Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin – No Cheese & a Secret Technique
Since 2009, this potatoes au gratin recipe has been a holiday favorite for so many of you. We’re sharing it again with you all along with a brand new video. These potatoes are crazy good and incredibly don’t have any cheese. The secret is in the technique. Read on to find out how to make the magic. Enjoy!
Family Favorite Holiday Potatoes Recipe
With the holidays in full swing, we are always planning a feasting menu (we actually always are planning feasting, but it is even more so now). We are always the key menu planners/cooks for just about any gathering and there are some dishes which are a requirement in our circles.
The menus are often a delicious mix, where traditional dishes are entwined with cultural ones. A common menu for us on Thanksgiving might be the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cha gio (eggrolls), nuoc cham for everything, bun bo hue. Christmas will usually be similar but swap out the turkey and stuffing for something more fun and delicious (whole cooked fish, ribs, steak, steam buns, etc.)
For the family gatherings, Diane’s mom takes care of the Vietnamese dishes & we’ll do the American or whatever various deliciousness we are obsessed with at the time (and sometimes help a bit with the Vietnamese dishes beyond what mom is cooking).
But there is one “everyone-will-boycott-if-it-isn’t-there” dish. These legendary Potatoes Au Gratin. We don’t say this lightly. People have wooed their future spouse with these potatoes. These Potatoes Au Gratin are amazing, creamy, tender and addicting. And beautifully simple to make. All they need are some good potatoes & cream, and time in the oven. And a bit of a “secret technique”.
Video showing us making the Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe:
The Key to a Great Potatoes Au Gratin
Simplicity can be heavenly, especially when you use good ingredients and techniques. That mantra completely surmises this Potatoes Au Gratin recipe (when they are this good, they should always be capitalized.) Just a handful of ingredients, the prep is simple, and as long as you remember to tend to your taters a couple times as they cook, they are utterly phenomenal.
What are the Best Ingredients?
Because of the simplicity of the ingredients, the little details make all of the difference in the final outcome. A garlic rub on the baking dish. The pop of flavor from lots of fresh ground black pepper and a bit of fresh grated nutmeg give a level above any pre-ground counterparts.
If you are using the pre-ground stuff (please try not to, but sometimes circumstances will dictate that you have to) cut back on the measurement of the nutmeg because the fresh grated will have more fluff then its pre-ground counterpart. You might need to reduce the salt amount if using table salt instead of kosher salt. Use how ever much black pepper you like. Preferably a lot.
Go for the Gold Potatoes
For the potatoes, good Russets are the best economical choice but if you want to go delicious, grab some Yukon Golds or something similar. Get the a nice thick heavy cream (all heavy creams are not equal-you’ll know it when you pour as the better creams have a thicker consistency. Around us the Trader Joe’s heavy cream and the Horizon Organic Heavy Whipping Cream (we’ll get the big one at Costco) are our regular go-to’s).
The Secret Technique
Then comes the “secret technique”. Several times while the potatoes cook, with the back of a large spoon, break the crust the cream is starting to form. Swirl the back of the spoon over the creamy that is starting to brown, smoothing it out with the more liquidy cream which is directly underneath.
This will allow the cream to slowly cook into the potatoes without overcooking or drying out the top as everything bakes to a tender, delicious creaminess. For the last 20-30 min. leave everything untouched so it will develop a final finishing crust. The final Potatoes Au Gratin will have a heavenly texture of softened, creamy layered potatoes topped with a golden slightly firmer crust.
Do you need cheese?
No. Many are shocked that there is no cheese in this recipe. With the secret technique is doesn’t need any cheese to create the top crust and we like the texture much more than if you had used cheese. If you are a doubter, try this recipe and you may love it as much as us, our friends, and family all do!
-Todd
Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pounds (1800 g) Potatoes , scrubbed clean (preferably gold potatoes)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons (30-45 ml) Kosher Salt , or to taste
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh cracked Black Pepper , or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) freshly grated Nutmeg , or to taste
- 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) Heavy Cream
Equipment
- Mandoline optional
- Cut Resistant Gloves optional
- Fine Grater/Zester optional for freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Crack the garlic cloves break them up slightly then rub the insides of a 9″x11″ baking dish. Set aside.
- Peel and thinly slice the potatoes – about 1/8" thick. Put the sliced potatoes into a large bowl (some like to use a mandoline for slicing the potatoes – if you do we highly recommend using cut resistant gloves – personally we prefer to slice with a knife).
- Season potatoes with salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Get your hands in there and toss the slices to coat evenly. Slap a potato slice against your tongue to test for seasoning. It should be noticeably seasoned but not overpoweringly so.
- Layer potatoes into the prepared baking dish, smoothing and shifting the potatoes so everything is fairly level.
- Pour heavy cream over potatoes to the point where you can press down on the top layer and the potato slices disappear under the cream. Give a couple presses down on the potatoes then taste cream for seasoning again. You should just marginally taste the salt. Add a sprinkle more if needed.
- Bake for a total of about 1 1/2 hours (larger batches will take longer) (see following steps for instructions while baking).
