An oval dish of old-fashioned potato gratin, with a bottle and decanter of wine behind it.

5 / 8 votes

Old-Fashioned Potato Gratin

Old-fashioned potato gratin, or potatoes au gratin if you want to be technical about things, is a traditional, indulgent, frugal manner of keeping yourself warm come cold weather. We've never been so grateful for winter.

Prep Time25

Cook Time1 20

Total Time1 45

Course: Sides

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 376

Ingredients

▢ 4 russet potatoes
▢ 1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled
▢ 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
▢ Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
▢ 3 tablespoons freshly grated Comté cheese, (or substitute Gruyère or Asiago)
▢ 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
▢ 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

US - Metric

Instructions

Adjust the oven rack to the top third position and preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C).
Peel the potatoes and slice them crosswise about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Place the potato slices in a bowl of cold water so they don’t discolor.
Meanwhile, firmly rub the garlic clove all over the bottom and sides of a 10-inch gratin dish to coat it with the garlic juices. Allow to dry for a few minutes, then rub the bottom and sides of the dish with the butter.
Drain the potatoes and pat them dry. Arrange a layer of potatoes in a slightly overlapping fashion, like a splayed deck of cards, in the bottom of the gratin dish. Season with a good dash of salt and pepper and a little of each of the two cheeses. Continue layering the potatoes and cheese in this fashion, seasoning each layer and finishing with the cheese (you should have at least 3 layers). Drizzle the cream along the sides of the dish, so as not to displace the cheese.
Place the potato gratin, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the cream has been absorbed and the top is crisp and golden.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

In Advance Advice

The peeled potatoes can sit, submerged in cold water, on the counter for a few hours. You can also assemble the gratin, cover it, and refrigerate it for anywhere from a few hours to overnight before baking.

Nutrition