Simple Potato Gratin

Name: Simple Potato Gratin
Yield: 9x12-inch gratin dish
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces, plus an additional pat for buttering gratin dish; 4 large yellow potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup milk, half-and-half, or cream; 2 oz cheese, grated or crumbled (Parmesan or Gruyere are classics, but goat cheese, blue cheese, or any favorites work as well) [optional]

5 ingredients•12 steps•9x12-inch gratin dish

Ingredients

- 3 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces, plus an additional pat for buttering gratin dish
- 4 large yellow potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup milk, half-and-half, or cream
- 2 oz cheese, grated or crumbled (Parmesan or Gruyere are classics, but goat cheese, blue cheese, or any favorites work as well) [optional]

Instructions

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x12-inch gratin dish with the pat of butter.
2
Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can (a mandoline works great for this).
3
Arrange potatoes in a layer, overlapping the edges slightly like shingles.
4
Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and freshly ground pepper (don't be stingy - this is where the bulk of your flavor comes from).
5
Add a third of the cheese before repeating this process with remaining potato slices.
6
Continue layering until you have approximately three layers, with a third of the cheese between each layer. Reserve the last third of cheese for later.
7
Carefully pour the milk over the potatoes. It should come up to the bottom of the top layer of potatoes; add more if needed.
8
Dot the top of the gratin with the 3 Tbsp butter.
9
Bake for about 1 hour.
10
Halfway through the baking time, take the gratin dish out of the oven and gently press the potatoes flat with a spatula to keep the top moist.
11
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the gratin for the last 15 minutes of baking.
12
The gratin is done when the potatoes are soft and the top is golden brown.

💡 Cook's Notes

**Potato Selection:** Yukon Golds and other waxy, yellow-fleshed potatoes work best in gratins, keeping their texture without getting floury and falling apart as Russets do. **Variation Ideas:** Use duck fat instead of butter Swap celery root, parsnips, or turnip slices for half the potatoes Add chopped herbs such as parsley, thyme, chives, or chervil between the layers Sauté mushrooms, sorrel, spinach, or leeks (with or without a finely-chopped shallot) and layer them between the potato slices If using something richer than milk (half-and-half or cream), you can skip the butter

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