Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin

This is an easy recipe for creamy potatoes au gratin. Its a rich and cheesy potato side dish that is perfect for any occasion and goes so well with all sorts of foods.

The most “difficult” part about making these creamy potatoes au gratin is slicing the potatoes. No cooking the flour with cream and milk, no greasing the oven dish, no adding onion!

The key to the best homemade potatoes au gratin is getting the seasoning right and of course making sure the potatoes are cooked through.

It is a rich side dish that is easy to prepare but truth be told it takes time to cook. So If you feel you don’t have that extra hour and 15 minutes even though it’s a passive time I recommend making Garlic Smashed Potatoes or Corned Beef Mashed Potatoes instead.

How to make creamy potatoes au gratin

The prep is pretty straight forward and quick so I suggest you preheat the oven first.

Second thing to do is wash, peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Transfer them into a large bowl.

There should be enough space in the bowl for tossing because it is important to season the potatoes well. By tossing them around you should be able to distribute the seasoning evenly.

Once they are seasoned, you can transfer them into a baking dish.

Now combine the milk and cream. It does not really matter what you use for this. A bowl, a large cup or anything really. Add crushed garlic to this and stir well. Pour this over the potatoes. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to move the potatoes around. You want to make sure that they are all coated with the cream mixture.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400°F/200°C for 1 hour. After one hour, remove the foil carefully – don’t burn yourself with the hot steam that has built up underneath it. Now cover these creamy potatoes au gratin with grated cheese and bake for a further 20 minutes or until the potatoes are ready and the cheese melted and nice and brown on the top.

What is the difference between scalloped potatoes and au gratin potatoes?

Scalloped potatoes were originally made without cheese while au gratin potatoes always have cheese on top. These days you might not see a big difference between the two as many people add cheese to scalloped potatoes as well.

What cheese to use for creamy potatoes au gratin?

My personal favorite is cheddar but you can use gruyere, parmesan or a combination of those.

As long as the cheese melts in the oven, you are good! Once I bought grated cheese that was meant to melt-easily in the oven. Well, let me tell you it didn’t.

So go for the one you know that melts easily in the oven.

Should I grease the oven dish before adding the potatoes in?

No. I don’t see a reason why you should do it. These creamy potatoes au gratin are pretty rich themselves so adding an extra fat makes it only heavier, even though it only is used for greasing.

The potatoes will not stick to the bottom so there is no need to use it.

Tips for making creamy potatoes au gratin

• To reduce the baking time you can also par-boil the sliced potatoes before placing them in the oven proof dish. Par-boiling means partially cooking. In this case it takes about 5 minutes.
• Garlic can be omitted but it is recommended.
• The thinner the potato slices the quicker they will bake.
• The cream sauce will set as the potatoes cool down.
• I used a rectangular glass dish with the dimensions of 9×7 inch (23×18 cm). This dish should be 3 inch (7 cm) deep. You can also use an oven proof dish that is shallower than this but to hold the amount stated in this recipe it will have to be larger in size.

Guys, this is a rich and delicious side dish, perfect for any occasion. I also have Creamy Potato and Ham Salad Recipe on the blog that is worth checking out!

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4.87 from 23 votes

Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin

This is an easy recipe for Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin. Its a rich and cheesy potato side dish that is perfect for any occasion and goes so well with all sorts of foods.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Calories: 329

Author: Julia

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Potatoes (1 kilogram)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup Heavy Cream (280 ml)
• ½ cup Milk (120 ml)
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 5 ounces Grated Cheddar (150 grams). See note 2

Optional:

• Fresh Parsley for garnish

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
• Wash, peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Place them into a large mixing bowl. Season them with salt and pepper and toss them several times. Make sure the seasoning is evenly distributed.
• Transfer them into an oven-proof dish.
• In a soup bowl/large mug combine the cream and milk. Add crushed garlic and stir well. Pour this over the potatoes. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to move the potatoes around. You want to make sure that they are all coated with the cream mixture.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400°F/200°C for 1 hour. After one hour, remove the foil carefully and top the potatoes with grated cheese. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and the cheese has melted.
• Let it cool slightly before serving.

Notes

1. 1 cup heavy cream is 10 fluid ounces.
2. I used a rectangular oven proof dish with the dimensions of 9×7 inch (23×18 cm). This dish should be 3 inch (7 cm) deep. You can also use an oven proof dish that is shallower than this but to hold the amount stated in this recipe it will have to be larger in size.
3. To reduce the baking time you can also par-boil the sliced potatoes before placing them in the oven proof dish. Par-boiling means partially cooking. In this case it takes about 5 minutes.
4. The cream sauce will set as the potatoes cool down.
5. The thinner the potato slices the quicker they will bake.
6. Instead of white cheddar you can use red cheddar, parmesan or gruyere.
7. These potatoes au gratin can be made ahead. They reheat well in the microwave.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Garlic Potatoes, Potatoes Au Gratin

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin

Amount per Serving

Calories

329

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

22

g

34

%

Saturated Fat

 

14

g

88

%

Cholesterol

 

79

mg

26

%

Carbohydrates

 

21

g

7

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

1

g

1

%

Protein

 

11

g

22

%

Vitamin A

 

860

IU

17

%

Vitamin C

 

18.1

mg

22

%

Calcium

 

270

mg

27

%

Iron

 

5.1

mg

28

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

** As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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