Creamy potato gratin
Thin slices, creamy sauce and golden cheese on top. Asterix potatoes become tender while the slices hold together. Sweating the onion first makes a noticeable difference.
Jump to the recipe ↓AI-generated illustration.
Optional: keep the screen awake while following the recipe. Uses more battery.
All recipes start at 4 people, as a side dish.
Ingredients now shown for 4 people as a side dish.
Cuisine: International
Estimated timing: about 15 min preparation · about 60 min cooking · about 15 min resting. These estimates describe the basic method and are not measured kitchen timings. Follow the method and any time ranges above.
Method
Heat the oven and prepare the dish
Set the oven to 180 °C conventional. Butter a medium-sized ovenproof dish. A very deep dish needs a long baking time; a potato layer about 4–5 cm deep is a useful starting point.
Cut even slices
Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice 2–3 mm thick with a knife or a mandoline with a finger guard. Do not rinse or soak the slices afterwards: surface starch helps thicken the sauce. Continue immediately.
Soften the onion
Melt the onion butter in a wide saucepan. Cook onion over medium-low heat for 5–7 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic for the last minute. It should smell good without becoming dark.
Give the potatoes a head start
Pour cream and milk over the onion, add salt, pepper and nutmeg, and heat. Fold in potato slices. Simmer gently for 7–9 minutes. Turn carefully along the bottom occasionally to prevent scorching and bring slices into contact with liquid. They should begin softening but need not be fully cooked.
Bake the gratin
Pour everything into the dish and spread potatoes evenly. Sauce should come well up between slices but need not cover the top potato. Sprinkle cheese over. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40–50 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if the cheese has enough colour before the potatoes are tender.
Check the centre and rest
Push a thin knife through the layers in the centre. It should slide through without hard resistance. If potatoes need longer, continue until tender. Rest for 10–15 minutes before serving so the sauce can settle.
Get to know the spices in this dish
Good to know before you cook
Choose the right potato
Asterix is our first choice here. Beate is a good alternative. For a softer gratin in which the slices merge more, use a floury variety, but turn gently during precooking. Read the potato guide for the full explanation.
A little less cream?
Replace part of the cream with the same quantity of whole milk. Retain the total liquid quantity from the ingredient list; the sauce will be slightly less rich. Do not add extra liquid just because the potato tops are visible.
Thin sauce or hard potatoes?
Hard potatoes need more time and heat – dark cheese says little about the centre. If potatoes are tender but sauce is loose, let the dish rest first. Next time check slice thickness, use a shallower dish and avoid rinsing the slices.
Onion is intentional
Onion adds sweetness and body. For a purer potato and garlic flavour, omit it. Cheese-topped creamy potatoes are our variation; classic gratin dauphinois is normally made without cheese.