When your main dish recipe needs a decadent side dish sidekick, there’s nothing like a creamy, thyme-infused cheesy potatoes au gratin recipe to do the job, and to do it easily too.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine French
Keyword potatoes
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour5 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour20 minutesminutes
Servings 10servings
Calories 370kcal
Ingredients
3tablespoonsbutter
3garlic cloves, pressed in a garlic press
1medium onion, thinly sliced or minced
2tablespoonsfresh thyme leaves, or 3 stalks of fresh thyme
½teaspoonkosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2cupsheavy cream , or try half and half or whole milk
1cupchicken broth
5poundsYukon gold potatoes, sliced thinly, about ⅛ inch thick
3bay leaves
1cupgruyere cheese, shredded
1cupParmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring until garlic becomes fragrant. Add the onions, thyme leaves, and kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until onions become soft, stirring occasionally, for about 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the cream or milk with the chicken broth. Add the potato slices and bay leaves and bring to a rolling simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nearly fork-tender.
Begin stacking the potatoes with the sauce in a 1 ½ quart baking dish (an 8 X 8 or 9 X 6) sprinkling half of the cheeses as you layer, finishing with a layer of cheese.
Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes or until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is golden brown. Let rest for 5-10 minutes until serving. This dish can be prepped ahead before baking, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking.
Notes
There's no need to peel thin-skinned Yukon gold potatoes before baking. If using thicker skinned russet potatoes, peel them first.
The potatoes can be prepped and refrigerated up to 3 days before baking.
To freeze potatoes au gratin: Wrap tightly with foil and freeze the au gratin potatoes before baking. Bake from frozen for 1 ½ to 2 hours at 350°F.