Creamy dauphinoise potatoes: this is a French scalloped potato bake with garlic, nutmeg and cream! And also the perfect potato side dish for cold winter days…
Who doesn’t like a good old garlic and potato bake!
Like this French dauphinoise potatoes au gratin.
It is a side dish that will always be popular on your dinner table. Just because it is so good!
So what are dauphinoise potatoes?
It is a classic French scalloped potato bake that contains ingredients such as garlic, nutmeg and cream.
Dauphinoise Potatoes Au Gratin
Well that sounds like the perfect potato side dish!
And it is also a great Easter side dish, that goes without saying.
But I love to serve these potatoes dauphinoise at any time, even in the summer!
These potatoes are also good when served cold.
Make the dish, put it in the oven and then let it cool down overnight.
Slice it up the next day and serve the potatoes with a crisp green salad for lunch.
The perfect summer meal!
Easy Gratin Dauphinois
When I am looking for something a little more exciting than boiled potatoes for dinner I very often whip this dauphinoise potatoes bake gratin up.
Finely sliced floury potatoes, cream, butter, nutmeg, garlic.
These are all ingredients that you and I always keep in our fridge or pantry, right?
Just make sure to pop the dish in the oven on time because it needs quite some time to bake through.
You don’t want to middle to be raw when you are plating it up.
Also make sure to use the right type of potatoes.
The floury type you use for mashed potatoes for instance is the best for this recipe.
Where is the Cheese?
Woops, where is the grated cheese in this dauphinoise potatoes then?
A classic dauphinoise potatoes gratin doesn’t contain cheese but go ahead and add some if you like (I will not tell anyone).
If you add cheese: sprinkle it on top of the cooked potatoes right in the end and grill the gratin for a couple of minutes until golden because that’- is how you get a golden crunchy cheese crust.
Are you looking for more potato inspiration?
Potato Sides
Then you should also take a look at my crunchy hasselback potatoes.
And how about my homemade and crunchy thin salt & vinegar potatoes!
Enjoy…
Easy Dauphinoise Potatoes Recipe Au Gratin
Creamy dauphinoise potatoes: a French scalloped potato bake with garlic, nutmeg and cream! Then perfect potato side dish...
- 2 ⅓ lbs oven potatoes (1 kg)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- ⅚ cup cream (200 ml)
- ⅔ cup whole milk (160 ml)
- 2 large garlic cloves peeled
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- nutmeg
- pepper
- salt
- First of all peel the potatoes and rinse them. Then slice them finely using a sharp knife or a mandoline slicer like I do.
- Add the cream, rosemary, mashed garlic and bay leaf to a saucepan. Season with a good dash of pepper, salt and nutmeg.
Then place the pan over medium-low heat until simmering. Simmer the potatoes gently for about 5 minutes, don’t let it cook vigorously because it will boil over. Then take the pan off the heat and let the cream rest for another 10 minutes until cooled a little. In the meantime generously butter a baking dish.
Strain the cream. Layer half of the sliced potatoes in the dish. Pour half of the lukewarm cream mixture on top.
Add the remaining potatoes and finish with the remaining cream.
Cover the potatoes with some tinfoil. Then put the dish in a preheated oven at 320°F (160°C) for about an hour until the potatoes are soft. Turn the oven off and let the dish rest in it for another 15 minutes. Serve the potatoes hot.
Festive Dauphinoise Potatoes Au Gratin
I have a weakness for these dauphinoise potatoes.
And a serious one!
This creamy scalloped potato side dish is the one that I always make for special family dinners and occasions such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. And it is always a huge success. Somehow I keep on making more and more on every occasion but for some very sinister reason my potato bake is always empty.
Where do my guests hide it?
Popular
Is someone bringing a Tupperware for later maybe to take back home?
Did you know that this potato side dish actually comes from France? There it is actually called gratin dauphinois or pommes de terre dauphinoise.
And what does that mean, dauphinois?
This dish comes from the south-eastern region in France by the name of Dauphiné, close to Italy. So literally dauphinoise potatoes mean potatoes prepared Dauphiné style.
History
Did you know that this dauphinoise potatoes recipe is actually quite old?
Nope, it is not something that a French celebrity chef in the previous century came up with. In fact the earliest mention of these scalloped potatoes goes as far as the year 1788. Isn’t that amazing!
And surprisingly the recipe and its ingredients haven’t changed one bit over the years. We still prepare dauphinoise potatoes the way it was originally done. So with cream instead of the classic bechamel white sauce like I mentioned in the introduction!
Enjoy this delicious and festive potato au gratin side dish!
Easy Gruyère Au Gratin Potato Recipe
A cheesy au gratin potato recipe, the best side dish for pork if you ask me!
Yes, this one does contain cheese!
I kept it pretty light adding only a little milk to smother the sliced potatoes. It also keeps this gratin pretty moist as well.
