Cheesy Dauphinoise Potatoes, also known as Potatoes au Gratin, are a classic dish of thinly sliced potatoes, baked in a creamy, cheesy sauce.
What Are Dauphinoise Potatoes?
There’s something undeniably comforting about a dish that asks so little yet delivers so much, and Dauphinoise Potatoes are exactly that kind of magic. Originating from France’s Dauphiné region, this classic casserole is all about slow, gentle indulgence, thin layers of potatoes baked in a bath of silky cream, kissed with garlic, and finished with just enough seasoning to let the natural sweetness of the potatoes shine.
As the dish bakes, the potatoes soften into a tender, almost custard-like texture, while the top turns beautifully golden and lightly crisp. Every scoop gives you that contrast: creamy beneath, delicate crunch above. It’s rustic enough for a cozy winter supper yet elegant enough to sit beside a holiday roast.
Dauphinoise Potatoes aren’t just a side dish, they’re an experience, the kind that fills the kitchen with warmth and keeps everyone lingering a little longer at the table. Let the French have their complicated sauces; this is simplicity at its most luxurious.
For The Love Of Potatoes
The love for potatoes is real because they are incredibly versatile, easy to prepare, very filling and relatively affordable.
Whether dressed up in the form of au gratin potatoes as a side dish for a formal dinner, down home in the form of fries, served as the entre as is twice baked potatoes or seared and baked fondant potatoes to serve alongside a Wellington, potatoes are loved by nearly everyone!
Potatoes don’t get any more luscious than in this classic French style of serving potatoes.
But, what’s to love most, is that this elegant potato dish is easy to assemble ahead, bake just before serving or bake a day in advance.
Also, using a biscuit cutter, to press out individual portions in advance, makes for elegant serving, for a more special occasion plate.
Why Americans Should Embrace Dauphinoise Potatoes
If there’s one thing Americans understand deeply, it’s the power of a good casserole, something bubbly, comforting, easy to share, and even easier to love.
Dauphinoise potatoes fit beautifully into that tradition, offering all the cozy familiarity of a beloved casserole but with a touch of French elegance that feels right at home on a holiday table or weekend gathering.
A Cheesy Au Gratin As The Ultimate Comfort Food
Four reasons why Americans will embrace a cheesy potato au gratin as the ultimate comfort food:
- First, it’s comfort food at its finest. Layers of tender potatoes, warm cream, and garlic bake into the kind of creamy, soothing dish that naturally holds a spot next to roasted turkey, glazed ham, or a pot roast. It has that same “serve a crowd” spirit Americans adore, just with a silkier, more refined texture.
- Second, it elevates the spread without complicating it. Dauphinoise looks fancy, golden-topped, beautifully layered, but the method is wonderfully straightforward. It’s the kind of dish guests assume takes all day, when in truth it’s as hands-off as assembling a lasagna. Set it in the oven, enjoy the aroma drifting through the house, and let it be the quiet showstopper on the buffet.
- Third, it feels both traditional and new. It’s a comforting casserole… but not the one everyone expects. Amid the usual lineup of stuffing, green bean bakes, and cheesy potatoes, Dauphinoise brings a touch of European nostalgia that pairs beautifully with American classics, adding interest without abandoning the familiar.
- And finally, it’s a crowd-pleaser for all ages. Kids love its creamy mildness, adults love its richness, and cooks love that it reheats like a dream, making it perfect not just for holidays but for Sunday suppers and potlucks.
Holiday Cheesy Potatoes Dauphinoise
Who makes a huge serving of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other holiday meal?
Then you know the importance of serving a fabulous potato dish that doesn’t require so much extra work, those last moments before serving.
Mashed potatoes do require last minute work while these elegant potatoes do not!
Why stand there and mash potatoes, mash and mash while other things on the stove, and in the oven need your attention?
Dauphinoise Potatoes
Potatoes au Gratin, or Dauphinoise potatoes, are the perfect solution for a busy cook because they can be assembled a day in advance and baked to a crispy edge, creamy inside, perfection.
The only thing to do once baked, is slice or scoop and serve.
These beautifully constructed, layered potatoes look elegant when pressed with a biscuit cutter for individual servings.
Cheesy Potatoes au Gratin
Do your holiday mashed potatoes start to dry out the longer they sit on your lovely holiday spread? These creamy cheesy potatoes won’t!
Cheesy potatoes au gratin can be done in a pie dish, or a large baking pan and baked a day ahead.
The baked crispy cheese edges warm beautifully the next day or several days later. Make these in small individual serving baking dishes or for a large crowd, either way the portions are easy to arrange or rearrange.
Potatoes Numerous Ways
Don’t get me wrong, when I serve Dauphinoise potatoes, they often steal the show away from the protein options on the plate.
However, these beauties are easily challenged by a variety of other favorite potato dishes.
After all, who doesn’t love the humble potato!