- Every 30 minutes or so, break the crust the cream is starting to form with the back of a large spoon. On the final "crusting breaking" the consistency of the cream should noticeably thicker and have absorbed into the potatoes a decent amount.
- For the final 20-30 minutes, leave everything untouched to form a golden top. Cream should be nearly all broke down and absorbed with just a bit of creamy, buttery-ness between the potato slices.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit before serving. It will retain an intense heat for at least 10-15 minutes.
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Detailed Step-by-Step Pictorial for Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe
How to “Break The Crust” – keeping potatoes moist & creamy
The cream crust is starting to show some color
Check out our Sausage Potatoes au Gratin Recipe if you love sausage!
Here’s more great holiday potato recipes.
12/24/09
I am doing this ahead of time for Christmas Day dinner. I have parboiled, sliced, seasoned, and layered the potatoes. May I add the cream and keep it in the refrigerator overnight and cook tomorrow? Or just bake and reheat tomorrow. It really looks scrumptious and we all can’t wait to try it. Thanks
We’ve never tried it by par-boiling the potatoes, so we aren’t 100% sure on this, but…
Usually we would bake it now & re-heat it the next day. We’d slightly under-bake it, so when reheated, the cream will have absorbed the perfect amount and the potatoes aren’t over cooked & dried out the top. We bake the day before because if the raw potatoes are left exposed to air they will start to oxidize and discolor. Since you par-boiled them, I’m not sure you would have that problem. If I was in your place, I think I would still bake now, under-baking by about 15 minutes, (baking times will also be less since you par-boiled the potatoes) then re-heat to finish on Christmas. Hope that helps. Have a great Christmas.
Thank you and Merry Christmas.
I stumbled upon your website by accident while looking for a recipe to try. I had never made potatoes au gratin before, and the pictures really drew me in!! I made it and I could not believe such a thing could come out of MY kitchen!! My roommate, who, as a rule “does not like potatoes au gratin” ate more of them than I did!!! This recipe now has a permanent page in my personal family cookbook. Thanks!!!
Yum. I keep sticking my fork against the computer screen.
We have to have mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving My boys wouldn’t have it any other way but I will try this for Christmas. I am making your brussel sprouts for Thanksgivng and also two types of stufffing, Sippty Sup’s carrot tart and………………………
This is exactly the alternative I need to regular mashed potatoes. These seem more sophisticated. Just wondering if I should sprinkle some parm-regg. cheese on top during the last 20 min. of cooking or if that would be overkill…
We’ve never tried adding parmesan at the end because the Potatoes Au Gratin are just so good by themselves, but sometimes when you experiment you’ll discover something wonderful. If you are hesitant, maybe try to adding it on just one half of the dish & see which side you like better. Have a great Thanksgiving.
Oh my. Is there anything better???? I end up picking and picking around the crunchy corners. I’ve never put garlic in mine ( I will now) and I always use fresh nutmeg. Makes all the difference.
Great recipe, great photos!
beautiful post! with potatoes a plenty around the house, this is a must for the feast!
Awesome! I made these for dinner last night, and they were exquisite! Excellent directions. It was fun tossing the potatoes with my hands, which allowed me to get the spicing just right.
Totally a keeper. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
I just made a version of this with turnips yesterday for a potluck… my dish came home empty!! It was delicious. 🙂
Learned that trick from my brother but we only break the cream crust twice. I’ll make sure to do it three times this year at Christmas. I am off duty on Thanksgiving! It started when I was working that day back at the restaurant and it remained like that ever since….I do bring some macarons though!!
This looks amazing! Wishing I’d had a heartier dinner, and that these only took 5 minutes ;D.
You say that all creams are not equal…any specific brand, type that you use?
For the stores that are close to the house, we like the Trader Joes heavy cream. Best advice is to try the different ones available in your area & find the one you like best.
My carb-loving self is just drooling over here…GOD, I need a bowl of those…preferably eaten in bed! Amazing recipe!
I know these are delicious because it’s just about the same way I make mine. They have to go to any potluck I attend or my friends won’t let me come.
LOVE gratin. One of my favorite dishes while growing up. 🙂
This is just the recipe I was looking for, thank you! Do you think these would re-heat well? I’m trying to figure out this year’s Thanksgiving logistics. If I bake it at my house, make the 30-45 minute drive over to my sister’s, and the re-heat it again there for serving, do you think they would dry out?
They do reheat well. We have actually done just what you are proposing on several occasions. Usually we will under bake the Potatoes Au Gratin by about 10 or 15 minutes, then finish at the final destination. When finishing you’ll have to bake for 20-25 minutes usually, depending on how much they have cooled off. The potatoes do retain their heat very well, and by keeping it wrapped up in foil, they will probably be pretty warm after just 30 minutes.
Reheating leftovers, when there are any, we’ve found the cream just absorbs into the potatoes even more, so you’ll loose a bit of that creaminess between potato slices, but the flavor and texture are fantastic. Have a great Thanksgiving.