This creamy and cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin is one of my favorite potato recipes! You got sweetness from the caramelized onions to saltiness from the crispy bacon. Variety of cheeses and herbs layered between thinly sliced potatoes simply adds a rich flavor when baked until tender and golden brown.
Potatoes Au Gratin, also known simply as "gratin potatoes," is a classic and popular French dish but has now become a beloved side dish in many countries around the world. This French classic is similar to scalloped potatoes, but the only difference would be that its topped with cheese, or I rather call it cheesy scalloped potatoes.
Potatoes Au Gratin is certainly a huge holiday favorite and definitely a must-have for thanksgiving dinner and Easter brunch. This dish is easy to make as it doesn’t need much time for prep and involves few ingredients. Speaking of Thanksgiving, this dish pairs well with roast pork loin or a beef tenderloin roast and can also be served as a main course.
It’s a huge hit with family get-togethers and the kids love it. Apart from the original Potatoes Au Gratin, many versions have evolved using various ingredients. We tried our own take at it and this came out packed with flavor.
Ingredients
Herbs and Spices: garlic, thyme, rosemary
Liquids: milk
Regular ingredients: potatoes, cheddar cheese, onion, butter, all-purpose flour, bacon
Specialty ingredients: Gruyère cheese
See recipe card for quantities.
Walk through the Recipe
We start off by prepping the potatoes and bacon to create this lovely Potatoes Au Gratin. Fry the bacon in a pan, until crispy. In parallel to preparing the ingredients, we preheat the oven and grease the baking dish with butter.
Wash the thinly slice the potatoes, and set aside in water.
Use the same bacon grease to caramelize the thinly sliced onions and set aside.
Prepare the creamy cheesy sauce in the same pan - add butter, sauté finely chopped garlic and all-purpose flour, milk, cheese, rosemary and salt to taste.
Layer the potatoes in a baking dish, overlapping them slightly.
Sprinkle salt and evenly spread out the caramelized onions and bacon bits.
Add the cheesy sauce to coat all the potatoes in the dish.
Add the remaining potatoes and give it a gentle pat, so it’s layered evenly. Sprinkle some salt, cover with aluminum foil and bake. Remove the dish from the oven once it is 75% baked, add the Gruyère / white cheese and thyme evenly.
We then bake it until the potatoes are tender, the top is golden brown, and the cheesy sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Hint: While baking this second time, avoid using a foil to cover the dish, as this will allow the potatoes to get that crispy brown layer.
Resting the dish for 15 mins after baking will allow the sauce to thicken up and will not break apart while slicing.
Substitutions
You can replace some of the ingredients in the recipe, to suit what you have at home, or if you don't find them in the store
- Gruyère cheese: Swiss cheese, White cheddar cheese, fontina cheese
- Milk: heavy cream
- Bacon: ham
Tips
- Choose a flavorful cheese: Gruyère, Swiss, Fontina, or cheddar are the top choices as it compliments the dish well. Try mixing different cheeses for a unique flavor.
- Choose any potatoes available or a mix of different potatoes. This will give the dish a different texture throughout.
- Zero waste tips:
- Avoid pealing the potatoes as it not only saves time but also gives the dish a rustic look.
- Butter the oven dish first as you can you the left over butter to prepare the creamy sauce
- Use the fat/ grease from the bacon to caramelize the onions. This will intensify the onion flavor
FAQs
No, all-purpose flour is used as a thickening agent for the cheesy sauce but cornstarch can be used as a gluten-free substitute.
Certainly, you can prepare the entire dish ahead of time and wrap it tightly with a plastic wrap. Store it in the refrigerator overnight till you are ready to bake. Making the dish in advance can save time, especially if you are preparing it for a big holiday dinner.
You can reheat the leftovers in the an oven for 15-20 minutes on 350°F or as soon as the cheese is melted through.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Prawns Koliwada (Mumbai-style spicy fried shrimps)
- Jerk Chicken Quesadilla
- Sumac Fries
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts Recipe (Indian style)
Fusion Recipes
Try out some of our specialty recipes:
- Jerk Shrimp Pasta (Rasta Pasta Recipe)
- Easy Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls
- Burnt Garlic Fried Rice
- Cevapi Sliders with Ajvar
Recipe
Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 8 potatoes small
- ½ cup Gruyère cheese /white cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 onion
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 6 strips bacon
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- salt to taste
- Oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9x9-inch(or similar size) baking dish with the butter
- Thinly slice the potatoes. You can use a mandoline slicer for even, thin slices. Wash the potatoes to get rid of the excess starch and let it sit in a bowl of water to prevent browning
- Caramelize one sliced onion in a pan with oil/bacon grease. Set aside in a bowl. In the same pan, prepare the cheesy sauce by adding 3 tablespoon butter, Sauté finely chopped garlic and add all-purpose flour. After the mixture turns light brown, add milk, 1 cup cheddar cheese, rosemary and salt to taste. Mix it well with a rubber spatula until you get a thick cheesy consistency
- Start by layering three-forth of the sliced potatoes in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle salt, bacon bits and caramelized onions evenly over the potatoes
- Add the cheesy sauce over the potatoes to coat the entire pan. Layer over the remaining potatoes and sprinkle some more salt. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for about 45 minutes
- Remove the foil, Sprinkle the Gruyère cheese / white cheese and thyme evenly, and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, the top is golden brown, and the cheesy sauce is bubbling around the edges
- Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. This allows the sauce to thicken slightly. Serve it hot as a delicious side dish
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