Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics and Liquids
- 300 ml heavy cream
- 200 ml whole milk
- 3 garlic, whole cloves
- 12 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1 g ground nutmeg
Produce and Dairy
- 1000 g yukon gold potatoes, peeled
- 15 g unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g gruyere cheese, freshly grated
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 912 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbohydrates
- 143 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fiber
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 1075 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 18 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 93 mg
- Potassium
- 1794 mg
- Calcium
- 439 mg
- Iron
- 2.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 126 mg
- Phosphorus
- 494 mg
- Zinc
- 2.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 306 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 7 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.43 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.31 mg
- Niacin
- 6.0 mg
- Folate
- 48 mcg
- Water
- 79 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 175C/350F. Ensure an oven rack is placed in the middle position.
Vigorously rub the inside of the gratin dish with the cut sides of the halved garlic clove to release its oils, then coat the interior generously with the softened unsalted butter.
Using a mandoline slicer, cut the peeled potatoes into perfectly even slices about 3mm thick. Do not rinse the potatoes under water after slicing, as you need their natural surface starches to thicken the cream sauce.
In the medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, the two crushed garlic cloves, kosher salt, black pepper, and ground nutmeg. Whisk briefly, then bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, immediately remove from heat.
Arrange half of the potato slices in the prepared gratin dish, overlapping them slightly like shingles. Sprinkle an even layer using half of the grated gruyere cheese.
Layer the remaining potato slices on top. Fish out and discard the crushed garlic cloves from the warm cream mixture, then pour the liquid evenly over the entire dish. Finish by topping with the remaining gruyere cheese.
Bake uncovered in the preheated 175C/350F oven for 60 to 75 minutes. The dish is done when the potatoes yield completely to a knife and the cheese has formed a deep golden, bubbling crust.
Remove the gratin from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving. This crucial step allows the bubbling liquids to settle and the sauce to thicken into a creamy glaze.
Chef's Notes
- The starch released from the sliced potatoes is the natural thickener for the rich sauce. Rinsing them under water is the most common mistake home cooks make, resulting in a watery dish.
- While a sharp chef knife can be used, a mandoline slicer is highly recommended. It ensures completely uniform potato slices, which is the only way to guarantee perfectly even cooking throughout the layers.
- Allowing the gratin to rest for at least 15 minutes after baking is entirely non-negotiable. The temperature drop allows the starches to stabilize, preventing the dish from flooding your plate with hot cream.
- Gruyere provides a nutty, complex flavor that melts beautifully. For a slightly different authentic alpine flavor profile, substitute equal parts Comte or Emmental cheese.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Cover tightly with food wrap or store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 1 month — Texture may become slightly grainy upon thawing but the rich flavor remains excellent.
Reheating: Reheat in a 160C/320F oven until bubbling around the edges, or microwave individual portions until hot throughout.
Troubleshooting
Potatoes are hard but the top cheese crust is burning.
Cause: Oven temperature is running too hot, or potato slices were cut thicker than 3mm.
Fix: Tent the gratin dish loosely with aluminum foil to protect the crust, and continue baking until potatoes are tender.
Prevention: Use an oven thermometer to verify temperature and use a mandoline to ensure consistent, thin slices.
The cream sauce split, curdled, or looks oily.
Cause: Boiling the cream mixture too vigorously, or using low-fat dairy which lacks the fat content to remain stable when heated with potato starch.
Fix: Cannot be fixed visually once curdled, but the dish remains entirely safe and delicious to eat.
Prevention: Heat the dairy mixture only to a very gentle simmer and always use full-fat heavy cream and whole milk.
The final dish is soupy and watery on the bottom.
Cause: The potatoes were washed after slicing, which removed the binding starches, or the dish was sliced immediately out of the oven.
Fix: Let the dish rest for an additional 15 to 20 minutes to allow the potatoes to absorb more of the loose liquid.
Prevention: Never wash sliced potatoes for gratin, and mandate a 15 minute resting period post-bake.
Cultural Context
Originating from the historical Dauphine region in southeastern France, the traditional Gratin Dauphinois is a testament to the elegance of rustic French cooking. Purists often debate that a true, historic Dauphinois contains only potatoes, cream, milk, and garlic, strictly forbidding the use of cheese. The addition of Gruyere technically aligns the dish closer to a Gratin Savoyard, but this deeply savory, cheesy variation has become the beloved comfort food standard in modern bistros worldwide.
