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Classic Potato Gratin with Gruyere Cheese

January 20, 2016 By justalittlebitofbacon 14 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. Click here for details.

It’s really hard to beat a classic potato gratin! The creamy layers of potatoes and cheese. The crispy, cheesy top. The flavors of garlic and herbs in each bite. Did I mention the gooey cheese? Yum!

Classic Potato Gratin with Gruyere Cheese - In this classic and simple version of potato gratin, thinly sliced yellow potatoes alternate with layers of shredded gruyere, which is all bound together with garlic infused milk and baked to perfection. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Hello, all!

Clearly I love gratins and enjoy them with all sorts of vegetables and vegetable combinations – Cauliflower, Potato and Summer Squash, Brussels Sprout, and more to come – so I thought I should have a classic potato gratin on here as well.

Next up, broccoli? Celeriac? Leeks? Parsnips?

I haven’t decided yet! They are all good. All yummy. All a little (or a lot) cheesy and all great ways to use seasonal produce.

Is it any wonder I love them?

Now last week I was all about wishing for summer to come back, making Tomato Soup and Strawberry Syrup (though a gratin did sneak in!), while this week I’ll all about wintery, comforting foods. And it turns out my ‘storm food’ cravings are just in time for our first nor’easter of the year! It looks like we are going to get a chance to try out my daughter’s new sled this weekend, and maybe, after some hot cocoa and getting a fire going, I’ll pull a gratin and a nice slow-cooked roast out of the oven for us to enjoy. It seems like a plan to me. šŸ™‚

Classic Potato Gratin with Gruyere Cheese - In this classic and simple version of potato gratin, thinly sliced yellow potatoes alternate with layers of shredded gruyere, which is all bound together with garlic infused milk and baked to perfection. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Though a potato gratin takes a while to cook (gotta get through all those layers of potatoes), it couldn’t be easier to make.

Especially if you have a mandoline! As I’ve mentioned before, I have a mandoline I quite love – the GSD Mandoline Slicer. It’s so easy to snap in the blades and then you are ready to go. It took me about 3 minutes to slice all the potatoes for the gratin, and that includes letting the dog out while I was in the middle of slicing.

As for peeling, I peeled (it took me 5 minutes for that), but it’s not necessary. The potatoes I bought got a little too much light and had that greenish cast to their skins. Peel that off always! Bad stuff. However, if your potatoes are nice and golden with no green keep those skins. You get more good things in your potatoes and save 5 minutes.

While you are slicing the potatoes and shredding the cheese, bring the milk and garlic to a boil and then take it off the heat to steep. By the time you have finished slicing and shredding and have stacked up everything in the gratin dish, it’ll be ready to pour over. About 10 minutes prep and you’re ready to put it in the oven and forget about it for an hour or so! Not quick, but easy. My kind of wintery meal.

Classic Potato Gratin with Gruyere Cheese - In this classic and simple version of potato gratin, thinly sliced yellow potatoes alternate with layers of shredded gruyere, which is all bound together with garlic infused milk and baked to perfection. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

If you try my recipe for Classic Potato Gratin, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.

-Happy Eating, Annemarie

Classic Potato Gratin with Gruyere Cheese - In this classic and simple version of potato gratin, thinly sliced yellow potatoes alternate with layers of shredded gruyere, which is all bound together with garlic infused milk and baked to perfection. | justalittlebitofbacon.com
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Classic Potato Gratin with Gruyere Cheese

In this classic and simple potato gratin, thinly sliced yellow potatoes alternate with layers of shredded gruyere, all baked to perfection.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time1 hr 30 mins
Total Time1 hr 40 mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: French
Calories: 300kcal
Author: Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 lbs yellow potatoes
  • 6 oz gruyere. shredded
  • 1 oz parmesan. grated

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Bring milk, garlic, thyme, sage, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once it boils, shut off the heat and let it steep while you make the rest of the gratin.
  • If you prefer peeled potatoes in a gratin, peel them. Then slice your peeled or unpeeled potatoes very thin. I slice mine 2 mm thick on a mandoline. If yours are thicker, you will need to add more cooking time.
  • To layer the potatoes and cheese in the gratin dish, put down a layer of potatoes, then a layer of cheese, followed by two more layers of each. You will have three layers of potatoes each topped by a layer of cheese. Once that is done, remove the garlic from the steeped milk and pour the milk over the gratin.
  • Cover the gratin with foil and bake for 1 hr 15 mins. Check the potatoes with a skewer or a fork. They should be tender all the way through. If not, give them another 10 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more to brown the topping. Let the gratin sit for 15-20 minutes on the counter to let the potatoes absorb the milk and for the gratin to firm up.

