Easy Potato Au Gratin Recipe

One of my favorite sides for any meal is potatoes, of this an easy potato au gratin has to be at the top of my list. Thinly sliced potatoes baked in a creamy sauce is the perfect addition to almost any meal.


I know if you are like me, often we can reach for a box of potatoes, but I promise real ones always taste better. My easy potato gratin recipe isn’t complicated and can be put together fairly quickly. While the potatoes are baking in the oven you are free to get the rest of your meal ready, or if you put this in the oven along with a chicken, both will be ready at about the same time. I love to put a couple of items in the oven at once. Cooking in the oven is often carefree cooking.

Cooking tips for easy potato gratin recipe

For this recipe I suggest using either Russet or Yukon gold potatoes. The Russets are my personal choice for this recipe, they have lots of starch in them, and that starch really helps the casserole to hold together well. I also suggest that you cut the potatoes in about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. You don’t want them any thicker, and slicing them any thinner will have the potatoes cooking too quickly, and then breaking apart in your dish.

In this recipe I am using heavy cream, I think that it gives these potatoes a nice richness. Heavy cream has multiple names. It can be called heavy cream, whipping cream, or even double cream. Do not substitute for whole milk. I don’t like using half and half for this recipe either. One big plus in cooking with heavy cream is that the dish will reheat better. I often really consider how the food will out the second time you enjoy this easy potato gratin recipe.

When I make this I like to use Jarlsburg cheese, if you don’t have Jarlsburg you can use a Swiss cheese, or even cheddar. My suggestion is that you grate the cheese yourself. Cheese that comes already grated has an anti caking agent on it to keep it separated in the package and I don’t think it melts as well.

Easy Potato Au Gratin

Did you know it is super easy to make Potato Au Grain? This recipe is easy enough for a beginner cook.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Potato Recipes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 574kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup Shredded Jarlsberg cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Peel potatoes, and slice them into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. You can slice potatoes with either a knife, mandolin, or even a food processor. 
• Heat cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, along with 2 cloves of garlic. Spoon some of the heavy cream into the 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Add a single layer of potatoes into the baking dish. 
• Season potatoes lightly with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Spoon heavy cream mixture over the potatoes, and then layer with potatoes, season potatoes, and ladle cream over until there are no more potatoes left. 
• If there is remaining cream left ladle remaining cream over potatoes. Bake potatoes for 1 hour. Remove from oven, sprinkle cheese on top of baked potatoes, and return to the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 418mg | Potassium: 691mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1850IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 1.4mg