French Potato Gratin
This rich and creamy Pommes Dauphinois AKA French Potato Gratin is the king of potato casseroles! Kissed with thyme and topped with nutty Gruyere cheese, this gratin is perfect for holidays, Sunday family dinners, and more. Move over scalloped potatoes!!
I’m usually lazy when it comes to adding potatoes to the menu. Baked or sliced and fried are my fallback methods. But some meals call for a more gourmet treat, like this Cheesy Potato Casserole!
Why You Must Make
- It’s rich and creamy, flavored with garlic and a touch of thyme.
- Dorie Greenspan created this au gratin potatoes recipe, which guarantees deliciousness!
- Thinly sliced potatoes are bathed in cream and topped with a generous sprinkle of Gruyere cheese. It’s best in small quantities, even though you’ll want seconds and thirds!
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Heavy Cream – 36% butterfat. Don’t think about the calories. as this is what makes this potato gratin so fabulous!
- Garlic Cloves – Peel and mince (or use a garlic press)
- Potatoes – Peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds (I use Yukon gold or russets)
- Fresh Thyme – Chopped or minced. You may use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, but fresh is nice for special occasions.
- Whole Milk – Optional, if you need more liquid in the dish (you’ll want some liquid to peek out between the potatoes, but not cover them).
- Gruyère Cheese – Grated
Recipe Tips
This is a rich, satisfying cheesy potato casserole that’s worthy of any holiday or dinner party! Here are a few tips for making it perfect every time.
- PRO-Tip: Aim to cut all your potatoes the same thickness. Dorie, the cookbook author, suggests 1/8-inch thick. This ensures they’ll all be cooked and perfectly tender at the same time.
- Use a mandoline or a benriner to make the slicing more consistent. Make sure to use a handguard so you don’t cut yourself!
- PRO-Tip: Place a sheet pan under the casserole dish when baking. Nothing worse than having to clean burnt-on food from the bottom of your oven when a baking dish overflows! I like to line the baking dish with foil, too, for easy cleanup!
- Use a knife to check the potatoes for doneness. Pierce a few different potatoes to see if your knife goes in easily. Any resistance and the dish needs more cooking time.
- Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving to allow the steaming cheesy cream cool and thicken a bit.
- You may not want to mention the amount of cream when you serve this to friends and family. This French Potato Gratin is definitely a special occasion dish. And an exquisite one at that. Just watch your portion sizes!
- You can add sauteed mushrooms, steamed broccoli or spinach, or even bits of ham to this pommes dauphinois.
Frequently Asked Questions
A gratin, gratinée or all gratinata is any dish topped with cheese or buttery bread crumbs. It is usually baked in a shallow “gratin” dish that provides more surface area so that there’s plenty of crispy topping.
Nutty, slightly sweet Swiss Gruyere is best. But you can also substitute another Swiss cheese like Emmental, or even domestic Swiss cheese in a pinch. White Cheddar could also be used if there’s no Swiss cheese available.
Waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes are preferred as they hold their shape well and don’t absorb as much liquid as a russet potato.
Yes, you can assemble your gratin in the morning as long as you wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it. If the potatoes get exposed to air, they will oxidize and turn an unsightly gray color. They will taste fine, but not look their best. Make sure to bring them out of the fridge about a half hour before you want to bake them to take some of the chill off. They may need an extended baking time.
Your gratin will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days if covered well with plastic wrap. According to Dorie, the leftovers will lose some of its creaminess
Some sources say potato casseroles can freeze well for up to 3 months if covered first with plastic, then with foil. Potatoes, though, can get watery when defrosted. And cheese sauces are known to separate after freezing and defrosting. It’s worth a try, but don’t count on your leftover potato casserole to be good as new after defrosting.
You May Also Like:
- Crispy Cheese and Bacon Potatoes from Barefeet in the Kitchen
- Cheesy Potato Galette
- Hasselback Potatoes with Parmesan and Thyme
- Easy Puffed Potato Casserole (don’t tell anyone, but I use Instant Potato Flakes in this!)
- Hasselback Potato Casserole
- Plus, find more recipes to round out your meals in my Side Dish Recipes.
French Potato Gratin Recipe
A exquisite creamy potato casserole kissed with garlic, thyme and topped with Gruyere cheese!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds (I use Yukon gold or russets)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Whole milk, if needed
- 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- Preheat to 350°. Generously butter 2-quart baking dish.
- Combine cream and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cover and remove from heat.
- Arrange ⅓ of potato rounds, slightly overlapping, in the prepared baking dish; sprinkle with ½ teaspoon thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Pour ½ cup garlic cream over. Repeat layering 2 more times with remaining potato, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic cream.
- Pour the remaining garlic cream over, then ¼ cup milk. Sprinkle cheese over the surface.
- Bake gratin until golden on top and potatoes are very tender when a sharp knife is inserted, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes (cover with foil if the top starts browning too quickly).
- Let the potatoes rest 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 389Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 201mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g
Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.
39 Comments on “French Potato Gratin”
Great side to pot roast!
I loved it! Such a gorgeous treat!!
This recipe is a keeper!
A restaurant quality dish.
Gruyere and thyme make potatoes so dang good!!!
The gruyere in this is a must! Total decadence and so worth it!
This is my favorite side dish for holidays and parties! It’s a huge crowd pleaser. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
First of all, this is a truly amazing recipe. So simple, and yet so (so,so,so,so,so)delicious.
Second, it’s perfect for a meatless meal.
Third, it’s super versatile, as you can try it with a myriad different herbs/spices/cheeses!
Gruyere is great, but of course -yes you guessed it- we’ll add graviera and it try it this way too:)
Oh dear Liz, wish we could send you some good Naxos graviera….! A foodie like you would really appreciate the flavors and the buttery flavors.
For the time being, we send our love:)
Mirella and Panos
xoxoxo
These would be delicious with our prime rib dinner!
When one sees the dark brown on top of gratin potatoes, you know it’s done right and is going to be utterly delicious! Happy Thanksgiving Liz!
omigosh soooo rich! This is definitely the best gratin I’ve ever seen <3
Liz it just doesn’t get much better than this. One helping is more than enough, like you said, more than that even though tempting will totally stuff your belly. I’ve forgotten about her book that sits on my shelf. I’ll have to pull it out. My family and friends would love this. Let’s face it, who wouldn’t?
This is one of my favorite ways to cook potatoes, although I wouldn’t typically put cheese on top although I know some do. Looks great!
I don’t often indulge in potatoes but a gratin is something I find difficult to turn down. This recipe looks wonderful and perfect for the coming holidays. My friend T is hosting thanksgiving dinner but ill make sure she lets me bake this gorgeous dish up.
Oh Lizzy – those potatoes look and sound SO delicious! Hitting the print button right now.
Oh my, these are scrumptious looking potatoes , just perfect for the upcoming holidays.
One of my favorite potato casserole dishes. You are right, it is very rich but perfect for the holidays when you are being indulgent.
That image is just gorgeous, Liz.. I ‘d love a spoonful of it on my plate anytime!
Looks divine!!! Thanks for sharing.
Velva