Use whatever grated cheese you have at home.
I chose a Swiss gruyère cheese for my gratin. Serve the gratin piping hot.
Enjoy!
Easy Gruyère Au Gratin Potato Recipe
A simple au gratin potato recipe: cheesy baked scalloped potatoes right out of the oven, the perfect side dish for steaks!
- 1 ⅔ lbs oven potatoes (750 g)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (cold)
- 1 large garlic clove chopped
- 2 oz grated cheese (55 g)
- 1 cup whole milk (240 ml)
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- pepper
- salt
1) Rub the oven potatoes under cold running tap water and drain them on a clean kitchen towel. Don’t peel them. Then with a sharp knife slice them thinly (or use a mandoline slicer like I did).
2) Sprinkle a rectangular oven dish with a little bit of the cold butter and the chopped garlic. Season with some pepper and salt. Then layer the sliced potatoes on top of it.
3) When the first layer of potatoes is finished, sprinkle it with some more butter, garlic, pepper, salt and a small amount of the grated cheese and freshly chopped parsley.
4) Then keep layering the sliced potatoes the same way again. Make sure to keep a handful of grated cheese aside for later. Finish with a layer of potatoes, chopped parsley and butter. Season with a little pepper and salt.
5) Then add the milk.
6) Bake the potato gratin in a preheated oven at 392°F (200°C) for 45 minutes. Then turn off the heat in the end. Remove the potato gratin from the oven. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
7) Pop the gratin back into the hot oven for another 20 minutes. Then take out the gratin and let it cool for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Easy Parsnip Potato Bake Recipe
Holy smokes!
Now this potato bake recipe with parsnips is one hell of a potato side dish! This one always tastes good… no matter what season we are in.
Winter or summer, it just stays an absolute winner side dish!
And yes, here is another family favorite again.
You might take this parsnip and potato bake recipe for another classic potato dish: delicious dauphinoise potatoes au grating or French style scalloped potatoes.
Scalloped Potatoes
You are right, this potato bake is very close, but still different enough.
Do you like parsnips?
I find them so addictive. How I love their sweet and earthy flavor. There’s something so irresistible about parsnips. I even like them raw in a salad for instance, like my parsnip coleslaw.
Check it out as well!
Easy Parsnip Potato Bake Recipe
Scalloped potatoes and parsnips simmered in a delicious mixture of cream and milk.
Up until the point that they are super soft and smooth. Absolutely to die for. And nope, believe it or not then but there’s no cheese in this dish whatsoever.
What?
Why not, I can hear you say.
Hang on, don’t get me wrong. It is not that I am on a diet or so. The moment I decided to make this parsnip and potato bake recipe, I just thought I still had a good couple of handfuls of grated cheese left in my fridge.
However the moment I went to look for it, I realised that I mistook another ingredient in there for a bag of grate cheese.
Butter vs. Cheese
No worries, no need to panic!
So there is no grate to cheese to sprinkle on top of my parsnip and potato bake? Then a few bits of diced butter and a preheated grill will save the day!
Do you love parsnips?
Then you should also check out my parsnip soup with cinnamon croutons!
Enjoy!
Easy Parsnip Potato Bake Recipe
My creamy parsnip potato bake recipe: scalloped potatoes and parsnips simmered in cream and milk, this one always tastes good...
- 2 medium fresh parsnips
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 medium oven potatoes
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp strong mustard
- 1 cup cream (240 ml)
- ½ cup whole milk (120 ml)
- fresh thyme
- pepper
- salt
1) Peel both the potatoes and parsnips. Then slice the potato finely using a sharp knife or a mandolin slicer if you have one. Do the same with the parsnips.
2) Butter a large ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Then top with a layer of sliced potato (about 1 potato). Season lightly with pepper and salt. Cover with a layer of sliced parsnip. Season lightly again with pepper and salt. Sprinkle with some of the chopped garlic and add little knobs of butter too.
3) Then keep making layers of potatoes and parsnip like this until you end with a layer of potatoes. Season with pepper and salt. In a small saucepan pour the cream and milk. Also add the strong mustard as well. Season with pepper and salt.
4) Bring this mixture to a light simmer for 2 minutes until warmed through. Then pour this on top of the layered potatoes and parsnips in the dish.
5) Cover with a piece of tinfoil. Put the potato dish in a preheated oven at 428°F (220°C) for 1 hour until soft. Remove the dish and the tinfoil. Then divide the fresh thyme and the rest of the butter over the potatoes.
6) Put the dish back in the hot oven and grill for 5 minutes. Then turn off the hot oven but leave the dish inside for another 15 to 20 minutes until the top layer looks golden. Remove again, let the casserole cool for a couple of minutes. Cut it up and serve.
potatoes au gratin are delicious! just adore that pan! who is it by? would love to find one