Extremely Cheesy Potato Gratin
4.6
(78)
In case you need even more proof that cheese and potatoes make a miraculous combination, we present this decadent-yet-elegant casserole, where nutty Gruyère, sharp cheddar, and cream bubble around thinly sliced russets. While many recipes for gratin and scalloped potatoes layer the potatoes so that they’re lying on top of one another, Carla Lalli Music positions the slices nearly vertical, which ensures even cooking and means every slice has a crispy side (the best part). Made in a pie dish instead of a 13x9" baking dish, it’s also a much more reasonable quantity for a small gathering. Do take the time to peel your potatoes—unencumbered by their skins (which tend to dry out in the oven), the thin slices can soak up all of the delicious cream and turn totally tender.
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What you’ll need
Pie Pan
$19 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$32 At Amazon
Box Grater
$12 At Amazon
8-Inch Chef's Knife
$47 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Large Bowl
$18 At Amazon
Stainless Steel Skewer
$5.89 At Amazon
Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
$12 At Target
Recipe information
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
3
3
3
½
1
½
1¼
Preparation
Step 1
Butter one side of a large (12x12") square of foil with room-temperature unsalted butter. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with another sheet of foil. Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 400°.
Step 2
Grate 3 oz. sharp white cheddar (not aged) and 3 oz. Gruyère on the large holes of a box grater (you should have 1 cup packed of each). Place in a medium bowl, gently toss to combine, and set aside.
Step 3
Scrub 3 lb. russet potatoes (about 6 medium), then peel. Using a sharp chef’s knife (or a mandoline if you have one), slice potatoes crosswise into ¼"-thick rounds, transferring to a large bowl as you go. Very thinly slice ½ large yellow onion crosswise into half-moons, then add to bowl with potatoes.
Step 4
Add 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt and ½ tsp. cayenne pepper and season with freshly ground black pepper; toss to combine and coat potatoes and onions with seasonings.
Step 5
Place pie dish in front of you and imagine that it is the face of a clock. Arrange potato slices in a row in dish, overlapping by about two thirds, to extend in a straight line from ten o’clock to two o’clock (don’t worry about the onions; some will stick to potatoes and come along for the ride, and some won’t). It’s okay if the potato slices are lying flat at this point. Repeat with another row beneath the first one, arranging so second row overlaps halfway over first row.
Step 6
Using your hands, push both rows of potatoes gently toward the top edge (twelve o’clock) of the dish until they slide up the sides toward the rim, and are eventually perched on their outer edges at a steep diagonal and fit snugly into the pan.
Step 7
At this point, the potatoes should stay in place, and you can shingle more potatoes into the dish, row by row and overlapping as before, periodically pushing potatoes snugly together, until the dish is full. Tuck remaining slices of potato and onion in bowl into any available slots (you may have a few pieces of potato that don’t make it into the dish). Discard liquid left in bowl.
Step 8
Place pie dish onto prepared baking sheet (for catching any drips), then gradually pour 1¼ cups heavy cream over potatoes. Top with half of cheese mixture. Cover dish with prepared foil, buttered side down, and crimp very tightly to close.
Step 9
Bake gratin until potatoes are tender when pierced with a paring knife or skewer (uncover to check), 60–75 minutes. It’s okay if some cream has overflowed and browned—that’s what the foil lining is for.
Step 10
Remove gratin from oven and heat broiler. Carefully remove foil, directing the steam away from your face (it will be hot under there), then top gratin with remaining cheese mixture.
Step 11
Broil until cheese is bubbly and browned, about 4 minutes. Let gratin sit at least 10 minutes before serving.
Leave a Review
Reviews (78)
Back to TopCarla… killing the game… I have definite nostalgia for boxed potatoes au gratin. My mom always cooked from scratch so when I ate at my friend’s house and they made the boxed stuff I thought it was so good… I tried the box stuff as an adult and of course it was lacking and it wasn’t right… I made this for my husband for his bday and he was 100% a fan (now I’m in charge of potatoes lol). This was so easy. No bechamel and whatnot. But it gave me the potatoes au gratin vibes that I’ve been looking for…
Julie
Monroe, La
4/5/2024
This recipe delivers a deeply satisfying bite that joins the ranks of the totally-worth-it-calorie-splurge slides to whip up at least once in a while and/or for company! Rather than the (((3 ounces))) of each cheese listed in the ingredients, I opted for "you should have 1 cup packed of each" in the actual directions = omg. SAFETY ALERT: I threw caution to the wind and followed the instruction to put the Pyrex under the broiler which in the world of Pyrex is a HUGE SAFETY NO-NO. So although the desired result was achieved sans any shatter, that was my last run testing fate with a broiler & Pyrex. (Hence the star deduction.) Outside of that, this is a straightforward and easy recipe. I made due with Yukon golds on hand, and even though they were mandolin-sliced too thin -- which I will adjust next time -- the finished dish still looked intentional because of the uniform slices. I'm not a big fan of Cayenne, but used it anyway and was rewarded with a curiously pleasant warm after-bite (not to be confused with a punch of peppery heat). Sayonara to deliciously cheesy tops sticking to foil . . . buttering the foil in order to prevent sticking is a genius hack in my book!
Joanna M
Raleigh, NC
12/11/2022
Six ounces of cheese to three pounds of potatoes doesn't sound "extremely cheesy" to me.
Bob Az
Phoenix AZ
4/1/2022
I would love to make these but can’t see the recipe despite signing in.
Chris
3/3/2022
These were absolutely amazing! Agree with other reviewers - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne which was plenty. Can't imagine how hot it would be if I had used the ½ t. ... and I like spicy! Otherwise, followed recipe as instructed. Because I was making for a small NYE gathering, I opted to bake it for about 50 minutes, removed, cooled and put into fridge overnight. Popped back into oven the next day (after letting it come to room temp for about an hour) for about 35-40 minutes, added the extra cheese, re-covered to melt, then broiler for about 5 minutes - FANTASTIC!
Sandy Mac
Sarasota, FL
1/3/2022
Almost exactly the formula I've been using for many years, one exception: I bring the potato slices to a very gentle boil for ONLY FIVE MINUTES in the cream, and then let them cool before assembling. Softens the potatoes just a tad, but also some of the potato starch leeches into the cream which helps to 'firm' the final iteration. I do like the idea of standing the potato slice up, great alternative.
RobL
Portland, OR
12/30/2021
We loved this recipe, although I made some small changes. I added half of the cheese while layering the potatoes in step 5. Used way less cayenne, just a dash, and added a BIG handful of julienned ham. I sliced my potatoes in the food processor on the 2 cm and 3 cm disk, but left uncovered in the oven (turned it to “convection” mode) just 15 minutes longer as it seemed the potatoes in the very center weren’t fork tender. After the additional bake time it had browned nicely, so no need for the broiling step.
KayLynn
Ohio
12/29/2021