This Classic Potato Gratin is my FAVORITE way to prepare potatoes. It is simple to make, bakes up beautifully, is naturally gluten free and always incredibly delicious! I love that this recipe is made with real, wholesome ingredients, using no canned ‘cream of whatever’ soups. You can make this Potato Gratin using part chicken broth, to cut down on the richness and fat content or go all out and use cream or half and half for all the liquid. For men, it depends on what I have on hand or according to the occasion. I made these for our Christmas dinner and for Easter this last year and both times I used half and half for all the liquid. Last Sunday I made these for Sunday dinner to go with Perfect Pot Roast and I used 1 % milk for all the liquid, and it did work, but we missed the creamy texture (it was more watery).
I love the buttery, cheesy crust the best. This Potato Gratin is a dish you can make a day or two ahead of time and then pop into the oven when needed. That makes it an especially great recipe for holiday dinners, special occasions and Sunday dinners.
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Classic Potato Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 medium garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 lbs (4- 5 med) red or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled (if desired) and sliced 1/8″ thick
- 1 cup chicken broth*
- 1 cup heavy cream ( half and half or milk will work too)*
- pinch (1/8 tsp) ground nutmeg
- pinch (1/8 tsp) cayenne pepper
- 4 oz cheese, shredded–try Gruyere, cheddar, gouda, parmesan or a combination of cheeses
*You can use 2 cups of half and half or cream instead of one cup of each, broth and cream–both ways work great!!
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Rub the bottom and sides of 1 1/2 quart gratin dish or shallow baking dish with the smashed garlic clove. After rubbing it on the dish, mince the garlic and set aside.
- Wait about 2 minutes for dish to dry and then spread it with about 1/2 Tablespoon of butter.
- Bring potatoes, broth, cream (or half and half) , salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne (if using), and reserved minced garlic, to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium to medium high-heat. Be careful that it is gently simmer so the cream does not break or curdle.
- Stir carefully to keep potatoes from sticking to the bottom, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of a potato slice with some resistance), about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish (or other 1 1/2 quart gratin dish). Sprinkle evenly with the cheese of your choice.You can put the cheese on top only or add a layer in the middle of the dish, if desired.
- Bake until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
**If you want to make this ahead of time, Simply refrigerate after step 6. Once ready to bake, be sure to add some additional baking time to account for being chilled in the fridge.
Adapted from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe
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