Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin
Updated December 28, 2025
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist:Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Christina Lane.
- Total Time
- About 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
3 ounces finely grated Gruyère or comté cheese
2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 cups heavy cream
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 to 4 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced ⅛-inch thick on a mandoline slicer (7 to 8 medium, see Tip)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
62 grams carbs; 120 milligrams cholesterol; 657 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams saturated fat; 40 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 5 grams fiber; 1004 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Transfer ⅓ of cheese mixture to a separate bowl and set aside. Add cream, garlic and thyme to cheese mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add potato slices and toss with your hands until every slice is coated with cream mixture, making sure to separate any slices that are sticking together to get the cream mixture in between them.
- Step 2
Grease a 2-quart casserole dish with butter. Pick up a handful of potatoes, organizing them into a neat stack, and lay them in the casserole dish with their edges aligned vertically. Continue placing potatoes in the dish, working around the perimeter and into the center until all the potatoes have been added. The potatoes should be very tightly packed. If necessary, slice an additional potato, coat with cream mixture, and add to casserole.
- Step 3
Pour the excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over the potatoes until the mixture comes halfway up the sides of the casserole. You may not need all the excess liquid.
- Step 4
Cover dish tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is pale golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and return to oven. Bake until deep golden brown and crisp on top, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve.
Because of variation in the shape of potatoes, the amount of potato that will fit into a single casserole dish varies. Longer, thinner potatoes will fill a dish more than shorter, rounder potatoes. When purchasing potatoes, buy a few extra in order to fill the dish if necessary. Depending on exact shape and size of potatoes and casserole dish, you may not need all of the cream mixture.
Private Notes
Comments
A couple of things...
1. Since Hasselback is called out here, acknowledgement to our friends in Sweden @ the Hasselback Hotel are in order. Legend has it this dish was invented there.
2. A lot of time can be saved arranging potatoes on their ends by taking a nice Yukon Gold, placing it in a wooden spoon (the spoony-end) and slicing till your knife hits the spoon. The tater stays together nicely at the bottom and it's very easy to handle. You can google this.
Excellent! Added a grated onion to the liquid/cheese mix for flavor. Made it through first 2 thirty minute bakings in advance. Then covered and chilled. Brought to the dinner, sprinkled cheese on top and did final baking of about 40 minutes at the meal (removed foil half way through.) Texture was great! I was worried because initially liquid barely covered bottom of pan, but juices came out with baking and it was perfect! Good crusty bits on bottom too. A real keeper of a recipe.
I made this dish for Thanksgiving with sweet potatoes (not yams) to wild success. My family practically hoisted me upon their shoulders. When I called my mother a week later, she answered the phone without a hello: "Those sweet potatoes were the best thing I've ever eaten." I said, "Hi, Mom. How's everything?" She said, "God, those sweet potatoes were good." I give my full throated endorsement for this recipe. It can make you feel like a conquering hero.
Is it possible to prepare this in advance, refrigerate it and bake it off later in the day? if so, are any adjustments needed?
I dunno…made this exactly per recipe for Easter. Didn’t feel like it had much flavor. Needs WAY more salt, didn’t taste the thyme at all, expense of Gruyère kind of wasted. Not really worth the effort.
I made these for Easter brunch yesterday, made true to recipe. One pan using russet and one sweet potato's. They were both a huge hit. My one comment/question is it normal for the fatt to seperate from the cream or cheese? After they were done both dishes had a substancial amount of greese floating on the top. I used my turkey baster to suck the oily stuff out as it was just too much. I don't think that changed the flavor or texture, best dish I ever took to a potluck and I will make again