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Rich, comforting, and surprisingly simple, these potatoes au gratin are an irresistible side dish that always gets rave reviews.
This classic potatoes au gratin recipe is one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, and it’s also fitting for Christmas, a dinner party, or any meal that calls for something a little extra. It involves layering thinly sliced potatoes with heavy cream and grated cheese in a casserole dish, and then baking until the cream thickens and blankets the potatoes in a rich, creamy sauce. And while it’s certainly worthy of a special occasion, honestly, a pan of these potatoes makes any dinner feel like one.
“I only gave this five stars because I couldn’t give it 10 stars. This may be my favorite side dish ever. It is amazing!”
Potatoes Au Gratin vs Scalloped Potatoes
Potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes are similar dishes, but there are a few key differences. Both are made with thinly sliced potatoes baked until tender, but au gratin potatoes typically include cheese and are known for their rich, golden-brown top. Scalloped potatoes traditionally don’t contain cheese and are often flavored with onions and baked in a milk or cream sauce thickened with a roux.
What You’ll Need To Make Potatoes Au Gratin
- Russet Potatoes: With their high starch content, russets soak up the cream beautifully and bake into soft, melt-in-your-mouth layers. They’re the best choice for this dish. Skip the Yukon Golds here—they won’t give you the same texture.
- Heavy Cream: The secret to the luscious, velvety sauce. You might be tempted to swap in milk or half-and-half, but don’t—this recipe really needs heavy cream to thicken properly.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: Adds a salty, nutty depth that melts right into the potatoes, creating incredible flavor and texture. Be sure to use true Parmigiano Reggiano. If you can’t find it, Pecorino Romano makes a great substitute.
- Salt, Pepper & Thyme: These simple seasonings bring everything to life—the thyme is optional but adds a subtle earthiness that pairs perfectly with the creamy potatoes and cheese.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Potatoes Au Gratin
Slice the potatoes: Slice the potatoes as thinly and uniformly as possible so they cook at the same rate. A mandoline works well, but a sharp knife is all you need. If a potato feels wobbly, cut a thin slice lengthwise and place it cut-side down on the cutting board to create a stable base.
Season the potatoes: Toss the slices thoroughly with salt and pepper so the seasoning is evenly distributed. Potatoes need a generous amount of salt to bring out their flavor, so don’t be tempted to skimp.
Assemble the gratin: Arrange the potatoes in overlapping layers in a buttered baking dish, distributing the cheese and cream evenly as you go. Don’t worry about making the layers perfectly neat, but try to keep them fairly even so the potatoes cook uniformly. Be sure to pour in all of the cream—it will thicken as the gratin bakes, creating the rich, velvety sauce.
Bake until golden: Bake the gratin until the top is deeply golden and a knife slides easily through the potatoes with almost no resistance. Don’t cover the dish with foil; baking it uncovered is what gives you that beautiful browned top. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving so the cream can settle and thicken around the potatoes.
Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme and serve hot, while the top is crisp and golden and the potatoes underneath are creamy and tender.
Potatoes au gratin are best baked just before serving, but you can do some of the work ahead. See the recipe card below for my make-ahead, storage, and reheating instructions. If you love this recipe, try my cauliflower gratin or Brussels sprouts gratin next.
More Potato Side Dishes You May Like
Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients
- Butter to grease the baking dish
- 2½ lb Russet potatoes (3 to 4), peeled and very thinly sliced
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (4 oz) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2¼ cups heavy cream
- Fresh thyme, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease an 8-in (20-cm) or 2-qt/2L baking dish with butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the salt and pepper until evenly coated.
- Arrange some of the potato slices, edges overlapping, in a single layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the potatoes, and then pour a quarter of the cream over the cheese. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cheese, and cream, forming 4 layers. Pour any leftover cream over top.
- Place in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and golden brown on top. Let the dish settle on the counter for about ten minutes. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, if using, and then serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you’re following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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This was amazing! I served it with steak and asparagus and it was a HUGE hit. Because I can’t leave well enough alone I added a sprinkle of dried thyme and onion powder between each layer. Yum!!!
Came out perfect! And much easier than a previous Gratin Dauphinois recipe that had been my go to….and this was every bit as tasty! Thank you for this winner!
My hubby loves potato au gratin, it’s his favorite way of eating potatoes, so i make this when someone visits with the beef tenderloin with red wine sauce!
All your recipes always come out so delicious! I love trying out new ones each time someone comes over and i want to make a special meal. Thank you for sharing such foolproof recipes.
can i use a glass 2qt baking dish, or does it have to be solid like the one pictured?
Sure, Heather, glass is fine. Hope you enjoy!
The very best potatoes au gratin I have ever made or tasted. Wow!!!!!
This recipe is amazing! I’ve had rave reviews in the past but am wondering if it would be possible to bake the day before and reheat in the oven after its been cooked? Would you have any suggestions?
Hi Jen, so glad you like these! I really prefer to serve this dish fresh from the oven, as the cream can separate when it’s reheated. That said, it is doable; to reheat, I’d pop them in a 325 oven for 20 to 30 min, or until hot.
We don’t have a regular oven but a hot air oven, it’s a microwave and oven combo unit and a bit smaller than a normal oven. Everything I cook tends to burn on top before cooking inside, so I typically cover everything. Would this recipe work as well if I put tinfoil over it?
Hi Kelly, I’m not familiar with a hot air oven but based on what you’re describing, I think what I’d recommend is cooking it uncovered for a while. If it starts to get too brown on top, you can then lay foil over it. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Made this today for a family get together and they were outstanding. So simple and actually kind of fool proof. Used locateli cheese with just a hint of cheddar (had a small piece of extra sharp).
Love this recipe! It is so easy to prepare yet so delicious! I was worrying all one recent morning about making this dish as an accompaniment to Meatloaf because past recipes had been time consuming and tiresome. Not Jenn’s, however. I should have known better. For the amount of mouthwatering exquisiteness this recipe is almost effortless. No excuse not to make this one, my foodie friends. I only like Parmesan cheese in Italian dishes so I did sub other cheeses that I had leftover in the fridge. Also I was low on heavy whipping cream so I did use some milk in addition and therefore had to use some flour to thicken the sauce because as you are aware milk is a lot thinner than heavy whipping cream. Anyway, bravo to Chef Jennifer!
Hi Jenn, I just love your recipes and have had great success with every single one. I would love to make these lovely potatoes but would like to use my vintage (from my mother) Le Creuset gratin pans. I have various sizes (including a 2 qt) but am wondering if the enameled cast iron will affect the cooking time at all. Thanks again for your amazing recipes!
Glad you like the recipes, Denise! I think you can use the 2-quart gratin pan with no modifications to the timing. Please LMK how it turns out!
I made this recipe in one of my favorite old Le Creuset gratin pans and it worked beautifully! the potatoes had an amazing golden brown surface and the potatoes came out tender and perfect. No adjustments of any kind were needed, just like you said Jenn. Thanks so much!
Very good. I liked not having to mess around with flour, onions, and spices. And I liked not having to use another pan. I did, however, bake at 375* for the same recommended time, because I like to make sure the potatoes are soft. Very creamy and delicious. Everyone had seconds.