Classic French-Style au Gratin (Dauphinoise) Potatoes
I may have cracked a genius code! I think many of us have made au gratin potatoes, cooked them for hours, and still found they’re not quite tender enough to eat. I’m absolutely giving myself away when I say I’ve done this many times. The urge to skip par cooking the potatoes is always stronger than my absolute knowledge they will not bake in time for dinner. When I set out to make these beautiful potatoes for you, in all honestly I was dreading the cooking of the thin slices. I do have a recipe I love for dauphinoise potatoes (potatoes cooked in cream) wherein I simmer the sliced potatoes in the cream and milk before I add them to the baking dish. But while I was slicing the potatoes for this recipe, something incredible happened. I thought, Danielle, what if you steamed the potatoes with a bit of water in the pan? I had to try it. So, before any cream hit these spuds I baked them with just one cup of water, and the result was GENIUS. The potatoes were fork-tender in some areas and a bit al dente in others but perfectly ready for cream! The oven did all the work! I didn’t have to boil anything! These potatoes are not only delicious, they are easy and they make all your French dreams come true! Happy cooking and merry Christmas! This recipe brought to you in partnership with the Idaho Potato Commission.
Equipment
- 9×13 baking pan
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Yukon gold Idaho potatoes
- 1 cup water
- 2 shallots or 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5/6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 cloves of garlic sliced
- 1 1/2 cups grated fresh Parmesan plus more for sprinkling on top
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk or half & half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice 4 pounds (roughly 12) medium gold potatoes.
- Line a metal 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and stack thin potatoes on their sides to fill the whole pan. I like to mix up the layers so they are not all uniform.
- Slice onions and tuck throughout the potatoes.
- Pour water over potatoes and season generously with salt & pepper. Add fresh thyme.
- Cover potatoes with another piece of parchment paper, then cover that with foil. Tightly seal the dish.
- Bake 30-45 minutes.
- Remove potatoes and add fresh garlic, parmesan, cream, and milk.
- Using a fork, move potatoes around in between the layers so that cream touches between each potato slice.
- Cover tightly and return to the oven 30-45 minutes (the pan may bubble over, so it’s best to place on a baking tray).
- Remove potatoes and uncover. Add a bit more cheese and bake another 10-15 minutes, uncovered.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
