Potatoes au Gratin

By Mark Bittman

Updated February 2, 2025

  • An overhead image of a light blue enamel skillet on a dark gray background filled with creamy scalloped potatoes.
    Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Michelle Gatton.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
50 minutes
Rating
5(5,536)
Comments
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The humble potato gets the red carpet treatment in this easy yet luxurious recipe for potatoes au gratin. Sliced Yukon Gold or russet potatoes (you can use either, but don't use a combination as they cook at different rates) are layered with half-and-half or heavy cream, topped with butter and grated cheese, then baked until golden and bubbly. Feel free to play around: Add leeks, onions, garlic or more cheese between the layers. Experiment with fresh or dried herbs. It's incredibly adaptable and practically foolproof. Just don't forget to season with salt and pepper as you go. Like all potato dishes, it needs plenty of seasoning.

Featured in: Yukon Gold Standard

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 3 to 4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 2 to 3 cups half-and-half or heavy cream

  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Gruyère

  • Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

52 grams carbs; 50 milligrams cholesterol; 397 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 17 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 878 milligrams sodium; 11 grams protein; 6 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.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Seasoning each layer with salt and pepper as you go, layer the potatoes in a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet.

  2. Step 2

    Dot the top with 2 tablespoons butter. Pour in half-and-half. (It should come about ¾ of the way to the top.)

  3. Step 3

    Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to low and cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, until the half-and-half has reduced by about half.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and cook until the potatoes are fork tender and the top is nicely browned, about 8 minutes more. Top with grated cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melty and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg, if using, and serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
5,536 user ratings
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Comments

Margaux Laskey, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking

Hi All! We've updated the recipe to include ingredient amounts and to clarify the instructions. I hope it helps!

Shawn Donovan

I layer leeks and onions between the potato layers, use heavy cream and go light on the cheese but heavy on the garlic. It's delicious. I'm making this for Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Teri

So do you cook the entire pan of potatoes and cream, etc. on the stovetop and then move to the oven?

Sue

Wise to put pan on foil layered sheet before putting in oven, bound to be cream overflow, even at 3/4 of the way up and reduced by half on the stove top.

Mike, Peoria, AZ

Made this tonight, excellent results. I don't have a cast iron pan but my "Green Pan" is oven safe to 600F. Used all 5 ounces of the Gruyere block, putting some on the first layer of 2 layers as well as the top. A pint of heavy cream was enough. Three organic Russet's was the perfect amount of potatoes; enough for 4 abundant servings. I've an Oxo mandolin slicer (Love it!), set to 1/4 inch and think next time i'll reduce that to 3/16 inch. This recipe is easy to make.

Barbara Sanders

I only had 11oz of yellow potatoes and figuring out the proportions of cream/milk mixture was difficult resulting in a lot of cream! Cooked the potatoes in the cream/spice mixture (added grated garlic, fresh thyme, bayleaf, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne) on the stove for about 10 mins then put the pan in the oven, with parmesan cheese on the top, at 300º until bubbly and browning. Tasted great: thick, yummy cream, what's not to like!

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