahead of time for Easter per the recipe instructions and everything came out just perfect. Guests raved. Leftovers for days. Not as many days as you might think because, you know, seconds… But the Gruyere really gives it the funk in the trunk that you want. Topped with fresh parsley and chives. Just the right proportions and timing. Thanks again, Chef Billy!
Thanks for giving it a shot!!
I must be missing something. If I follow the above instructions to make ahead with the addition of butter how long do they go back in the oven the next day without the cover? Thanks
How many potatoes ? how much cream? how much cheese? how much of the bread crumbs. Do we just “eye-ball” the ingredients?
scroll down to the bottom of the post were all the ingredient amounts are in the recipe card. You looked at the top where I provide substitutes.
Delicious!! Everyone loved it.