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Home Potato Recipes

Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)

By:Nagi
Published:20 Dec '20Updated:12 Dec '23
788 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Potatoes au Gratin – forget scalloped potatoes, THIS is the creme de la creme of all potato recipes!! Also known as Dauphinoise Potatoes, this French classic is adapted from a Julia Child’s recipe. With layers upon layers of finely sliced potatoes baked in, cream, butter and cheese with a hint of fresh thyme, it’s luxurious and thoroughly indulgent.

Bonus: It’s the ultimate make ahead potato side dish! And next time, try Brie Dauphinoise…

Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes) fresh out of the oven

Potatoes au Gratin

Potatoes au Gratin? Or Scalloped Potatoes?

If you’re wondering what the difference is between Scalloped Potatoes and Au Gratin Potatoes, scalloped potatoes are made with a flour-butter-milk roux, whereas Potatoes au Gratin are made with 100% indulgence: cream, butter and cheese.

So I ask you again: Potatoes au Gratin? Or Scalloped Potatoes?

There’s no contest. Cream trumps flour Every. Single. Day. 😂

Potatoes au Gratin for the win!!!

Close up of bowl with Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes), ready to be eaten

All the essential food groups present

I was going to say that it’s quite remarkable how so few ingredients can make something so luxurious. But the reality is, it’s pretty hard to go wrong when potatoes, cream, butter and cheese are involved.

We’re working with all the good stuff today!

Ingredients in Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes)

Best kind of potatoes for au gratin

This is the sort of potato dish where we want the potatoes to breakdown and become lovely and soft under that golden cheesy crust, so we need to ensure we use starchy potatoes. Australia – I use Sebago (those dirt brushed potatoes). America – Russet is perfect, and for those of you in the UK, King Edward or Maris Piper are perfect. Or any other starchy potatoes – Dutch creams, King Edwards or red delight.

To be honest, as long as you do not use a waxy potato then it’s going to work great – I’ve used all sorts over the years. Waxy potatoes are the kind used for potato salads and if used in Potatoes au Gratin, the layers sort of slip apart and you’ll have paper-thin-potato UFO’s flying all over the place.

Been there, done that. Not good, my friends.

Finely sliced potatoes for Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes)

How to make potatoes au gratin

Thinly sliced potato is layered with a cream-butter-garlic mixture, sprinkled with thyme and the mandatory cheese in every layer. Bake covered for 75 minutes (yes really, it takes that long), then uncovered just to make the cheese on top lovely and golden.

While it might seem daunting to thinly slice 1 kg / 2 lb of potatoes, this is the sort of task where you’ll quickly get into a rhythm. By the 3rd potato, you’ll be slicing like a pro!

Though having said that, a mandolin will make short work of it….

How to make Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes)
Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes) fresh out of the oven, ready to be served

I am yet to meet a form of potato I don’t like. And of all the ways to cook potato, this is my favourite. (UPDATE: Though the newly invented Brie Dauphinoise version is also a hot contender!).

Sure, sometimes I stray and get excited by my latest obsession. I went mad for Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes, and crazy over Parmesan Crusted Potatoes. I thought Twice-baked Stuffed Jacket Potatoes were the ant’s pants.

But Potatoes au Gratin are a classic that I’ll love forever and ever. First made using Julie Child’s recipe which then evolved slightly over the years to what it is today. A slightly more streamlined assembly process, the addition of garlic and… I upped the cheese.

Do you think Julia would approve?? 😂 – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Potatoes au Gratin in a white casserole dish, fresh out of the oven

Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
Side Dish
French
4.97 from 226 votes
Servings8 – 10 people
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. The ultimate potato bake, created by the French!!! Potato + cream + cheese with a hint of garlic and thyme = pure heaven. Based on Julia Child's Potato Dauphinoise recipe.
This is THE perfect make ahead potato dish, the most luxurious of all potato casseroles, the better version of Scalloped Potatoes!
Authenticity note: traditional Dauphinoise in France does not contain cheese. But I could never imagine making it without….. It makes it better. You know it does!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cream , full fat (Note 1)
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
  • 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb starchy potatoes , Russet, Sebago, Maris Piper (Note 2)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups gruyere cheese (colby, cheddar, havarti or tasty), freshly grated yourself (Note 3)
  • 2 tsp thyme leaves , fresh (optional – but highly recommended)

