With a rich cream sauce, tender potatoes, and a crisp crust of gruyere cheese, few dishes are as beautiful in their rustic simplicity as French Potatoes au Gratin. 
Does any one ever turn down creamy, cheesy potatoes? And this version of the French classic has a little twist. Underneath those tender, thin-sliced potatoes is a layer of garlicky, creamed kale. It is all assembled and baked in one plan and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Creamy French Potatoes au Gratin is somehow rustic and fancy. It's naturally gluten-free and will be everyone's favorite addition to any festive meal.
Potatoes are (as you surely know) a super versatile ingredient. They're convenient and provide a canvas of unlimited possibilities. And this au gratin potato recipe is super versatile as well. Just about any potatoes will work here, but I couldn't resist using these gorgeous red potatoes. The medium-sized red potatoes are easy to slice and layer. Keeping the skins on adds color and flavor to the finished dish.
How to Build Flavor in Au Gratin Potatoes
Two steps add flavor and color to this otherwise classic version of creamy baked potatoes.
- Infuse the cream with flavor - Heavy cream creates a rich sauce for these potatoes. To add flavor, simmer the cream with salt, pepper, garlic and fresh thyme for a minute or two.
- Layer the dish - This version has a base of savory kale and shallots hiding underneath the potatoes. It results in a pretty pop of color with every spoonful.
Layer the sliced potatoes on top and pour flavorful cream sauce over the whole thing.
Bake it until the potatoes are tender.
Then top it with cheese. The gruyere gets nice and creamy and also develops a golden crust.
Bring it to the table and dare anyone not to dive right in.
More Potato Recipes
- Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Oven-Roasted Ranch Potato Wedges
- Ham and Cheese Hasselback Potatoes
- Crispy Potatoes with Sriracha Sauce
- Instant Pot Baked Potato Soup
- Smashed Potatoes for Sunday Dinner
French Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise) Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan
- oven-safe skillet
- Slotted Spoon
- Cheese Grater
- Food Processor or Mandolin
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Heavy Cream
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 cloves Garlic, smashed
- 3 sprigs Thyme, fresh
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 3 cloves Shallots, diced
- 4 large curly Kale leaves, finely chopped (discard stems)
- 2 lbs Red Potatoes, cut into ⅛ inch slices
- 4 oz Gruyere Cheese, grated
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Combine cream, salt, black pepper, garlic (peel the cloves and smash them gently with the palm of your hand) and thyme in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and heat, stirring constantly, until the cream starts to bubble, 4 to 6 minutes. When cream starts to bubble, remove it from heat and continue stirring until it cools slightly. Let the cream sit while you prepare the rest of the dish (this will infuse the cream with flavor).
- Heat a large (12 inch) oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter. When butter melts, add shallots and kale leaves. Saute until kale is tender and bright green, ~4 minutes. Turn off the burner under the kale.
- Use a food processor or mandolin to slice the potatoes into ⅛ inch slices. (I think the dish is more beautiful with the peels on, but you can peel the potatoes first if you prefer.)
- Add the potatoes to the skillet, fanning them out over top of the kale.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic and thyme from the heavy cream. Pour heavy cream over potatoes.
- Cover the skillet tightly with foil and bake until the potatoes are tender, 75 to 85 minutes.
- Remove skillet from the oven and turn on the oven's broiler. Discard foil.
- Sprinkle cheese over the potatoes.
- Return the skillet to the oven and broil until the top is golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. (Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.)
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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Ron
Well done! I love the addition of Kale into a classic dish.
Kimberly
This was amazing! But I added
1. Bayonne ham- instead of the butter I cooked that first and set aside, left the fat in the skillet instead of adding butter to the kale and garlic(no shallots). Then I also mixed in do portobello mushrooms stems I had left over finely chopped.
But everything else I followed. Very full, thanks!
Jess Smith
Sounds fantastic! Great additions!