Thinly sliced potatoes baked in a skillet with a creamy garlic sauce topped with Gruyere and Parmesan cheese broiled to crispy perfection. This potato gratin has got to be one of my favorite potato dishes, which says a lot because I live for French Fries. If you are a fan of potatoes and cheese, this dish is for you!
The definition of au gratin is covered with breadcrumbs or cheese and then baked until brown. In our case, this is cheese! Potato gratin is the perfect comfort side dish to accompany any meal. It is rich and creamy, crispy, and cheesy, and a little goes a long way. I like to serve gratin with a beautiful piece of fish and some veggies or a salad on the side. But then twice a year, I make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I pile my plate high with all of the comfort foods.
For those of you who are solidly on the mashed potato train for Thanksgiving, I bet you will change your mind once you’ve tried this crispy gratin. It is life-changing.
DETAILS
Thinly sliced potatoes add a delicate and soft texture while also allowing the potatoes to crisp up nicely under the broiler. I like to use a mandoline slicer, which ensures that the potato slices are all uniform in thickness.
I like the flavors of Gruyere and Parmesan cheese, but feel free to use whatever cheese you have on hand or your favorites. Just makes sure you use a cheese that melts nicely.
If you don’t own a cast-iron skillet, you could make this recipe using a casserole dish. If you are going to use a casserole dish, you will want to fry the shallot in a separate pan and then add it to the potatoes when you add the cream.
Crispy Parmesan and Gruyere Potato Gratin
serves 6 people
prep time - 20 minutes
cooking time - 1 hr 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2 tsp of kosher salt
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp of butter
1 small shallot, diced
5 medium Yukon Gold or White potatoes
1 cup of grated Gruyere
1 /2 cup of grated Parmesan
1 tsp of fresh thyme
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
In a small saucepan add the cream, salt, and garlic. Bring to a simmer on low heat a cook for 5 minutes. This will allow the garlic flavor to infuse the cream. Remove from the heat and set to the side.
Thinly slice the potatoes to 1/8 inch thickness using a mandoline slicer.
In a 12 inch cast iron pan, add the butter and shallots and fry on low heat for 5 minutes until the shallots have caramelized.
Arrange the sliced potatoes in a spiral pattern on top of the cooked shallots. Pour the cream mixture over top of the potatoes.
Cover the cast iron pan tightly with a piece of tin foil. Place the cast iron pan into the oven and bake for 1 hr and 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven temperature to broil.
Cover the potatoes with the grated Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses. Sprinkle with the thyme. Place the cast iron pan into the oven and broil for 5 minutes until the cheese is crispy and bubbling.
Remove from the oven and serve warm.
It can be stored in the fridge and reheated the next day.
