French Gratin Dauphinois (Creamy Potato Gratin)

About This Recipe

Gratin dauphinois hails from the Dauphiné region in southeastern France and is, in its most traditional form, deceptively simple — thinly sliced potatoes baked slowly in cream and garlic, with no cheese and no eggs, letting the potato's own starch thicken the cream into a rich, silky sauce. Many modern versions add cheese, but purists in the region insist the original relies entirely on potato, cream, garlic and a long, gentle bake.\n\nThe technique that separates a great gratin from a mediocre one is slicing the potatoes thin and uniform, ideally with a mandoline, so every layer cooks through at the same rate — thick or uneven slices leave some parts al dente and others mushy by the time the top is properly browned. Rubbing the baking dish with a cut garlic clove before layering, rather than mixing raw garlic directly into the cream, gives a more subtle, background garlic flavor that doesn't overpower the potato.\n\nServe hot from the oven as a rich side dish alongside roast meat — this is the kind of dish that improves any Sunday dinner table.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.3 kgstarchy potatoes(such as russet, peeled)
• 2 clovesgarlic(1 halved for rubbing, 1 minced)
• 2.5 cupsheavy cream
• 0.5 cupwhole milk
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.25 tspground nutmeg
• 0.25 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspbutter(for the dish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep the dish

   Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Rub a baking dish thoroughly with the halved garlic clove, then butter it generously.

2. 2

   Slice the potatoes

   Slice potatoes very thin and even, about 1/8 inch (3mm), ideally using a mandoline. Do not rinse them — the surface starch helps thicken the cream.

3. 3

   Heat the cream

   In a saucepan, warm cream, milk, minced garlic, salt, nutmeg and pepper over medium heat until just steaming, not boiling.

4. 4

   Layer

   Arrange potato slices in overlapping layers in the prepared dish. Pour the warm cream mixture evenly over the top, pressing down gently so the potatoes are mostly submerged.

   Slice the potatoes as thin and uniform as possible — a mandoline makes a real difference here, since uneven thickness leads to some potatoes being underdone while others turn to mush.

5. 5

   Bake

   Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 25-30 more minutes until the top is deeply golden and a knife slides through the potatoes with no resistance.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let rest 10 minutes before serving — this lets the cream fully set so the gratin holds together when scooped.

Variations

• •

  Add a layer of grated Gruyère between the potato layers for a cheesier, richer modern version (many home cooks do this despite it not being traditional).

• •

  Use half cream and half whole milk for a slightly lighter version without losing much richness.

• •

  Add thinly sliced onion between the potato layers for extra sweetness and depth.

Storage

Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days. Reheat covered in a 325°F (165°C) oven until warmed through — the texture holds up well to reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions