Potatoes au Gratin (Gratin Dauphinois)
This potatoes au gratin recipe is irresistible! Known as gratin dauphinois in France, this potato gratin features layers of cream and cheese.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 16, 2024
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If there were ever a creamy potato dish worth making, it is this one. It’s similar to scalloped potatoes, but better, in my opinion. It comes together simply and beautifully, with no roux required.
This potatoes au gratin recipe is actually known as gratin dauphinois in France. Gratin dauphinois hails from the Dauphiné region in southeastern France, which is nestled next to Italy.
Gratin dauphinois features thinly sliced rounds of potatoes cooked in cream, sometimes with cheese but often without. This potato gratin includes a generous amount of Gruyère cheese, and I wouldn’t want it any other way! The recipe is lightly seasoned with garlic, pepper and nutmeg, and the end result is just… magic.
If you would love a moment of happy silence at your bustling holiday meal, serve this recipe. I have literally watched people go quiet upon their first bite. That’s when I know a recipe is just right!
You can also can prepare this recipe in advance, which is a big plus for a full-course meal. This dish would be welcome at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any special occasion in between.
Potatoes au Gratin Ingredients
This recipe uses a short list of ingredients and the flavor is truly amazing. You’ll find the full recipe at the bottom of the post, with a print-friendly option.
Russet potatoes
Starchy russet potatoes are ideal for potatoes au gratin. While I am generally a big fan of potato skins, you’ll need to peel the potato skins before slicing the potatoes for the ideal melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Heavy cream
Heavy cream is the way to go with this recipe. I’ve tried half and half and it works decently well, but clumps somewhat. Whole milk clumps and doesn’t yield a creamy gratin, so I strongly advise against it.
Fresh garlic
Fresh garlic, always! Two cloves subtly infuse this dish with irresistible aromatic flavor.
Black pepper, nutmeg & salt
Freshly ground black pepper and just a pinch of nutmeg are all you need here. Well, and salt—potatoes love salt.
Gruyère cheese or Emmental
Gruyère cheese is more expected in gratin dauphinois, but I like Emmental equally well. While Emmental is similar to Swiss cheese, Swiss cheese didn’t turn out well in our tests, as it hardened too much.
Fresh chives
Fresh chives are optional, but offer a lovely burst of fresh green color on top of this creamy, golden brown dish.
How to Make Potatoes au Gratin
This recipe is straightforward and you can watch it come together in the short video below. Here’s a rundown with some added notes:
1) Peel and slice the potatoes.
Ideally, you’re slicing the potatoes as thinly as possibly, about 1/8-inch thick. This is tricky even with the sharpest of chef’s knives.
I’m always hesitant to recommend a mandoline slicer because they are dangerous, but the mandoline undeniably yields the thinnest and most uniform results. When using a mandoline, please stay focused on the task at hand, know where your fingers are at all times, and don’t be tempted to slice any closer to the end of the potato than you feel fully confident doing.
2) Whisk together the cream, minced garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Easy enough! The garlic and spices will settle, so you’ll need to whisk the mixture each time just before using.
3) Start layering the potatoes, then layer with cream and cheese.
Arrange about one-third of the potatoes in the bottom of a 9-inch square pan in an overlapping fish-scale pattern. (This is my beloved 9-inch pan, if you’re in the market.) Whisk the cream mixture, pour in a portion of it, and sprinkle some cheese on top.
4) Repeat, repeat. Top with all remaining cheese.
Potatoes, whisked cream, and more cheese, in that order.
5) Bake, and cover it toward the end of baking.
After about 40 minutes in the oven, the top should be turning nicely golden. We’re going to cover it with parchment or foil to prevent the top from becoming too browned by the time the potatoes are cooked through. The potatoes are done once you can press a fork all the way through the center of the dish with ease (if in doubt, go a little longer).
6) Briefly cool, then serve.
This dish needs at least 20 minutes to cool before serving. Straight out of the oven, it is far too hot to serve, and the layers need a chance to cool somewhat in order to keep their shape. Sprinkle with chopped chives before serving, if desired.
Watch How to Make Potatoes au Gratin
More Potato Recipes to Make
If you love potatoes (and who doesn’t?), you cannot miss these potato recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Best Baked Potato
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Lucille’s Mashed Potatoes
- Perfect Roasted Potatoes
- Ultra Crispy Baked Potato Wedges
Please let me know how your gratin turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Potatoes au Gratin (Gratin Dauphinois)
This potatoes au gratin recipe is rich, golden brown and utterly irresistible! Known as gratin dauphinois in France, this potato gratin is made with layers of potato, cream and cheese. It’s worthy of your holiday table! Recipe yields 12 side servings.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups (8 ounces) grated Gruyère cheese or Emmental
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel the potatoes and slice them as thinly as possible, ideally ⅛-inch thick.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the cream, minced garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Arrange about one-third of the potatoes in the bottom of a 9-inch square pan in an overlapping fish-scale pattern. Whisk the cream mixture again, then pour about one-third of the cream mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle with ½ cup of the cheese.
- Repeat this two more times, topping with all of the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 40 minutes, then place a sheet of parchment paper or foil over the top to prevent it from turning too brown. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, checking every 5, until you can press a fork all the way through the potatoes with ease.
- Let the dish cool for at least 20 minutes (it’s crazy hot). Garnish with the optional chives, if desired, and serve warm.
Notes
Prepare in advance: This dish can be assembled up to 24 hours in advance. Chill it in the refrigerator, covered. It will likely need more time in the oven since it’s starting off cold, and it’s difficult to offer exact timing in this scenario. Keep an eye on the dish starting at 40 minutes and cover it once it’s turning nicely golden on top.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I love your blog and I don’t want my comment to be taken the wrong way but traditional Gratin Dauphinois does not have cheese.
That does not mean it’s not good though, but like quiche Lorraine, cheese is not part of the traditional ingredients.
Hi Anne, thank you for your note! I read that most recipes do not have cheese, but some do, and I absolutely love how this one turned out.
Hi Kate…your recipes are amazing. My wife and I try to eat lower fat / cholesterol, and recipes like this one scare us. Some fat is fine, but this recipe has a lot of saturated fat per serving. Soooooo, is there ANYTHING that can be substituted for the heavy cream? You partially addressed it in the article, but I can’t make this one as is. Many thanks! (P.S. Had great success with your hearty vegetable soup and chana masala recipes…but I added a couple of diced up chicken breasts to make them even heartier, and they made for an amazing single dish meal).
Hi Paul! You can make it with half and half, but it’s not quite as good. This recipe may not be for you; you might love my baked potatoes or crispy smashed potatoes!
You can make a roux and use milk. It really isn’t the same dish, but it’s close with not as much fat. Perhaps use some neufchâtel as a thickener and as a sub for a small amount of the cheese. Still a lot of fat, but a little less (‘though I couldn’t tell you how much).
Hi – just need clarification regarding the amount of cheese. Your recipe calls for “2 cups (8 ounces) grated Gruyère cheese or Emmental”.
If its 2 cups, then I believe it should be 16 ounces, which I am assuming is correct to make this the cheesiest possible ;-) I am dying to try this recipe. Hoping to do it this weekend!
Hi there, good question! Eight ounces of water would be 1 cup, but 8 ounces of shredded cheese comes to 2 cups. :)
This sounds yummy but I won’t be making it due to the heavy cream and cheese content. I’ve been a fan of Cookie & Kate recipes for a couple years; in fact, your Real Food cookbook and blog are my first go-to. Because I have relied on healthy offerings from you and methods for making recipes more healthy (gf, dairy free), I’m a bit surprised about the heavy cow dairy ingredients here. Any suggestions for lightening it up? Thanks.
Hi Cheryl, that’s a fair point, but lighter dairy options didn’t work here (I tried). I’m for all things in moderation, and you’ll find that the blog has some other creamy potatoes (like my Grandma Lucille’s recipe) and I’m a real sucker for anything with cream cheese frosting. I was happily surprised to see that the nutrition info per serving was lighter than I expected!
So delicious! I substituted the heavy cream for half and half. The heavy cream is probably amazing but I thought the half and half was just as good. Was a hit and had almost no leftovers!
Thanks so much, Azaria! I’m glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you. :)
Could you make these in a roaster? I am thinking of making this for 50 people on Christmas. I am thinking of making it x 4. Sharon
Hi Sharon! By roaster, do you mean an extra-large baking dish? I suspect that you could—I’m not sure how that would impact the timing of the dish. I designed it for a 9″ square baker. You might have better luck baking multiple smaller bakers in the oven at once.
Thank you for your reply.I have a GE Electric roaster that can accommodate a 21 lb. Turkey . It has a removable enamel roasting pan. Just wondered if you thought it might work. Sharon
I can’t wait to try this! After I do, I’ll return and leave a rating!
Please do! Happy holidays!
Do you think substituting non fat Greek yogurt would substitute for heavy cream?”
I’m sorry, I’m afraid that would not work well!
Kate, I make these all the time, best potatoes ever, first time I had them was in Saint Maartin, the French side at Grand Case, their must be 25 French restaurants within 1/4 Mile walking distance and they blew my mind. Only main difference is how you and I make them, I simmer the slices till they are just cooked a bit, (seems to make the creamier) rub a buttered dish with a garlic clove and sprinkle a little nutmeg on each layer. So love these potatoes, like heaven. Say hi to Cookie,
Thank you for your note! I can’t wait to go back to France and hunt for these potatoes. The best/closest thing I’ve tried is at a local French restaurant called French Market. I’d love to hear what you think of this version!
A French chef told me that Idaho baking potatoes work the best, and the secret is to simmer them little bit till 1/2 cooked, and I think you were talking about the potatoes ? or maybe just who has good ones.
They are so creamy and delicious
I use Cookie & Kate recipes All the time. This was a Bomb. Too much liquid, not cooked with foil long enough. But I will not give up on Cookie & Kate.
I’m sorry to hear that, Douglas. Where did you have it placed in your oven and what kind of dish did you use?
I baked the potatoes in the middle of a convection oven. I used a staub ceramic dish. The potatoes were delicious but very wet. I baked them over an hour.
I Love your recipes & use them All the time. Please keep up providing us with delicious & healthy food.
Thank you, Douglas! I’m not sure why they were very wet. I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Loved these potatoes. Thanks so much. What a treat. Perfect.
Great to hear, Julie!
Hi Kate.
The Scalloped potato dish looks amazing. I will be serving this dish on Thanksgiving Day in our desert house 200 miles from our main residence. I would like to make the entire dish and freeze it, so that I can slice and assemble the potatoes in a kitchen where I have the capability of getting thin slices in the shortest period of time. Will the uncooked dish freeze, thaw, and bake well after having been frozen?
I haven’t tried it, sorry! If you try it, let me know if you try it.
Hi!! I will be making these for Thanksgiving this week. Should I spray Pam or butter the 9×9 dish before beginning to layer the potatoes? Thank you!
I don’t recommend pam, but you can grease your pan with butter.
Hi Kate,
Love your recipes and cook them often. In reference to the possible dangers of using a mandoline, I always wear a cut resistant glove when using mine and store it with the slicer so I don’t forget to use it.
It’s not 100% protection, but certainly much better than just being careful. They are not expensive and readily available (including Amazon)
Thank you, Karen! I’m glad the glove works well for you. Sounds like you got a good one. I tried one, but managed to nick the glove and felt like I was being a little careless with it on (false protection). Hope you enjoy this one!
excellent recipe. I loved Potatoes au Gratin
Step aside, mashed potatoes! This dish was one of the standouts at this year’s Thanksgiving meal. These potatoes are creamy, cheesy, and classy! I had to keep them in the over for an hour plus for the potatoes to be soft and brown the cheese but it was worth the wait. Thank you Kate!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review, Kay.
Step aside, mashed potatoes! This dish was one of the standouts at this year’s Thanksgiving meal. These potatoes are creamy and just-the-right-amount-of-cheesy – this is the classy, upscaled version of cheesy potatoes that are often made with processed ingredients.
I had to keep these potatoes in the over for an hour plus for the potatoes to be soft and the cheese to brown on top but it was worth the wait. Thank you Kate!
Woohoo! That’s quite the endorsement. Thank you, Kay!
We made this recipe for Thanksgiving. It was fantastic. We rubbed a clove of garlic on the bottom and sides of baking dish. (Based on another review). It was fabulous. Thank you!
I’m excited you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review.
I made the potatoes au gratin dish you recently posted, and it was a family hit. It’s a fairly simple dish to make, and not too rich. All the leftovers went home with our guests!
Also we also made and loved your tomato and red pepper soup this summer from our garden. Super yummy!
Thank you, Donita! So glad to hear that you appreciate this gratin. Bet your home-grown soup was amazing!
Absolutely delicious. It’s so filling I can only eat one piece and I’m full. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great.
Thank you, Denise! Really happy to hear it.
how delicious I will try it at home
how delicious I will try it at home…
I’m curious if I can cook this at a lower temperature? Going to roast a bird in the oven on high for about 20 mins then down to 325 for a few hours – worried I can make this dish for dinner because of the temperature difference?
This is best as written. Sorry!
Is it possible to double this recipe and use a 13 x 9 pan?
That may work fine. Let me know how it works for you!
Tasted delicious and cooked up welt when I doubled the recipe for a 13 x 9. I just had to cook a bit longer and loosely cover at the end to let moisture escape with out over browning.
Made these for Christmas Eve dinner last night, they were the best potatoes I have ever had! I love French food and so happy I have an easy, delicious recipe to enhance any main dish, thank you so much.
I made these Potatoes au Gratin for Easter 2024 and everyone raved about them. I followed the instructions exactly. The Gruyere cheese made it heavenly and I carefully used a mandolin to slice my potatoes thin and even. They also reheated well the next day.
That’s great to hear! Thank you for your review, Cindy.
Can you use the slicing blade on a good processor to slice the potatoes?
And can I substitute a less expensive cheese?
Thanks
I recommend this best as written. You can use a cheese you prefer, like cheddar.
I did use a cheddar and otherwise made the recipe as written. The flavor was great, but it came out oily-greasy. Any suggestions for modifying it? Should I increase the amount of potatoes? Thanks for your response.
I’m sorry to hear that. It likely was the cheddar cheese.
Hi I was wondering if you think cashew cream would work as a sub for heavy cream to lighten up the recipe. Has anyone else tried it?