Notes

  • Milk/Cream: I used only whole milk in this gratin since there is a fair amount of it and this recipe is for any day you have a little time to spend in the kitchen. For a special occasion potato gratin where you may want a richer dish, just change out some of the milk for cream, up to 1 cup (making it 1 cup cream and 1 cup milk).
  • Mandoline: The mandoline I use is the GSD Mandoline Slicer. I find it really easy to use and it has held up very well for me.

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Filed Under: 10 ingredients or less, christmas, fall, french recipes, gluten free, holiday favorites, recipe, side dishes, vegetable dishes, vegetable gratins, vegetarian, winter Tagged With: cheese, parmesan cheese, potatoes, sage, thyme

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Comments

  1. Jeanie says

    April 12, 2022 at 12:04 pm

    Did I miss the information about # of servings this recipe makes? Sounds wonderful and the perfect accompaniment to my ham for Easter dinner.

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      April 12, 2022 at 9:00 pm

      For 2 lbs of potatoes, you will get 6-8 servings. Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Jeanie says

        April 12, 2022 at 9:09 pm

        Perfect. Thank,you!

        Reply
  2. Jenni C says

    March 28, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    5 stars
    I followed the recipe exactly, but my dish has ended up really watery. Any idea what I did wrong?

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      March 28, 2021 at 11:03 pm

      Hmmm. In my experience a watery gratin would be an issue with the potatoes. Did you use a different type (like russets)? Or maybe soak or rinse the slices in water? Both of those can cause a watery gratin.

      Reply
  3. Marilyn says

    December 7, 2019 at 9:44 am

    5 stars
    I have made this several times and it is great. I was wondering if I can pre-make it the day before and if so, should I pre-cook it partially?? Just prepare and let sit in fridge. Help! company coming tomorrow. Thank you

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      December 7, 2019 at 11:02 am

      While I have made gratins ahead, I haven’t done this one so I’m a little hesitant to say ‘sure go for it!’ However, based on my experience, I would bake the gratin as directed in the foil skipping the top layer of cheese. (Don’t add that yet.) Cool and put in the fridge covered with foil. The next day take it out and put it on the counter for an hour, then top with the remaining cheese and into the oven covered in foil at 350F for 20-30 minutes (until bubbly). Lastly, uncover and finish as directed. Please, if you try this, let me know and I can look into updating the recipe.

      Reply
      • Marilyn says

        December 7, 2019 at 2:33 pm

        Hi, Thank you for your response. I was just getting ready to give it a go so your advice is very timely and much appreciated. Will let you know how it goes.
        Many Thanks,
        Marilyn

        Reply
  4. John Currier says

    March 19, 2018 at 11:02 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Annemarie,

    I copied this recipe and will try it soon. I had potato gratin at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago and it was so GOOD.

    This looks like a winner.

    Love,

    Mom

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      March 20, 2018 at 10:42 am

      Enjoy. Can’t go wrong with a classic. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Pat Bunn says

    November 1, 2016 at 10:53 am

    I was not able to print recipe

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      November 1, 2016 at 11:54 am

      I’m terribly sorry you couldn’t print. I just tried myself and everything worked here, but I will look into into it more.

      Reply
  6. simonacallas says

    January 22, 2016 at 2:54 am

    What a great recipe! I love gratins too and I prepare them as often as I can – because they are delicious, healthy and easy to make šŸ™‚ I have a mandoline slicer for many years, I use it almost everyday šŸ™‚ Thank you very much for sharing ā¤

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      January 22, 2016 at 5:30 pm

      Thanks! I love my mandoline too. It makes prep so easy. šŸ™‚ And thanks for commenting!

      Reply

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Hello, I’m Annemarie

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m a Italian-American girl who loves fresh foods, local ingredients, and all sorts of comfort foods. Here you will find Mediterranean flavors and recipes from a New England perspective.

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