- Fancy French Fondant Potatoes – Fancy Fondant Potatoes are a buttery, herb crusted, elegant Trench technique of roasting a russet potato.
- Hasselback Potatoes – Partially sliced, yet whole and stuffed between the slices with a variety of choices.
- Potato Crust Herb Quiche – Potato Crust Herb Quiche for TV wowed the judges on PBS with my grated potato and onion crust, filled with a summer herb and tomato quiche filling.
- Twice Cooked Potatoes – A fabulous family meal in itself.
- Potato Salad with Homemade Mayonnaise – Potato Salad With Homemade Mayonnaise is the best potato salad you can make; and yes, homemade mayonnaise is so easy to make!
- Classic Bread Crust Potato Herb Tart – Classic Bread Crust Potato Herb Tart, with shallots, thyme and grated hard cheese is the ultimate in comfort food; bread, potatoes and cheese!
Ingredients for Cheesy Dauphinoise Potatoes
- Potatoes – The heart of the dish, potatoes bring that familiar, comforting backbone Americans already love in their casseroles. Thinly sliced, they absorb the cream and aromatics as they bake, turning silky and tender while still holding their layers.
- Gruyère Cheese – This alpine cheese melts into the creamiest blanket, adding a gentle nuttiness that elevates the dish without overwhelming it. It gives the dauphinoise a subtle sophistication, just enough to feel special on a holiday table.
- Cream – Rich, velvety cream is what transforms simple potatoes into something luxurious. As it bakes, it thickens around the potatoes, creating that signature custard-like texture people can’t resist.
- Black Pepper – Freshly cracked pepper cuts through the richness with a warm bite, balancing every spoonful.
- Sea Salt – A clean, mineral-rich salt enhances all the natural flavors, from the sweetness of the potatoes to the depth of the Gruyère.
- Garlic – A clove or two infuses the entire dish with an aromatic warmth. It’s subtle, not sharp, threading flavor through every layer.
- Fresh Thyme – Earthy and bright, fresh thyme adds a woodsy aroma that makes the whole dish feel rustic and inviting. It’s the herb that gives dauphinoise its cozy, slow-baked personality.
- Butter – A touch of butter enriches the dish even further, helping the top turn golden and giving each bite a satiny finish.
- Nutmeg – Just a whisper of nutmeg brings warmth and complexity. It’s the quiet spice that makes everything taste a touch more festive, perfect for holiday dinners or lingering weekend gatherings.
Equipment
- Baking Dish – I use this one because it comes with a lid so I can bake, store and serve another day.
- Biscuit cutter – (optional), if wanting to serve individual slices once baked.
- Mandoline slicer – the easiest way to slice large quantities of food at exactly the same thickness.
- Garlic press – one of my favorite tools that makes pressing lots of garlic into a paste quickly.
- Cheese grater – another favorite and inexpensive tool for grating anything from cheese to zesting citrus.
- Stovetop or countertop butane burner a must for any over worked kitchen that needs stovetops free for other cooking items.
- Oven or even a countertop oven since the baking dish will fit and bake just as well as a large oven.
Cheesy Potatoes For Fine Dining Events
In a family owned high-end events catering company, Ken’s Creative Kitchen my sister and her family have owned for nearly half a century, Dauphinoise potatoes are a regular on the menu.
Prepped in large hotel pans, baked until cheesy luscious, individually pressed for elegant servings, and served to as many as 600 individually plated dinners!
You see? If they can serve 600 you can easily do a gathering in your home. Classy and Delicious.
Cheesy Potatoes au Gratin – Dauphinoise
Equipment
- Large baking dish
- Mandolin to thinly slice potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 Large russet potatoes thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Coarse salt for soaking
- 6 oz Gruyere cheese grated
- 2 cups Heavy Cream or whole milk
- Sea Salt to taste
- Freshly Grated Black Pepper to taste
- 3 Garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp Dried thyme
- Fresh thyme several sprigs
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- pinch Nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- With a mandolin, slice the potatoes very thin. Unpeeled for a rustic dish, peeled for a more refined dish.
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl of salted water to remove some of the starch, while preparing the remaining ingredients.
- Rub the butter all around the bottom and sides of the baking dish.
- Place the milk or cream, garlic and dried thyme in a pot and bring to a simmer.
- Drain the potatoes and pat dry. Place one layer of potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle a little cheese. Continue doing the same, layer after layer, until you have stacked the baking dish with many layers of potatoes and cheese.
- Take the warmed cream mixture and gently pour across all the layers of potatoes, allowing to seep into each layer.
- Make one last sprinkle of cheese on top with a generous pinch of nutmeg.
- Bake 1 hour or until golden on top.
Video
Notes
- Can be served straight from the pan, or use a biscuit cutter, when potatoes have cooled, to create individual servings. Place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and rewarm at 325 for 10 minutes.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.