Instructions

  • Cream Mixture: Place butter, cream and garlic in a jug. Mix until combined.
  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (both fan and standard ovens).
  • Slice potatoes: Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8"/3 mm thick. Or use a slicer!
  • Layer 1: Spread 1/3 of the potatoes in a baking dish (Note 3), then pour over 1/3 of the Cream Mixture, scatter with 1/3 of the salt, pepper and thyme. Sprinkle with 3/4 cups cheese.
  • Layers 2 & 3: Repeat for the 2nd and third layer, but do not finish with cheese on the top layer (will add later).
  • Cover & bake: Cover with lid or foil, and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the potatoes in the middle are soft (use knife to test), it might take 1 1/2 hours. (Note 5)
  • Top with cheese, bake again: Remove foil, top with cheese. Bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Stand 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes:

1. Cream – any full fat cream works great here. Heavy / thickened or even a full fat pouring cream are all great.
For a lighter version, use light fat, or half and half (or use 1/2 cream, half milk). But it won’t have the same rich mouthfeel. Don’t try this with just milk.
2. Potatoes – Australia: Use Sebago (“dirt” potatoes, sold everywhere), US: Russet, UK: King Edward or Maris Piper
OR any other starchy potatoes. Dutch creams, King Edwards or red delight. Great all rounders like golden delight, coliban and red rascal are also great.
3. Cheese – Gruyere is the best as it provides flavour and browns beautifully on top. Julia Childs uses gruyere. It’s quite expensive so for everyday purposes, use your favourite melting cheese: colby, cheddar, havarti, tasty cheese, Monterey Jack or any other flavoured melting cheese.
Mozzarella will also work but I’d probably use a combination of 2 cups (200g) mozzarella plus 1 cup (100g) finely grated parmesan which will add flavour (because mozzarella doesn’t have much flavour).
Always best to grate your own as it melts better – store bought pre shredded has anti caking agent which prevents cheese melting as well as it should.
4. Baking Dish Size – I use a 1.5L / 1.5 Qt / 6 cup, 18 x 26 cm x 5 cm / 7 x 11 x 2″ oval shape, or thereabouts but it’s full to the brim so a slightly larger one would be more ideal. A 26 cm / 11″ skillet also works great. A 20cm/8″ square pan is too small. Larger dish is fine – just means the potatoes au gratin isn’t as deep
5. Baking time – Will differ depending on shape of dish, depth of potatoes, heat retention of baking dish, reliability of oven etc, 1 hour 20 minutes covered is consistently the time for me.
6. Make ahead: Near perfect for make ahead! The best way (in my experience) is hold back about 1/2 cup of the cream mixture. Bake covered in foil, then cool with foil on. Pour over reserved cream, top with cheese, cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate. Remove from fridge 1 hour before, reheat covered in foil in a 180C/350F oven for 20 – 30 min or until hot, then remove foil and bake until cheese is golden. To speed things up you can microwave it then pop it in the oven (this is dense so takes quite a while to reheat in the oven, depends on depth of baking dish you use).
Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
7. Source: Adapted from Julia Child’s Dauphinoise Potatoes recipe. Hers is slightly more involved, calling for scattering finely diced butter on each layers (which I simplified by melting), only rubs garlic on baking dish (I use 2 whole cloves), and she uses less cheese. Mine gradually evolved over time from her original recipe to what mine is today!
Nutrition assumes 10 servings.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 110gCalories: 167cal (8%)Carbohydrates: 14.2g (5%)Protein: 5.7g (11%)Fat: 10g (15%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Cholesterol: 31mg (10%)Sodium: 281mg (12%)Potassium: 364mg (10%)Fiber: 2.1g (9%)Sugar: 1.6g (2%)Vitamin A: 300IU (6%)Vitamin C: 23.1mg (28%)Calcium: 160mg (16%)Iron: 0.7mg (4%)
Keywords: Dauphinoise Potatoes, Potato Bake, potato casserole, Potatoes au Gratin
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Au Gratin Potatoes recipe originally published December 2014. New photos, recipe video and updated post in December 2018, then some tidying up done in December 2020. No change to recipe!

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788 Comments

  1. Tom says

    December 26, 2022 at 1:45 am

    I made a half portion of this recipe, and split it between 4 small dishes. Absolutely indulgent and delicious. Perfect for the holidays! Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
  2. Brandii says

    December 25, 2022 at 5:46 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today for Christmas (with the added addition of some bacon and fresh parsley) and it was an absolute hit. Definitely will make this again <3

    Reply
  3. Dina says

    December 25, 2022 at 1:28 am

    Cant rate yet……..looking forward to trying this recipe today..
    Except I just realized..I grated smoked gruyere – do you think that will be okay??

    Reply
  4. Jess says

    December 24, 2022 at 3:35 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi,

    I absolutely LOVE your recipes! This is another slam dunk! I adjusted for two people (using two potatoes that = about 1.6 pounds and a 8×8 glass pan) then replaced the cream with evaporated goats milk because that’s what I had on hand and also used Gouda and burlap & barrel’s flowering hyssop thyme for the same reason.. also used some smoked sea salt and Himalayan salt, just delicious! Thank you ^_^

    Reply
  5. PATRICIA GAIL ANTECKI says

    December 24, 2022 at 5:11 am

    I was going to try baking these in my Ninja cooker? Will all the directions be the same for a Ninja cooker?

    Reply
  6. Taylor says

    December 23, 2022 at 8:16 am

    5 stars
    Love this recipe but it’s always pretty greasy in the bottom. Do I need to cook longer or add something to help with that?

    Reply
  7. Elisabeth says

    December 22, 2022 at 11:04 pm

    Hi! How far ahead can I make this potato gratin? 1 or 2 days? Thanks

    Reply
  8. Julie Faithfull says

    December 21, 2022 at 7:08 pm

    Hi Nagi,
    Do you think this receipe will work with coconut cream. My son has dairy allergies. Love your receipes.😊

    Reply
  9. Katy says

    December 15, 2022 at 8:21 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi,
    These were amazing! I used a larger baking dish, so as you stated, it wasn’t as deep. I wanted to double the recipe for Christmas. Do you think I could do that using just one large baking dish or would you recommend making to separate smaller dishes?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      December 17, 2022 at 1:38 am

      I am also wanting to double the recipe for Christmas lunch on the 18th and was wondering should I use 2 baking dishes or one really large one?

      Reply
  10. Debbie Hulbert says

    December 13, 2022 at 2:19 am

    I will be making this recipe for our Christmas Eve dinner this year. I think I might blend gruyere and cheddar. Thoughts on that? It will accompany ham with Dijon balsamic glaze (also yours I believe).

    Reply
    • Ellen says

      December 26, 2022 at 4:01 pm

      I used Trader Joe’s Gruyere/Cheddar combo and it was delicious.

      Reply
  11. Sharon says

    December 10, 2022 at 1:50 am

    If I use a 13×9 dish would I bake for same time or less time?

    Reply
  12. Sharon Newman says

    December 9, 2022 at 10:39 am

    If I use a 9×13 casserole for the au gratin potatoes would cooking time be less?

    Reply
  13. Max says

    November 25, 2022 at 4:27 pm

    Hi Nagi,Ripper Potato Bake recipe.Better than our fave Chook Shop bake by a mile!Or other bake recipes I’ve used.Easy as.I did add finely diced smoked bacon on each layer and with the thyme…oooohhh yeah!Thanks again o keeper of the Pan,Goddess of the Spatula,Baroness of the Bacon.🤦‍♂️👍😀

    Reply
  14. Savanah says

    November 25, 2022 at 2:16 pm

    This has become a favorite with our family for the holidays. I slice the potatoes and then blanch them before. This way they are all cooked through. (First year i made them the center was still raw) I also melt a little bit of butter first and mix in the garlic and thyme to help release more flavor before I mix with the cream.

    Reply
  15. Laura says

    November 25, 2022 at 1:11 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight for Thanksgiving dinner. As I served it I said “Hey new recipe so please give me your opinions”. Then I took a bite. “Ok I don’t need your opinions, this is freaking amazing”

    Reply
  16. MommyC says

    November 25, 2022 at 3:05 am

    5 stars
    We are cheesy potato people, and these might be the best cheesy potatoes in the world. Seriously. They are incredible exactly as written.

    Reply
  17. Claudia says

    November 23, 2022 at 4:11 pm

    5 stars
    This was, by far, the best au gratin I have ever made. All the other ones I’ve tried resulted in undercooked potatoes, despite extra time in the oven.
    The garlic taste was just right and it was all really creamy and just delicious. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  18. Judy says

    November 23, 2022 at 3:29 am

    Do you have to peel potatoes first? I didn’t see any skin on your edges

    Reply
  19. Joe says

    November 20, 2022 at 5:45 pm

    This recipe was so delicious. Simple but wonderful. Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  20. Irina says

    November 14, 2022 at 3:35 am

    Thank you so much!

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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