These rich and creamy Potatoes Dauphinoise are a classic French dish of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in heavy cream and baked with gruyère cheese making them the perfect sumptuous side dish for your next dinner!
You really can’t go wrong with potatoes, cream, and gruyère cheese! Potatoes Dauphinoise are an elegant French version of scalloped potatoes and an excellent addition to your repertoire of potato recipes. With its luscious, rich, cheesy cream sauce, these potatoes are definitely a special occasion dish. Potatoes Dauphinoise are the perfect accompaniment to your next special meal and is sure to delight your guests!
The Method
For many years the method I used for making Potatoes Dauphinoise was to slowly bake the thinly sliced potatoes layered with cream and gruyère cheese at a low temperature. While this certainly works, it does in fact take several hours to bake. The reason to use the low temperature while baking is to prevent the cream from boiling and then curdling. While the curdled cream is safe to eat, it isn’t exactly the texture we are going for.
After some research, I discovered another method that includes cooking the sliced potatoes in the cream first before layering in the casserole. This method has several advantages: it cuts down the overall time considerably; it solves the curdling problem – the potatoes release some of their starches into the cream while cooking which serves to further thicken and stabilize the cream sauce; and it produces a more creamy and luscious potatoes dauphinoise than the slow bake method.
Ingredient Notes
Potatoes: Considering potatoes are the main ingredient in this dish, it is important to pick the best type for this method. There are many different varieties of potatoes, all falling along the spectrum between starchy and waxy. Starchy potatoes are best for baking and frying and yield a fluffy texture when cooked. Whereas waxy potatoes have a higher moisture content and are denser and creamier when cooked.
To capitalize on the creaminess factor in this dish, stick with a waxy, yellow-fleshed potato. Yukon Golds or any other yellow flesh potato is the best choice to use in Potatoes Dauphinoise. Once cooked, the potatoes themselves become velvety smooth and almost melt into the creamy sauce!
Heavy Cream: Equally important in this recipe is to use heavy cream. There are no additional thickening agents, so the richness of the heavy cream combined with the starch of the potatoes is what will create the rich creamy sauce in this dish. Use a 33% heavy cream.
Gruyère Cheese: With its mild and slightly nutty flavour, gruyère is the perfect choice for this creamy potato dish. Named for the town in Switzerland where it was first made, gruyère cheese is most famous as one of the classic cheeses in Swiss fondue. Made from cow’s milk, this cheese should be easy to source at most grocery stores.
Garlic: Steeping the cream with a single clove of garlic, lightly smashed, will impart a mild garlicky flavour without being too overwhelming. The garlic clove is removed before baking.
Nutmeg: A pinch of nutmeg is a classic ingredient in cream sauces.
Fresh thyme: I like to add a sprig of fresh thyme to the cream if I have it. It is entirely optional.
How to Make Potatoes Dauphinoise
Prepare the potatoes
Wash and peel the yellow fleshed potatoes. Thinly slice the potatoes. I like to use a food processor – it makes quick work of slicing all those potatoes! Or use a mandolin. Don’t slice the potatoes too thinly, you don’t want them paper-thin. If the slices are too thin, they may break down during the cooking process. Aim for slices about ¼ inch thick. I use setting 3 on my food processor slicer attachment but yours may differ.
Simmer with cream
In a large, heavy bottomed pot combine the heavy cream, smashed garlic clove, bay leaves, sprig of fresh thyme, nutmeg, kosher salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Keep your eye on the cream, it can boil over if it gets too hot.
Add all the potato slices, gently stirring them into the cream. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Simmer the potatoes for 7 to 10 minutes or until they are just barely cooked through. Gently stir the potatoes regularly so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
While the potatoes are cooking, shred the gruyère cheese. Prepare a casserole dish by lightly greasing it with non-stick spray.
Bake the Potatoes Dauphinoise
Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. When the potato slices are just fork tender, remove them from the heat. Remove the bay leaves, thyme sprig, and the garlic clove. Using a slotted spoon, lift out half of the sliced potatoes and spread in the casserole dish. Top with half of the shredded gruyere cheese. Top with the remaining potatoes.
Pour over just enough of the cream to cover the potatoes, you may not need to use all the cream. Discard any extra cream. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes until the Potatoes Dauphinoise are well browned and bubbling and the potatoes are tender. Let cool slightly before serving and enjoy!
Serving & Pairing Suggestions
Potatoes Dauphinoise are perfect served alongside a roast dinner and are my favourite accompaniment to my Slow Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Shallots and Port.
A note about leftovers. Given that these potatoes are made solely with cream and no additional starches, the sauce tends to split when reheated. It doesn’t affect the flavour and I will happily enjoy leftover Potatoes Dauphinoise any time! However, it does mean that these potatoes are best enjoyed and served the same day you make them. I don’t recommend baking them the day before you want to serve them.
