Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe

This Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe is a classic side dish that we serve every Christmas. This casserole dish is made with thinly slice potatoes, onions and a creamy sauce is poured over to make a cheesy casserole recipe.

This au gratin potatoes or our Crock Pot Au Gratin Potatoes are always on the menu and a family favorite.

What are Au Gratin Potatoes?

Au gratin potatoes is a side dish that is made up of potatoes, cream and cheese. These ingredients are placed in a casserole dish and baked.

Why We Love Au Gratin Potatoes

We love that this potato casserole is loaded with two different types of cheese that makes the perfect creamy sauce. The potatoes are baked fork tender to make an amazing holiday side dish.

Our Christmas dinner usually consist of the traditional recipes. We love to make a roasted turkey and ham with many different sides.

Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

Substitutions and Additions

• Cheese – You can easily substitute the cheese to what you prefer or have on hand. Pepper Jack cheese would be a good addition as it would add a little spice.
• Add Meats – Feel free to add in some diced ham or shredded chicken. If you add in meats this could easily be served as a main dish.
• Seasoning – We used simple seasoning in this recipe. Feel free to change or add an additional flavors.
• Milk – Heavy cream could be an easy substitute for milk. The sauce would be creamier and hearty.

How to Make Au Gratin Potatoes

• Step 1 – Heat oven and prepare baking dish – Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 2.5 or 3 quart casserole pan with a non-stick cooking spray.

Step 2 – Layer potatoes and onions in pan – Layer the potatoes and sliced onions into the casserole dish.  You want to make slanted rows and layer the sliced potatoes on top of each, leaving room in between so the sauce can get into between the potatoes.

Step 3 – Melt butter and mix in additional ingredients – Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the flour and stir until combined.  Then whisk in the milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Cook for 2-3 minutes whisking continuously until the mixture thickens.

Step 4 – Stir in Cheeses – Then remove the saucepan from the heat and then immediately stir in the shredded cheeses.

Step 5 – Pour cheese over potatoes – Pour the cheese sauce even over the potatoes in the casserole dish making sure that they are all covered with the cheese sauce.

• Step 6 – Cover and Bake – Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 60 minutes.  Then remove the foil and bake for 20-30 minutes until the top of the potatoes are browned and the potatoes are fork tender.
• Step 7 – Rest, Serve and Enjoy – Let the potatoes sit for 20-30 minutes before serving.  Then top with the fresh parsley and it’s ready to enjoy.

Expert Tips

• Cheese – When preparing your ingredients, make sure to shred your cheese from hunk cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has added ingredients that are not necessary. The cheese melts and taste better when you shred it yourself.
• Potatoes – Make sure to cut the potatoes about the same size. This allows for the side dish to cook evenly.
• Tender Potatoes – If you prefer, you can softened the potatoes before placing in the casserole dish. Just heat them up in the microwave and then place in the baking dish.
• Sauce to thin – If you feel like your cheesy sauce it to thin or the dish seems to watery, you may need to use heavy cream instead of milk. Using heavy results in a thicker sauce.
• Baking Casserole – Bake the casserole covered for about 60 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking for about 20 minutes or potatoes are tender. You can even add more cheese to the top to get the top golden brown.

What Kind of Potatoes are best?

This recipe calls for russet potatoes but you can use other types of potatoes. We just recommend slicing the potatoes about the same size so they cook evenly. Here are our recommendations for the potatoes to use.

• Russet Potatoes
• Red Skinned Potatoes
• Yellow Gold Potatoes
• Baking Potatoes

We peeled our potatoes before placing into the casserole dish, but if you use the red skinned potatoes or the yellow gold you may prefer to leave the skin on.

Scalloped Potatoes vs Potatoes Au Gratin

Scalloped Potatoes and Potatoes Au Gratin are both potato dishes. They are very similar and some may think there really is not a difference.

The only real difference is the cheese and maybe even the toppings. Au gratin is baked in a creamy cheesy sauce where scalloped potatoes has layers of cheese within the potatoes.

This recipe is often called scalloped potatoes but with cheese. We love them both and the recipes are very similar so call it what you prefer.

What to Serve with Au Gratin Potatoes

This Au Gratin Potatoes side dish is a classic that we serve every holiday. I have even made it throughout the year as it is so easy to make. It also pairs well with any type of meat.

• Roasted Turkey
• Crock Pot Ham
• Steak
• Pork Chops
• Grilled Chicken

What is the Best Cheese for Potatoes Au Gratin?

When choosing the best cheese for your Potatoes Au Gratin, you want to choose a cheese that has bold flavors. These are some of our suggestions.

• Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Gruyere Cheese
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese

You should be able to locate gruyere cheese at your local grocery store. But Mozzarella Cheese will work too. We just highly recommend on shredding the cheese yourself for best results.

Pre-shredded cheese contains added ingredients and may not melt as well hunk cheese.