Au Gratin Potatoes

Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes are simply pure comfort food. I’m going to show you how to make the best cheesy potatoes au gratin you’ll ever eat. These remind me of when I was a little girl. 

My mom either made these or au gratin potatoes with bacon for Sunday dinner. A memory I’ll always cherish!

 

Easy Au Gratin Potatoes

There’s something about potatoes that I find absolutely irresistible. Among my favorites are these crockpot mashed potatoes and of course, traditional mashed potatoes. But there’s something about cheesy Au Gratin potatoes that I just love.

Did you know that the terms scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin are really referring to the same thing? The main difference is that au gratin is baked with a cheese topping.

Ingredients you will need

• Butter – It doesn’t matter if you use salted or unsalted, either one is fine. Margarine is okay too if you prefer.
• Yellow onion – Use any variety of yellow or white onion you happen to have in your kitchen.
• All-purpose flour – This is mainly a thickening agent for the creamy cheese sauce. Don’t use whole wheat flour.
• Garlic – You can use freshly minced garlic, or the minced garlic in a jar is fine. Just don’t use dried minced garlic.
• Whole milk – Can you substitute with skim milk? Yes, but whole milk will make a richer sauce. If you must substitute, 2% would be better than skim.
• Sharp cheddar cheeses – In this recipe I use both a yellow sharp cheddar and a sharp white. The combination is delicious, but if you only have yellow cheddar that’s totally fine. I don’t recommend using bagged pre-shredded cheese however. They contain anti-caking agents that can feel gritty when melted.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper – The measurements I give in the recipe are just suggestions. You can adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.
• Yukon Gold potatoes – Red skinned potatoes are also delicious is this dish, but I like Yukon Golds for baked dishes. There’s also no need to peel them due to their color, so you keep the nutrients!
• Fresh parsley – Adding chopped parsley at the end is purely for looks, it doesn’t enhance the flavor of the dish. It’s just pretty. Besides, I have massive amounts growing in my garden!

Helpful kitchen tools:

• Mandolin or a food processor
• Cutting board
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• 13×9 baking dish
• Serving spoon

How to Make Au Gratin Potatoes

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Then grease a 13 x 9 baking dish and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan then add the onion and saute it for 3 minutes. The onion will be tender and slightly translucent.

3. Add the minced garlic and saute it for about 30 seconds. Too much longer and it will begin to brown, essentially burning all the flavor out.
4. Next, sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic and saute another minute.
5. Now you’ll want to slowly add the milk to the flour mixture, all the while whisking continuously.

6. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
7. Now remove the pan from the heat and stir in both of the shredded cheeses until smooth.

8. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and set it aside.

9. Wash the potatoes and slice (do not peel) them into 1/6-inch slices. The easiest way to do this is with a mandolin or a food processor, but you can certainly do it with a knife if you prefer.
10. Spread half of the potato slices in an even layer into the prepared baking dish, making sure the slices are separated.

11. Carefully pour half of the cheese sauce evenly over the first layer of potatoes.
12. Next, spread the remaining potato slices over the first layer of sauce.
13. Carefully pour the remaining cheese sauce over the top of the second layer of potatoes.

14. Place the dish in the oven and bake until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Depending on your oven, this will take about 55 – 70 minutes.
15. When the potatoes are done, you can brown the top by popping the dish under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, watching them carefully.
16. Sprinkle some chopped fresh parsley over the top and serve to your hungry family or guests.

These are the best potatoes au gratin you’ll ever make!

More of my potato recipes 

• My Bacon Topped Three Cheese Potatoes are often referred to as “funeral potatoes”. They are great as a potluck take-along!
• If you have a cast iron skillet, be sure to try my skillet roast potatoes, they are truly delicious.
• I love my crispy roast potatoes, all those crunchy edges are the best and I always get rave reviews.
• Whenever I want to impress someone I’ll make my Hasselback Potatoes. Pair them with a juicy steak on the grill. 
• Crispy and crunchy potato pancakes are pan-fried to golden brown perfection.
• Funeral potatoes are hands down one of the best dishes to feed a crowd with about 20 minutes of prep time.

Au Gratin Potatoes

Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes are simply pure comfort food. Here's the best cheesy scalloped potatoes recipe you'll ever make!

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Sides

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 people

1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Calories: 361

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 2 ¾ cups whole milk
• ▢ 2.5 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese about 3/4 cup
• ▢ 2.5 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese about 3/4 cup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 ¾ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and saute 3 minutes.
• Add garlic, saute 30 seconds.
• Add flour and saute another minute.
• Slowly add milk to the flour mixture, whisking continuously. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in both cheeses.
• Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and set aside.
• Wash potatoes and slice (do not peeinto 1/6-inch slices using a mandolin. Spread half of the potatoes into an even layer in prepared baking dish, making sure slices are separated.
• Pour half the sauce evenly over potatoes.
• Spread remaining potatoes over the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over the top of the potatoes.
• Bake in preheated oven until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 55 – 70 minutes. For browner potatoes, pop under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, watching them carefully.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 361cal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 655mg | Potassium: 1068mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 369mg | Iron: 7.2mg

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Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy