Potatoes Au Gratin With Gruyere Recipe

With layers of creamy, cheesy potatoes baked into a casserole with a golden-brown crust, this recipe for potatoes au gratin with Gruyere from chef and recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating  will be called tastiest around by pretty much everyone with taste buds. A perfect side dish on a holiday table and a welcome treat any chilly night of the week, these potatoes au gratin are the ultimate comfort food, and they even look great in the dish, too. 

"This is definitely a comforting treat," Brookes says, calling it "perfect for [cozy] winter evenings and for when you have a big crowd to feed." And, you can take some comfort knowing that despite how great this potatoes au gratin dish looks and tastes, it's really not hard to prep and comes together in barely more than one hour — so let's get to it!

In case you were wondering why this dish is so delicious, here are two hints: cream and cheese. To make between six and eight servings of these rich, tasty potatoes, you'll need a bit less than three pounds of peeled medium-sized potatoes (Brookes used King Edward potatoes), a cup of milk, two cups of heavy cream, two large cloves of garlic, grated Gruyere cheese, salt and pepper, to taste, and an optional teaspoon of fresh chopped chives for garnishing.

Preheat the oven to 375 F, then slice the potatoes into thin rounds approximately four to five millimeters in thickness, or a bit less than a ¼ inch each. "Make sure to slice the potatoes thin enough, and make sure that all the slices are fairly equal," Brookes says, as "this will help them to cook evenly and allow the cream to seep in between them."

Next, add the milk, cream, and whole garlic cloves to a large saucepan and heat it over a burner at a medium setting until the liquid is simmering, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Now, add the sliced potatoes to the pan and let them simmer in the garlic-infused milk/cream for five minutes. Be sure to move the potatoes around in the pan frequently with your wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.

Using a large slotted spoon to remove them from the pan, add about half of the potatoes to a large ovenproof dish (make sure it's at least two or three inches deep) and spread them out in an even layer. Then, remove the rest of the potatoes from the pan, and set them aside on a plate.

Now, remove the garlic cloves from the pan and pour about half of the cream mixture evenly over the top of the potatoes in the oven dish. Next, sprinkle salt and pepper over the potatoes, then sprinkle half of the grated cheese evenly over the top. Finally, add the remaining potatoes on top of these layers, repeating the process of spreading them out, pouring on the cream, adding the salt and pepper, and then adding the cheese once again.

Pop the dish into the heated up oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it's bubbling and golden on the top. If the top starts to become more browned than you would like, you can cover the dish with foil. Once the baking is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Then, sprinkle it with fresh chopped chives, and serve. As for serving ideas, Brookes recommends "roast chicken, beef, or fish, and salad, broccoli, or green beans."

If you have some leftovers? "Cover the oven dish in foil and put it in the fridge — it should keep for up to four days. To reheat it, take out portions and pop in them microwave or oven until piping hot," Brookes says. Whether you want a dish to bring to your next dinner party or just want to add some decadence to a weeknight meal, these potatoes au gratin with Gruyere are sure to impress!

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Before customizing this dish, consider its nature. Simplicity defines potatoes au gratin. The very similar scalloped potatoes, for instance, only differ in that they're cooked in flour and broth instead of the cream we use here. Most recipes share the same basic formula and rarely include extras beyond a little onion or garlic in the sauce. Because of this rigidity, some purists argue that varying the core ingredients too much turns potatoes au gratin into another dish. Those without concerns over tradition here, though, can be more inventive with this basic recipe.

You'll just have to exercise care around how you incorporate other ingredients to avoid altering the dish's prized texture and appearance. Adding in large chunks of vegetables or meat would ruin the layers and could even affect proper cooking. Spices, herbs, and other ground or liquid flavorings you enjoy in a cream sauce wouldn't cause this problem. Try slicing thin deli meats or cured meats into discs of the same size as the potatoes. You can do the same thing with other vegetables that have similar cooking times — other roots would work great alongside or as a replacement for potatoes, particularly.

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