How to Make Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin
Today I am going to teach you how to make potatoes au gratin. It is one of those dishes that sounds super fancy, but I am going to show you how simple it is to make a restaurant quality version right at home.
This is the ultimate comfort food side dish. It is creamy, cheesy, and the perfect companion for a nice steak, chicken, or a big holiday meal. Let’s get into it.
Ingredients
| Amount | For the Potatoes |
|---|---|
| 8 to 10 | Gold Potatoes |
| 1/2 | Onion |
| To taste | Salt |
| To taste | Black Pepper |
| To taste | Garlic Powder |
| To taste | Onion Powder |
| To taste | Ground Mustard Powder |
| Amount | For the Cheese Sauce & Topping |
| 3 tbsp | Butter |
| 3 tbsp | All Purpose Flour |
| 2 cups | Milk |
| 1/2 cup | Cheddar Cheese (shredded) |
| 1/2 cup | Gruyere Cheese (shredded) |
| For topping | Fresh Parmesan Cheese (grated) |
| For topping | Fresh Parsley (chopped) |
Instructions
Prep the Veggies: First, rinse and peel about eight to ten gold potatoes. Using a knife or a mandoline, thinly slice them. Slice up half an onion as well.
Get Ready to Bake: Start preheating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Take a large baking dish or pan and lightly grease it with butter.
Start Layering: Begin laying out the potato slices in the pan, overlapping each one about halfway. Once you have a full layer, sprinkle some of the sliced onions on top.
Season Each Layer: Lightly season the layer with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard powder, and black pepper.
Rinse and Repeat: You are going to repeat this process of layering potatoes, onions, and seasonings until you have about four layers deep. Leave the very top layer of potatoes bare for now. You will see why in a minute.
Make the Cheese Sauce: In a medium pan over low heat, you are going to make a little roux. Drop in the three tablespoons of butter and let it melt. Whisk in the three tablespoons of flour and cook for about a minute.
Get It Creamy: Slowly pour in the two cups of milk while constantly whisking to keep it smooth. Once the milk is mixed in, add the half cup of cheddar and the half cup of Gruyere cheese. Keep stirring on low heat until you get that creamy goodness and the cheese is completely melted.
Combine Everything: Pour that beautiful cheese sauce all over the potatoes in your baking dish, making sure it gets into all the layers.
Add the Topping: Now, top off that final layer with a good amount of fresh Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
Bake It Up: Seal the pan tightly with foil and stick it in the oven for at least 60 minutes. After the first hour, carefully pull off the foil and put the pan back in the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes. This will get the top nice and golden brown.
Enjoy: And you are done. Let it rest for a few minutes before you dig in. Now just enjoy those delicious potatoes.
The Ultimate Cheesy Side Dish
That is all it takes to make an incredible pan of potatoes au gratin. It is a showstopper of a side dish that is surprisingly easy to put together.
If you want to see exactly how I make it, be sure to check out the full video on my YouTube channel. Let me know if you give this one a try!
