Name: Potatoes au Gratin
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 3 pounds russet (Idaho) potatoes of uniform size; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened; 1 medium garlic clove, crushed through a press; 1½ to 2 cups half-and-half or whole milk; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; Freshly grated nutmeg to taste; 4 tablespoons crème fraîche (optional); ⅓ to ½ cup heavy cream; ¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Potato Gratin baked in an oval baking dish.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert

As far as comfort food pairings go, nothing beats potatoes and cheese. And (with all due respect to fondue) there’s no better way to combine them than potatoes au gratin. This classic French casserole is the ideal cold weather side dish—it’s tender, cheesy, hot, crispy, and perfectly golden brown on top. These cheesy potatoes are as appropriate for Christmas dinner or alongside an Easter ham as they are on a chilly weeknight, and they’re truly great for Thanksgiving, in place of more traditional mashed potatoes.

While this dish is similar to scalloped potatoes (a dish that’s also made up of sliced potatoes baked in a creamy sauce), potatoes au gratin is technically the only one of the two that must contain cheese. You can use any good melting cheese—some recipes even call for sharp cheddar cheese—but this recipe keeps it simple with shredded Parmesan, which adds a nutty note without overwhelming the flavor of the potatoes themselves. The result is a more subtle and elegant rendition. (That said, if you want a slightly cheesier potato dish, feel free to add shredded Gruyère into the casserole dish between the layers of potatoes.)

To make potatoes au gratin, you’ll need to slice a lot of russet potatoes; this is easiest to do in a food processor with a slicing attachment, but you’ll get more even pieces if you take the extra time to use a mandoline. We don’t think this recipe for potatoes au gratin needs any adornment, but feel free to garnish with fresh thyme or chopped chives if desired.

Recipe information

Yield
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

3 pounds russet (Idaho) potatoes of uniform size

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 medium garlic clove, crushed through a press

1½ to 2 cups half-and-half or whole milk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

4 tablespoons crème fraîche (optional)

⅓ to ½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1
Peel and wash the potatoes and slice them into rounds ⅛-inch thick, using a mandoline, the slicing disk of a food processor, or a sharp knife.
Step 2
Generously butter a 9-by-12-inch heavy shallow baking dish, preferably earthenware or cast-enamel, or an oval gratin dish of comparable size. (You can also use a 12-inch cast-iron skillet.) Rub the dish with half of the crushed garlic.
Step 3
In a small saucepan, bring the half-and-half to a simmer with the remaining garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the potatoes in one overlapping layer on the bottom of the dish. Season the layer generously with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Arrange two more layers on top, seasoning each layer liberally. You might not need all the potatoes. Press the layers down to compact them. Pour in enough half-and-half to come up just a little below the top layer of potatoes. Set the baking dish on a larger baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake until the potatoes feel tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
Step 5
Raise the oven temperature to 425°F, remove the foil, and bake until the top begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Pour just enough cream to cover the top, dab it with crème fraîche, if using, and sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan. Bake until the top is brown and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let the potatoes stand for 10 minutes to absorb the cream. Cut into squares and serve.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in ‘The Greatest Dishes!’ as Potato Gratin and first appeared on Epicurious in August 2004. For more ways to cook potatoes, click through for our collection of potato recipes →

Cover of The Greatest Dishes cookbook featuring a globe on an orange background.

From The Greatest Dishes!: Around the World in 80 Recipes © Anya Von Bremzen, 2004. Reprinted with permission by William Morrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins. Buy the full book at Amazon or ThriftBooks.