Potatoes au Gratin Recipe (2024)

Hi All! We've updated the recipe to include ingredient amounts and to clarify the instructions. I hope it helps!

I layer leeks and onions between the potato layers, use heavy cream and go light on the cheese but heavy on the garlic. It's delicious. I'm making this for Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Typical Mark Bittman recipe - the base is simple and great as is but it is also endlessly customizable. I had whipping cream and no cheese, so I did a 3 parts cream, one part veg broth that I poured over the potatoes and butter. I tossed in some crushed garlic and added salt and pepper. I followed the cooking directions as written. My husband called these potatoes the lobster of vegetables. Thanks Mark! This recipe is a keeper.

So do you cook the entire pan of potatoes and cream, etc. on the stovetop and then move to the oven?

The texture was good but it was bland--I definitely should have added salt--lots of salt--during the cooking process, and I regret not following my initial impulse, which was to layer it with caramelized onions. The technique is useful but it needs more flavor!

The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity and that it’s endlessly riffable. So many other gratin recipes have 10 extra steps, have to be cooked way longer, etc, but these potatoes came out tender, creamy, and delicious. I mixed a good bit of salt, dried thyme, a few cloves of microplaned garlic in with the sliced potatoes before layering them in a cast iron with some diced shallot. Hit the gruyere with the broiler towards the end to brown that top up and came out sooo nice.

Even though I usually add salt to any potato recipe, I made this just with potatoes and heavy cream. The potatoes are almost completely cooked by the time they go into the oven. Cheese added at the end is just gilding the lily. I found that the flavor of the 2 main ingredients was sublime, and the earthiness of the humble spud was exalted to glorious levels by the lovely silky cream. Do not rinse the sliced potatoes. The starch is essential for thickening the cream.

Made this in my cast iron skillet and it was a hit for thanksgiving. I used Parmesan and a black truffle gruyere and added parsley, shallots, and garlic. I used cheese and the diced shallots/garlic in between every layer - absolutely divine. You’ll want to give it lots of time on the stove to reduce (30 minutes) before going in the oven. I also gave extra time after changing oven temp to 300 and finished in the broiler at the very end to get good color on top.

I simply place unpeeled yukon sliced potatoes in a bowl with cream, wipe a casserole with halved garlic then arrange the sliced potatoes in layers, sprinkling each with salt, pepper and perhaps sauteed leeks. Then I pour the cream on, top with cheese and bake at 375 for an hour. For make ahead, I bake for 40 min. and then before serving bake for the additional 20-25 min. Otherwise just bake for about an hour.

To make a real Gratin Dauphinois, I only use potatoes and whole milk, with for the seasoning an add of a little garlic, butter and nutmeg, that's all. The secret of this popular cuisine is its modesty and simplicity, and to do it well, you have to know how to refrain : no cheese, because then this dish becomes really indigestible. Best cuisine is poor, wait dessert to eat rich (Christmas or Easter) !

Creamy, tender potatoes with just the right amount of cheese make this a very easy and elegant side dish. Next time, I'd add salt to taste and a pinch of crushed red pepper. The instruction "until the liquid level drops" isn't really specific enough. I let the liquid drop by about 1/4, but would let it drop much more than that for a more intense flavor.

Is it just me or does the ingredient list just say “potatoes, 2 tbsp butter, grated cheese”?? Perhaps this recipe on the app needs to be updated.

Thanks, in part, to your experience, I simmered the potatoes on the stovetop for a good 30 minutes. Then I popped them in the oven for about 10 minutes. Delish! Don't be dissuaded. Try again.

I added ham and broccoli in the middle. Delicious, but required just a bit less liquid as the dish was less potato heavy. Otherwise, I really like the simple rule of thumb nature to this recipe.

This is a gratin Dauphinois( from the Alpine province of Dauphiné, eastern France), so it would be best cooked with grated Gruyère or Comté cheese. You would not need so much salt, and it would taste much better.

