Luxury meets potatoes in this classic French side dish, Potatoes Dauphinoise, introduced to America by the famous Julia Childs.
It sounds fancy but have no fear: it only requires a few ingredients and really is simple to assemble! This dish is perfect for holiday meals-- it's great for Christmas and Easter--and makes for the best side dish to feed a crowd. Check out our side dish playlist for more decadent recipes!
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DAUPHINOISE, AU GRATIN, AND SCALLOPED POTATOES
They all have thinly sliced potatoes. They're all baked in a shallow au gratin dish (or casserole dish). And they're all pret-ty darn creamy and decadent.
While they may look the same at first glance, there are a few factors that differentiate these three classic potato dishes. Scalloped potatoes are made with a roux, while potatoes au gratin are simply cooked in cream.
The main difference between Potatoes Dauphinoise and au gratin potatoes is the way the potatoes are cooked. Dauphinoise potatoes are par-cooked in heavy cream on the stovetop, while au gratins go into the oven raw and cook until tender. Is the oven your go-to cooking method? We have tons of recipes to choose from that are cooked in the oven!
INGREDIENTS FOR POTATO DAUPHINOISE
Potatoes Dauphinoise is layers of thinly sliced potatoes and melty Gruyere cheese. This French dish features potatoes baked a in cream mixture and speckled with notes of fresh thyme and garlic, and the result is a cheesy, crowd-pleasing side dish.
Potatoes | Use a semi-waxy potato, like Yukon Gold potatoes, or starchy potatoes, like Russets for Potatoes Dauphinoise. You want a potato that breaks down and yields an extra creamy texture when cooked. Avoid waxy potatoes like New potatoes or Baby potatoes. Note that Russet potatoes may not take as long to cook through.
Heavy Cream | Heavy cream is used to add richness to these decadent potatoes, but the fat content also plays an important role during the cooking process. Unlike half-and-half and milk, cream does not curdle or easily scald when it reaches high temperatures. Be sure you use heavy cream for this recipe!
Gruyére Cheese | This cheese has a rich, nutty, and creamy texture, making it ideal for a creamy potato side dish. We recommend a young Gruyere over an aged Gruyere for this recipe; younger cheeses are creamier and will melt into a smoother texture.
Thyme | Fresh thyme has little leaves, but packs a ton of flavor into a dish! It is savory, herby, with a subtle similarity to clove. It adds a lovely intricacy of flavors to this dish and is well worth the extra $3 splurge.
Garlic | As you probably already know, garlic and potatoes are a match made in heaven. This ingredient adds both flavor and a beautiful aroma to this dish.
HOW TO MAKE POTAOTES DAUPHINOISE
The first thing to do is preheat your oven to 400°F and have ready either a large au gratin pan or a 9 x 13" baking dish greased with butter.
Set the dish aside and move on to the potatoes. Rinse and peel 2-½ pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes. Cut them into thin, ⅛-inch slices.
There are a few options for cutting your potatoes into uniformly thin slices. If you are good with a knife, you can knock out this task the old-fashioned way using a sharp chef's knife. A mandolin is an excellent tool for slicing potatoes into an even thickness, but my favorite tool of all is the food processor. Most food processors come with a slicer attachment and can uniformly slice potatoes in less than two minutes. I'll have more of that, please.
Once your potatoes are sliced, transfer them to a medium saucepan and add the chopped garlic and sprigs of time. Pour the cream over the potatoes and stir to combine.
Place your saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. As soon as the cream reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to maintain a constant simmer, watching the pot so that it does not boil over.
Stir occasionally and continue to par-cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender, about 10-to-12 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and discard the thyme stems.
Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to add half of the potatoes to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Gruyère cheese. Then, add the remaining potatoes, followed by another sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Slowly pour the warm cream over the potatoes, stopping as soon as the potatoes are covered. You may not need all of the cream in the pan. Then, sprinkle the rest of the Gruyere cheese over the top and cover with aluminum foil.
If your baking dish is full, consider placing a large rimmed baking sheet underneath your baking dish so that cream does not spill over onto the floor of your oven.
Bake for 40 minutes covered. Then, remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 15-to-20 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool for a minimum of 15-to-20 minutes before serving.
If you enjoy yummy potato sides, save Potato Patties, Mashed Potatoes with Skin, or Simple Baby Dutch Potatoes.
HOW TO AVOID SOUPY POTATOES
If you don't want to serve soupy potatoes, it is super important that you allow your potatoes to rest once they come out of the oven. They need at least 15 minutes at room temperature before serving. However, you can leave them for as long as 30 minutes, and they will stay warm!
6 MORE POTATO RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Cheese Potato Casserole
- Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Roasted Baby Potatoes
Cheesy Potato Casserole | Perfect Side Dish
Crispy Roasted Potatoes
Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes Recipe
Potatoes Dauphinoise
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 6 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 ½ cups freshly grated Gruyere cheese
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 scant teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° and have ready a large au gratin pan or 9x13" baking dish greased with butter. Set aside until ready to use.
- Rinse and peel the potatoes. Using either a sharp knife, a mandoline, or a food processor fitted with the slicer attachment, cut the potatoes about a ⅛" thick.
- Transfer the potatoes to a medium-sized saucepan and the chopped garlic and thyme. Pour over cream to cover and stir to combine. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to maintain a constant simmer, and stir occasionally. Remove from the heat once the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the stovetop, and discard the thyme stems. Do NOT discard the cream.
- Using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, transfer half of the potatoes to the prepared dish, and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt and a scant ½ teaspoon of pepper over the potatoes. Top with 1-½ cup of Gruyere cheese.
- Use a slotted spoon to add the remaining potatoes on top, and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon salt and a scant ½ teaspoon of pepper. Slowly add the cream to the casserole dish, stopping as soon as the potatoes are covered. You may not need all of the cream in the pot. Sprinkle over the remaining 2 cups of Gruyere cheese and cover with aluminum foil.
- Transfer the prepared dish to a heavy-duty baking sheet to keep any drippings from hitting the floor of your oven. Bake for 40 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake for 15-20 minutes more, until golden and bubbly. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
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