Potatoes Au Gratin are a thing of beauty. There is no other side dish I associate with Easter Sunday more. The perfect accompaniment to an oven baked spiral ham or a filet mignon, this creamy, cheesy casserole of thinly sliced potatoes and onion is flavored with aromatics and cream, and baked in a warm oven until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are fork tender. It feels elevated and special, as an offering for the table should on such a celebratory occasion.
Potatoes Au Gratin, not to be confused with Scalloped Potatoes, contains cheese and a slightly thinner slice of potato.
What gives my recipe an extra jolt of flavor is infusing the cream with rosemary and garlic. This simple step adds subtle earthy and nuanced flavor notes. Au Gratin in French literally means “by grating” or “with a crust.” The sharp cheddar and fresh Parmesan cheeses provide a rich crust in this casserole, but be sure to freshly grate your cheeses. Make the job easier by using the grater attachment on a food processor. Pre-grated cheeses contain preservatives that don’t melt as easily and are of a lesser quality. The holidays require us to bring our A-game in the kitchen and pull out all the stops.
Potatoes Au Gratin with Infused Cream
2 cups heavy cream or half and half
2 fresh rosemary stems
2 large garlic cloves, smashed, plus 4 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves, minced, plus 2 additional cloves smashed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
4 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Fresh parsley for garnish, chopped, optional
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small saucepan, add cream, rosemary and the 2 smashed garlic cloves. Steep for 30 minutes over low heat, avoiding boiling or simmering. Once the cream is finished gently warming, strain it into a separate bowl, discarding the rosemary and garlic, and set aside. Meanwhile, grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set it aside. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 4 – 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the flour until it is evenly combined, and cook for 1 more minute.
Gradually pour in the stock, and whisk until combined. Add in the infused cream, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking for an additional 1 – 2 minutes until the sauce begins to simmer slightly around the edges of the pan and thickens (avoid boiling). Then remove from the heat and set aside.
Layer the potatoes. Spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce. Then sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and all of the Parmesan cheese. Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the other half of the cream sauce, and the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack, and sprinkle with the remaining thyme, fresh parsley (if desired) and extra Parmesan. Serve warm.
Potatoes Au Gratin is the perfect accompaniment to filet mignon.
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Georgia native Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a ServeSafe certified professionally trained private chef, culinary TV personality and author of Unique Eats and Eateries of Savannah and the best-selling memoir, Some Kinda Good: Good Food and Good Company, That’s What It’s All About! Featured on Forbes, Food Network Star, ABC’s The Taste and The VeryVera Show, she is the longtime Statesboro Herald food columnist and contributing food writer for multiple Southeast Georgia magazines. Lingenfelser earned a Bachelor of Science degree in public relations from Georgia Southern University, Statesboro and is a Culinary Institute of Savannah honors graduate. To learn more, connect with Some Kinda Good on social media, visit RebekahLingenfelser.com or email SKGFoodBlog@gmail.com.
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