I made these Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes as a side dish for my Beer Can Cornish Hen because I though how good they’d bee to sop up all those yummy juices from the sauce on the hens and I was right. The hens had a beautiful spice rub that made an even more beautiful sauce and the gruyere cheese I used in this dish just all went together so well. Here’s the link for my Beer Can Cornish Hen that you have to try! https://the2spoons.com/so-yummy-simple-beer-can-cornish-hen/.
I used gruyere which alway works well because it melts beautifully. You can use cheddar or another good melting cheese of your choice. These are really simple. I cook my potatoes first to the point of “almost done”. I drain them and add them to some sautéed onions, Then I butter a baking dish and stack the potatoes a few at a time. When all the potatoes are in the dish, I pour the sauce over and add just a little more cheese to the top. I then bake them until browned and bubbly.
Best Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
What’s the difference between Scalloped Potatoes and Au Gratin Potatoes? Here’s a little explanation for you: “Au gratin, by definition, means “covered with breadcrumbs or cheese and then baked until brown,” while scalloped potatoes refers to tubers that have been baked in a creamy sauce and covered with seasoned bread or cracker crumbs. The big difference between the two, then, is the cheese component.” Here’s the link for this reference: http://www.leaf.tv/articles/the-difference-between-potatoes-au-gratin-and-scalloped-potatoes/.
Here’s the delicious recipe! Enjoy!
Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium russet potatoes, medium sliced I used a mandolin and used the largest slice
- chicken stock for cooking the potatoes
- salt
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cup cooking broth from the potatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 fresh sage leaf (optional)
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 oz gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Slice the potatoes in a medium sliced round. I used a mandolin set on the largest cut. Place the potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with chicken stock. Season with a little salt. Bring to a boil and cook about 6 or 7 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a bowl with a slotted spoon reserving the cooking liquid.
- While the potatoes are cooking add the butter and olive oil to a skillet and add the sliced onions. Cook until the onions are a beginning to brown. Remove them and add them to the bowl with the potatoes reserving the oil in your skillet. Gently distribute or combine the potatoes and onions, being careful to not break up the potato slices. If you break some, no worries, but you do want to keep them whole if possible.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter the dish and start stacking the potatoes in the dish until all have been used. Use a dish that will just hold those potatoes, not too big.
- To make the sauce: In the butter and olive oil skillet that you cooked the onions and reserved, heat and add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for a minute or so until it starts to brown a lilttle. Add the 1 1/2 cup of the cooking broth and whisk to prevent lumps. When the sauce has thickened, add the heavy cream and all of the cheese except just a small portion that you'll add to the top before baking. Cook until heated throgh. Check for salt and pepper and adjusst. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and bake until golden brown. If you want a little extra browning, place them under the broiler for just a few minutes watching closely until your desired browness. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. They can be brought to room temperature and re-heated later.
