Potatoes Au Gratin
Thin slices of potato baked in garlic cream and milk under a gruyere crust until tender and golden.
Where This Goes Wrong
Slice the potatoes evenly.
Do not rinse off the starch.
If your oven runs hot, check at 50 minutes in all.
Let the dish rest before serving.
Making Potatoes Au Gratin
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Heat the oven to 180°C / 355°F and butter a 2 litre baking dish. Warm the cream, milk, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a pan.
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Layer the potato slices in the dish, dotting with the butter as you go. Pour over the warm cream mixture.
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Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
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Uncover, scatter with the gruyere and bake for 20 minutes more until golden. Rest for 10 minutes.
What's Going On Here
The name means "with a crust", and the crust is the whole idea. The potatoes underneath are only a vehicle for cream, garlic and cheese.
Slice the potatoes 3 mm thick, as evenly as possible, and do not rinse them. The starch on the surface thickens the cream as the dish bakes. A mandoline makes this fast. Uneven slices give both raw and mushy potato in the same dish.
Warm the cream and milk with the garlic and nutmeg, then pour over the layered potatoes, which should be barely covered. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 180°C for 40 minutes.
Uncover, scatter with the cheese and bake for 20 minutes more, until the top is deep gold and the cream is bubbling at the edges. If your oven runs hot, check at 50 minutes in all. Rest for 10 minutes before serving. If the top browns too fast, cover the dish loosely with foil for the rest of the time.
Storage and Reheating
Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in a 180°C oven for 20 minutes.
Swaps and Variations
- Double cream won't whip if you swap it, but for the cooking itself, full-fat crème fraîche or a lower-fat single cream works in its place.
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
Serving Potatoes Au Gratin
- Roast chicken
- Green beans
- Lamb chops
- Dry white wine
Questions and Answers
How long does Potatoes Au Gratin take to make?
About 1 hour 20 minutes in total — 20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe serves 6.
What are the key tips for making Potatoes Au Gratin?
Slice the potatoes evenly. Do not rinse off the starch. If your oven runs hot, check at 50 minutes in all. Let the dish rest before serving.
What should I serve with Potatoes Au Gratin?
Roast chicken; Green beans; Lamb chops; Dry white wine.
How should Potatoes Au Gratin be stored?
Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in a 180°C oven for 20 minutes.
Is Potatoes Au Gratin suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian and no added sugar. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Potatoes Au Gratin?
About 420 kcal per serving, with 10 g protein, 32 g carbohydrate and 28 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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