Made this last night for dinner guests. I'm not a fan of making something for the first time for guests but NYT Cooking hasn't ever done me wrong. I did three layers in a cast iron skillet. I salted the potatoes in a big bowl first and peppered the middle layer. I added in shallots. Good lord was this good! Everyone raved about it! I'll be making this again for sure!

My spouse made this with 3 cups of whipping cream and it was much too rich. And I love cream! A great base recipe, but next time, I'll replace half of the cream with broth.

Don’t fret over the times and steps in this recipe! It’s great and extremely simple. Slice the potatoes, add the salt and pepper for each layer (and it’s hard to add too much if using Diamond Crystal), add half and half until pan or vessel of potatoes is 3/4 full. You can start on the stovetop and place in the oven - but just as easy to put in the oven for about 45 minutes, then add a bit of cheese and broil until slightly brown.

Just made this on a snow day from work. I am allergic to cow dairy, but I had some fresh goat milk on hand that I was looking to use in a special recipe. I reduced the milk volume on the stove. Layered caramelized onions with the potato slices, sprinkled with fresh pepper and truffle salt. Small amount of goat Gruyere on top. This was outstanding! What a treat!

Rave reviews for this dish at my dinner party tonight. It was the first time I made it … always nerve wracking to do that for guests … but was so easy, instructions were clear and the results amazing. Don’t omit the nutmeg. It is going to be a regular at our house.

Sadly, this curdled. I used half and half as stated. Tastes fine but looks disappointing.

This terrific method worked for me-- much faster than using an oven alone. As suggested by Mr. Bittman, I took liberties. I used unpeeled red potatoes in a 4 qt Dutch oven. Between the layers: 3/4 of an onion, caramelized; dots of butter; grated Gruyere. To the half & half, I added a heaping tsp of wholegrain dijon mustard. For the lower temp bake at the end, I topped with Gruyere and coarsely chopped pecans. Mustard, Gruyere and nuts were always in my mom's potatoes, subtle and delicious.

These were great, but the cooking time was much longer (both stove and oven) than the recipe specified.

Perfect for when you want a tasty but simple potato dish that is not the usual roasted potatoes. I like to use half broth for the liquid, so it’s a less rich, but still flavorful. Thyme is our favor herb addition. It reheats beautifully!

This recipe is delicious, and as many have said, easy to adapt. I make a cheese sauce by sautéing leeks and garlic in butter, then sifting flour in to make a roux, and then thinning with some chicken broth, and then cream, on low heat. I mix in some country dijon and cayenne and of course lots of salt and pepper. Layer the potatoes, then sauce, then cheese - a mix of cheddar and parmesan. A few layers later, cheese on top, and bake. Never any leftovers.

Didn't reduce to anything close to half within the ten minutes. Potatoes were cooked in the time but the sauce was liquid after nearly 45 minutes. Left it in even longer but never did thicken. I don't know if using Yukon gold affected this vs the russet. And heavy heavy hand the seasoning. Was missing salt even with salting each layer of potatoes. I think this could be good but it didn't turn out for myself.

This was delicious, nostalgic, and dead simple. I followed the recipe as written, while feeling doubtful that the potatoes would be properly cooked in the time indicated. I should have had more faith in Mark Bittman. We were rewarded with tender, delicious potatoes bathed in creamy sauce and lovely patches of golden brown yumminess on top. I added some very thinly sliced onion between the potato layers. This is the perfect thing to make on a cold night.

Thought I’d have leftovers but family devoured this with our holiday ham! Warmed half and half up with thyme and seasoned potatoes with a salt/pepper/garlic mixture.

I agree with the other commentators. Don't skimp on the salt. Add caramelized onions and/or herbs. It will take more time to reduce on the stove than you think. Good baseline recipe.

Add lots of black pepper and lots of leeks (not in the recipe) This dish was devoured on Christmas Eve. Highly recommended.