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These lip smackin’ best-ever potatoes au gratin are perfect for your holiday meal or any time of year! This decadent potatoes au gratin dish really is the ultimate comfort food. It’s absolutely divine and I guarantee it’s WAY easier to make than you think!
This recipe goes with pretty much everything. One of my favorite ways to serve it is with a nice porterhouse steak and some green vegetables.
Table of Contents
Potatoes Au Gratin
The deliciously gooey combination of sliced potatoes, cream, and cheesy goodness make this a recipe everyone will love. There’s just something about potatoes au gratin that makes it feel that little bit more “fancy” than regular mashed potatoes, but believe me when I say these potatoes are actually really simple to cook. This recipe is definitely one of my favorites, I mean – how could you not love it?! it’s loaded with carbs and cheese and it’s basically the potato take on macaroni and cheese!
What Kind of Potatoes and Cheese Should I Use?
Russet potatoes (which I’ve used here) are most commonly used for au gratin potatoes because they’re super starchy and make a lovely creamy sauce. If you have some Yukon Gold potatoes, they can be used too. As for the cheese, it’s really up to you – I’ve used Parmesan here as it has a great peppery taste which I love! Gruyere is also a popular choice as it melts really well and has a deliciously nutty flavor! Other cheeses like mozzarella or Fontina will do just fine too, it really depends on your own preference!
How to Make Potatoes Au Gratin
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Grease a large casserole dish with butter.
- Combine the garlic and butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat until the garlic is slightly browned.
- Reduce to medium heat, add the flour and combine. Whisk in the milk. Watch out for lumps of flour.
- Whisk in the cream and heat up.
- Add the cheese and stir until melted, then add salt. Continue to heat until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat.
- Add half of the potatoes to the casserole dish and pour half of the sauce on top. Add the rest of the potatoes and top with the remaining sauce. Cover and place in the oven to bake for around 60 minutes. Remove when fork-tender.
- Combine the Panko and Parmesan and sprinkle the crumb mixture over the casserole. Place back in oven until browned.
What’s the Difference Between Scalloped Potatoes and Potatoes Au Gratin?
These recipes get confused quite a lot as they’re so similar! But this question can be summed up in one sentence really: potatoes au gratin are made with cheese and scalloped potatoes aren’t! Scalloped potatoes are cooked in cream rather than cheese and are usually cut thicker. Another variation is that potatoes au gratin are also often topped with breadcrumbs (yum!).
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
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Lip Smackin’ Best Ever Potatoes Au Gratin
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Course
- Side Dish
- Cuisine
- French
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 649
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 8 cups yellow/waxy potatoes skin on, sliced thinly
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cream
- 2 cups milk
- 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Panko crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Grease a large 9×13 casserole dish with butter and set aside.
- Combine the garlic and butter in a medium sized saucepan and place on the stove over medium-high heat until the garlic is browned slightly.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the flour into the butter mixture. Combine.
- Whisk in the milk slowly, ensuring there are no lumps of flour.
- Whisk in the cream and heat up.
- Add in the cheese and stir until it’s melted, then add salt.
- Continue to heat over the stove until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place half of the potatoes into the greased casserole dish and pour half of the sauce over the top. Place the last half of the potatoes in the dish and top with the remaining sauce.
- Cover the dish and place in the oven.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Combine the Panko and Parmesan; remove the casserole lid and sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of the casserole.
- Place back into the oven until the crumbs are browned.
- Remove and cool for at least 15 minutes before eating.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
SWlover says
Can these be made the day before?
SWlover says
I have made these several times now and they are delicious! This is my go-to recipe !!
Thank you for posting.
sesch@fairview.k12.mi.us says
This recipe is amazing! I used red potatoes because that’s what I had on hand, added cubed ham, and added an extra cup of cheese.