Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

Learn how to make the perfect homemade au gratin potatoes. This simple but tasty side dish can be served with steak, chicken, or fish.

Homemade au gratin potatoes are one of our family’s very favorite potato dishes. Since many of us hail from the great state of Idaho, we know a thing or two about potatoes. We take our spuds seriously around here. These are so delicious and easy to make for any main dish you have!

These homemade au gratin potatoes are simple to make deliciously rich and so creamy! We love serving them with Easter or Christmas ham dinner, roast chicken, meatloaf, pot roast, or salmon. Just about any meat dish just tastes better with these potatoes served alongside. Leave your diet at the door for just a minute and enjoy a heaping helping of these cheesy potatoes; you will not regret a single bite!

Ingredients for Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

Create the best side dish with this homemade au gratin potatoes recipe! It is full of potatoes, garlic, and butter, with a creamy base that has a cheesy topping throughout. You will love the flavor combination of these homemade au gratin potatoes and how simple they are to make!

• Yukon gold potatoes – Yukon Golds are a MUST-have for this homemade au gratin potatoes recipe. You can also use russet potatoes. Both of these potatoes are thick and withstand heat and won’t become mushy.
• Cloves garlic – One clove of fresh garlic gives this dish so much flavor.
• Butter – The butter helps the potatoes and sauce not stick to the sides of the pan. You don’t want to melt butter for this homemade au gratin potatoes recipe. It is used for buttering the edges instead.
• Liquid – Milk and heavy cream warmed together to make a creamy, rich cheese sauce for the potatoes to sit in.
• Gruyère cheese – See below for why we use gruyere cheese. You can use cheddar cheese if you don’t have gruyere, but I would recommend sharp cheddar cheese.

Best Potatoes to Use for Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe

The best potatoes to use for the dish are gold potatoes. They are smooth and creamy in texture and have a sweet flavor. The inside of the potato is a golden color – thus the name “Yukon Gold.” But if you have russets on hand, by all means, use them! They are flaky and light and can make delicious homemade au gratin potatoes.

What is Gruyere Cheese?

I tried a variety of cheese in this dish that I had never tried before – gruyere cheese. The semi-soft cheese is especially flavorful and rich. You can find gruyere cheese in the specialty cheese section in your local grocery store. I found it near the Swiss cheeses. Gruyere cheese is slightly salty and has a creamy, nutty flavor. It is known as being one of the finest cheeses for baking. It melts beautifully and turns a golden brown when baked on top of a casserole or dish in the oven.

How to Make Easy Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

It doesn’t take long to prepare and enjoy these homemade au gratin potatoes! This potato side dish recipe is so simple to make and comes together in minutes. You will love how delicious it is and watching your kids enjoy a vegetable they love!

1. Prepare – First, slice the potatoes. You can use a mandolin slicer or a very sharp knife. You want to get the slices to about ¼ inch. Then, place the potato slices in a bowl of cold water to keep them from turning brown.
2. Cut and rub – Cut the clove of garlic in half. Rub the two halves all over the bottom and sides of a glass baking dish. Then rub the butter over the dish as well.
3. Bubble boil – In a small saucepan, heat the milk and heavy cream until it starts to bubble slightly. Remove from heat. Then, drain the water from the potato slices.
4. Assemble – In the bottom of the baking dish, layer half of the potatoes and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour half of the cream mixture over the potatoes and then sprinkle half of the cheese on top of that. Repeat another layer of potatoes, salt and pepper, cream, and cheese.
5. Bake – Bake until the potatoes are tender and the cheese is golden brown on top.

Tips for Perfect Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

Creamy and cheese homemade au gratin potatoes are just what you want with this dish! It is so simple to make and assemble every time. Follow these helpful tips for some help when assembling and even a recipe for making it in the slow cooker. These tips will make the best homemade au gratin potatoes!

• Cookie sheet – A helpful tip for baking these in the oven is to place the casserole dish on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil. This will help with clean up if the potatoes boil over while cooking, or if it tips when putting them into or pulling them out of the oven.
• Slicing – Slice potatoes between ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Any thinner and the potatoes will be too crisp. Thicker slices won’t cook as evenly.
• Layering – Layer potatoes by overlapping the slices slightly. This will help keep the sauce in place so it won’t all seep to the bottom.
• Extra cheese – Add more cheese like cheddar to the Gruyere mixture for even more cheesy flavor.
• Add-ins – We love to add cooked bacon chopped up, chives, or green onions for extra texture. Try it with different herbs like fresh thyme or rosemary for flavor variations!
• Slow cook recipe – For a slow cooker option, see our recipe for Slow Cooker Au Gratin Potatoes.
• Garnish – Garnish with parsley on top for a beautiful appearance!

Different Names for Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

These potatoes au gratin are also called scalloped potatoes or Dauphinoise (dah-feen-was) potatoes. This dish originally comes from the Dauphine region in southeast France. My family has always called them homemade au gratin potatoes, but my husband grew up eating “scalloped”. It took us having quite a little argument to realize we were talking about the same recipe! No matter what you call them, these potatoes are sure to disappear quickly at your next gathering.

“This recipe has the perfect combo of flavors. So creamy and cheesy. Thank you!”

-Laura

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

You will love how nice it is to make these homemade au gratin potatoes ahead of time! This is perfect for making ahead, storing, and heating appropriately. Take the time out of preparing and enjoy more family time having these extra storing tips!

• Make ahead – Plan to make these ahead of time will give you the freedom to choose when to bake them. These are a popular holiday dish and making them ahead and storing them is a great option!
• Refrigerator – Place the made-ahead or leftover homemade au gratin potatoes in an airtight container or baking dish that is covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. This will last in the fridge for three to four days.
• Freezer – Store the made-ahead potatoes in a baking dish or aluminum baking dish and tightly cover in the freezer for three months.
• Freezer to oven – Place the frozen homemade au gratin potatoes in the oven and bake according to the directions on the recipe card. Be sure to add more time because they are frozen instead of prepared the day of.
• Heating – Take your leftovers or your refrigerated homemade au gratin potatoes place them in the oven and bake according to the directions in the recipe card. Since the leftovers have already been heated just warm through with half the time. You can also heat the leftovers in the microwave.

What To Serve with Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

Add a serving of these cheesy, creamy homemade au gratin potatoes to any of these dishes and you’ll have a stunning meal everyone will love!

Dinner

Honey Baked Ham Recipe

Instant Pot

Instant Pot Chuck Roast

Dinner

Tri Tip Roast

Dinner

Lemon Pepper Chicken

How to Make Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes