Classic melt-in-your-mouth potatoes with a creamy cheese sauce!
Potatoes are one of my guilty pleasures…whether it’s a plate of crispy fries or a huge helping of mashed potatoes, there’s something so irresistible about them! An absolutely magical way to enjoy potatoes is to gratin them, which is thinly sliced potatoes in a creamy sauce covered in plenty of melted cheese! Yum!!! There are many variations of au gratin potatoes and the centerpiece is the cream sauce which is generally a full cream (heavy/whipped) sauce or a béchamel sauce which is a butter and milk based sauce thickened with flour. The full cream sauce is tastier and the bechamel is a little lighter and both are just amazing! I like to season the sauce with onions, garlic, thyme and a pinch of nutmeg along with a little cheese. Speaking of cheese, scalloped potatoes have a lot of cheese, some melted in the sauce and more sprinkled on top before cooking! Gruyere is a great cheese option, but any cheese that melts well will work, including cheeses like: mozzarella, cheddar, havarti, Swiss, etc. Feel free to choose your favorite cheese or even a combination of cheeses! It takes a bit of time to cut all the potatoes (I like to use the mandolin) and arrange them all, but once you’re done just pop them in the oven and wait for all the cream and cheese to melt into the potatoes
Whisk in the cheese sauce!
Add bacon!
Potato gratin
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour and 10 minutes Total time: 1 hour and 30 minutes Portions: 8
Classic melt-in-your-mouth potatoes with a creamy cheese sauce!
ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced/grated
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 3 tablespoons flour (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1 1/2 cups milk (or cream)
- 1 1/2 cups Guyere cheese, grated
- 1 pinch of nutmeg (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
directions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Sprinkle in the flour, mix well, and cook until starting to turn lightly golden, about a minute.
- Add the milk and cook until the sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat, add 1/2 cup of the cheese, stir and let it melt into the sauce before adding the nutmeg and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread some of the sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish (or casserole dish or cast iron skillet) and arrange the potatoes with the sauce between each layer. (I like to dip each slice in the sauce as I put them in the pan.)
- Pour any remaining sauce over the potatoes in the pan, sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake in a preheated 350°F/180°C oven until potatoes are tender, about 45-60 minutes.
Option: Replace the milk and flour with heavy/whipped cream!
Option: Use your favorite processed cheese, such as Swiss, mozzarella, havarti, cheddar, etc.
Option: Add another cheese like parmesan, asiago, pecorino romano, etc.
Option: I like to use russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes and any potato will work.
Option: Add bacon!
Note: When I arrange the potatoes more vertically, like the ones in the photos, I dip the potato slices in the sauce as I put them in the pan. If I choose a more horizontal version, I place a single layer of potatoes in the pan, spread some sauce on top, followed by another layer of potatoes, sauce, etc.
