According to Wikipedia, gratin is a widespread culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using grated cheese, egg or butter.

Potato Casserole Side Dish

Here is a recipe for a side dish featuring potatoes, which I served as part of our Thanksgiving Day menu. I was trying to serve some different dishes this year, that were a bit of a change from what I normally serve. I didn’t want to make mashed potatoes this year, but knew my family would freak if the only potato dish I served was roasted sweet potatoes. So I searched a few of my cookbooks and on line cooking sites and came up with this recipe for Potato Gratin Casserole.

I used regular baking potatoes for this recipe, but you could use yellow skin, red skin or whatever variety of potatoes you prefer. I used a 50-50 mix of panko breadcrumbs and Italian flavored breadcrumbs to top off the au gratin potatoes before placing it in the oven. You can use whatever type of cheese you like in this recipe, such as gruyere, swiss, fontina, provolone, mozzarella, havarti, munster, etc.

Au Gratin Potatoes Casserole Recipe

Lynn Smythe

Recipe to make a classic au gratin potatoes casserole with creamy cheese sauce.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 30

Resting Time 15

Total Time 2 5

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8 people

Equipment

Medium sauce pan
Wire whisk
Spatula
Vegetable peeler
Cutting board
Large knife or vegetable slicer
Ceramic casserole dish or glass baking pan

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups milk
1 clove garlic peeled and minced
1/2 cup shredded gruyere or swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 pounds potatoes Yukon gold or red skin work best
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the butter to a medium sauce pan placed over low heat.
Whisk the flour and nutmeg into the melted butter.
Turn the heat to medium and whisk in the milk and garlic.
Continue to whisk while bringing the sauce to a gentle boil.
Turn off the heat and move the sauce pan to another burner.
Whisk in the gruyere/swiss and cheddar cheeses. Set aside while you prepare the potatoes.
Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. I used a mandoline vegetable slicer to get uniformly thick, thin slices.
Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Place layers of potatoes in the bottom of the dish.
Pour the prepared cheese sauce on top of the potatoes.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the casserole.
Place the casserole in the oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the top has turned a medium brown.
Remove the casserole from the oven and place on a heat proof surface.
Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the chopped parsley.
Let the potatoes sit for at least 10-15 minutes before serving. The sauce will be molten lava when you first remove it from the oven. Let it set up for a few minutes and the sauce will start to cool down and thicken.

Notes

For a meat-eaters version, add a bit of chopped ham or crumbled, cooked bacon in between the layers of sliced potatoes.

You can make au gratin potatoes in advance. I made my potato casserole early Thanksgiving morning and stored it in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Leftovers, if there are any, can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

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Keyword casserole, potatoes