Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes
Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes are the ultimate cheesy side dish, perfect for pairing with pork, beef, poultry, or seafood. Easy to make with simple ingredients, this classic French recipe is comfort food at its best.
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INGREDIENTS
For Potatoes
- 2 pounds starchy potatoes (I like Golden), cut into ⅛ inch thick slices
- 1 medium brown or red onion, cut into thin circles
For Cheesy Sauce
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 5 tablespoon all purpose flour, or gluten-free flour blend
- 1 cup milk, plant-based nut milk like almond is perfect
- ½ cup veggie or meat broth, or bio bouillon cube dissolved in hot water according to instructions
- 1 ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced or paste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme, (or dried rosemary)
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or add to taste up to 2 tsp
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Top with:
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, for garnish
- fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Melt butter in a skillet/pan over medium heat. Add garlic and gradually add flour, constantly whisking at the same time until a roux has formed.3 tablespoon butter, 2 large garlic cloves, 5 tablespoon all purpose flour
- Stir in the veggie broth, milk slowly and whisk vigorously.½ cup veggie or meat broth, 1 cup milk
- Finally, add in the cheddar and whisk until the cheese is fully melted and set aside.1 ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese
- Layer the potato slices in an 8x12 or 9x13 inch dish (butter or spray with cooking spray prior), add the onion sliced in between. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried thyme.2 pounds starchy potatoes (I like Golden), ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 medium brown or red onion
- Pour the cheese sauce all over the potato slices, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Remove the foil and top with mozzarella cheese and return to the oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, slightly browned. You can use the broiler method but be careful as the cheese can burn very quickly.½ cup mozzarella cheese, fresh thyme sprigs, 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
NOTES
- Potatoes - use starchy potatoes like Yukon, Russet, Idaho which are great for baking, mashing, and deep-frying.
- Salt - in this recipe I added 1 teaspoon however for every person it’s different and some people like their food to have enough salt all the time. I am trying to decrease my salt consumption by adding less and less each time, and after tasting the final ready-cooked dish I can always add a little extra if needed so. Feel free to bump the salt to 2 teaspoon to be sure.
- Thyme - sub to dried rosemary or add few fresh sprigs to the mix (just be careful and remove them when serving). Or if you not feeling the herbs, simply leave them out, but they add a little twist to the traditional potato au gratin recipe.
- Paprika - sprinkle the smoked or regular paprika powder over the potatoes just before adding the sauce.
- Toppings - if you in the mood, sprinkle with slightly cooked bacon pieces all over the potatoes in the last round of baking, just before topping with cheddar cheese. Alternatively, add uncooked small bacon or ham slices between the potatoes along with the onion slices.
- If you're like me and love a little heat in your meals, add 1 teaspoon of chili flakes to the cooked sauce, right before topping the potatoes au gratin.
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
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