Potatoes Au Gratin

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

14 Comments

5 from 3 votes
12 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
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Potatoes Au Gratin made with russet potatoes in a seasoned parmesan sauce assembled in layers is surprisingly easy to make, and your guests will love it!

Easy potato recipes like Garlic Mashed Potatoes make perfect Side Dishes for the holidays. Add this cheesy potato recipe to your list of simple, crowd-pleasing recipes.

Potatoes Au Gratin cross section in baking dish

POTATOES AU GRATIN

Potatoes Au Gratin get a bad reputation. Most people are used to the boxed potatoes that are filled with dehydrated slices of potatoes and powdered cheese mix. Do not compare those to these delicious, fresh potatoes. This is hands down the BEST side dish potato recipe out there.

If you like our recipe for Scalloped Potatoes, think of this as taking your cheesy potatoes to the next level. These cheesy potatoes are sure to become a go-to dish to serve with holiday dinners.

Au Gratin Potatoes are crispy, cheesy, fluffy and warm. Baking the potatoes in a casserole dish allows the potatoes to brown in the cheese sauce and get the edges crispy. What else could you ask for in a side dish? You could serve these topped with sour cream, but these cheesy potatoes are just fine on their own or topped with chives or green onions.

There are some Potatoes Au Gratin recipes that call for condensed soups, sour cream, or hash browns, but using simple sliced potatoes and heavy cream comes out even better. The cheesy potatoes are baked until they have soaked up the ingredients surrounding them and created a creamy center while the outside gets browned and crispy.

MAKE-AHEAD AU GRATIN

Au Gratin Potatoes can be prepared ahead of time by prepping the potatoes and assembling them in the casserole dish with the cheese sauce. Then instead of baking, wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

You can also freeze the prepped dish for several months. Just defrost it in the refrigerator the day before you want to bake. If you want to serve these potatoes for Christmas dinner, try prepping them December 23 or December 24, so all I have to do for Christmas dinner is put them in the oven.

When you’re ready to bake them, the total time is just 45 minutes. Then you’ll have crispy potatoes with a bubbly cheese topping to enjoy.

MORE POTATO SIDE DISHES

TIPS FOR AU GRATIN

  • Potatoes Au Gratin are often made in a gratin pan which is basically a shallow baking dish. However, we’d recommend using a baking dish with deeper sides, like a casserole dish, to avoid the cheese sauce bubbling over in the oven.
  • You can use the same cheese sauce with hash browns and your choice of meat to create a cheesy potato casserole recipe that’s even faster to throw together! Chop some green bell peppers, celery, or zucchini in to sneak some vegetables into your casserole.
  • Make sure to slice your potatoes thinly, and all the same size. This is important because if you make them too thick they won’t cook all the way through in time. To make this easier you can use a mandolin, which will slice them evenly and quickly. Here’s some info on mandolin safety.

Potatoes Au Gratin in baking dish before cooking

VARIATIONS ON POTATOES AU GRATIN

  • Cheese: To make your Potatoes au Gratin extra cheesy try adding some shredded cheese on top. Pour the cheesy sauce over the potatoes as usual, then sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese or gruyere on top. You could also use a mixture of parmesan cheese and mozzarella for an Alfredo version of this casserole recipe!
  • Topping: Au Gratin can refer to a cheese or bread crumb topping. To add a crunchy bread crumb topping to your Cheesy Potatoes mix some melted butter, panko bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese. Combine the bread crumb and butter mixture then sprinkle it over your potato dish. To make this dish more similar to funeral potatoes, try adding a topping made with cornflakes instead.
  • Add-ins: For some extra flavor try adding minced garlic clove, onion powder, or fresh thyme to the sauce for your Potato Gratin. You could also top your servings with sour cream for an extra creamy Potato Gratin.

MORE HOLIDAY SIDE DISHES

HOW TO STORE POTATOES AU GRATIN

  • Serve: After baking Au Gratin Potatoes, don’t leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Let the potatoes cool then cover them, or store them in an airtight container. They’ll be good in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat the Potatoes au Gratin in the oven until warmed.
  • Freeze: Gratin is a great recipe to freeze. You can keep your cheesy potato casserole in the freezer for up to 6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge, then bake it for a few minutes in the oven until the cheese is melted and it’s heated through before serving.

Potatoes Au Gratin in baking dish

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Dinner, then Dessert

Potatoes Au Gratin

Potatoes Au Gratin made with russet potatoes in a seasoned parmesan sauce assembled in layers is surprisingly easy to make, and your guests will love it!
Yield 12 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Potatoes Au Gratin in baking dish
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 6 large russet potatoes , peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray an 8x8 baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the heavy cream, egg, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and Parmesan cheese until smooth.
  • Add potatoes to your baking dish and carefully pour the custard over the potatoes.
  • Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 624IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg

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Potatoes Au Gratin collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. LOL I always appreciate a good potato recipe. I planted potato eyes (little ones – red and yellow) and they won’t quit. I think the rumble of my tractor brings some to the surface – I’ll come out in the am and find some more potatoes on the ground waiting for me to pick them up!

    Great recipe! And nice and creamy.

    Reply

  5. This sounds delicious. I will be making this soon. Just one question about using an 8 X 8 Baking dish. Your picture shows a rectangular dish which looks like an 8 X 12 dish. Your recipe says to use an 8 X 8 dish and I am Concerned that my 8 X 8 Pyrex will not hold 6 large russets. I’m making for guests so I wanted to make sure to use the right size dish. Thank you.

    Reply

    1. I used a 8×10 pan for the photo (because it was prettier) but it was made in a 8×8 baking dish. Both size dishes have the same volume so either will actually work. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  6. Hi, Sabrina,

    Thank you all your good, better and best recipes!
    Today I will made the Potatoes au Gratin… Hmmm…

    with love
    Marianne

    Reply

      1. I bought a box of your au gratin potatoes.I was going to use them but saw
        “SEPO3216” on the top and was wondering if that means that it expired in September 2016 or if it is a number for something else.I am anxious to try them.
        Thanks!

        Reply

        1. Hmmm, it sounds like it would be an expiration date but I would suggest taking it back to the store and asking them, if they were recently purchased.

          Reply