Gruyère Potato Gratin
A great potato dish is always a good accompaniment to a holiday meal. This potato dish offers layers of thinly sliced potatoes bathed in creamy goodness, delicately baked to perfection with rich Gruyère cheese. Each bite offers a great blend of velvety texture and savory flavors, making it a quintessential side dish that's both elegant and comforting.
Stary by finely dicing an onion. The amount of onion can vary based on your preferences. For this dish about 1/2-3/4 cup works well.
A good mandoline helps get a more consistent precise cut of the russet potatoes. Cut to about 1/16 of an inch (a little thicker than a potato chip). This will help ensure the potatoes cook fully throughout the dish.
Nice even slices that are almost transparent.
In the buttered or sprayed baking dish, start by making a base layer of potatoes.
A word about the cheese. Gruyere is a pretty expensive cheese. You can substitute a lesser expensive Swiss cheese. However, the rich, deep flavor of the Gruyere is what makes this dish a standout.
Top the potato layer with a handful of cheese and a bit of onion. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of flour across the top of the layer. Add salt and white pepper. The Gruyere cheese is very salty so be aware of that while adding additional salt.
Make 5-6 Layers Total
Once you reach near the top, it’s time to add the last of the flour and top with cheese. Then, carefully pour the half and half over the entire dish. You should see the half and half throughout the bottom of the dish, however it should not be “soaking” the potatoes all the way to the top.
Ready for the oven. Note: this dish will bubble over so be sure to use a baking sheet underneath the dish.
Cook, first with a lid or aluminum foil, tightly wrapped around the dish, a little over an hour. Remove and cook the last 30-40 minutes without the lid. This will allow more of the juices to evaporate and the beautiful brown crust to form on the top of the potatoes.
Let it rest!
Once the potatoes are removed from the oven let them rest about 15 minutes (or more) They will remain bubbly hot but will stay together better when serving.
This dish is known as “Steve’s Special Potatoes,” around here, as it’s a favorite of many of our friends and family. We hope you will love it too!
Gruyère Potato Gratin
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (a mandoline works very well)
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1/2 lb Guryere cheese, shredded
- 5-6 teaspoons, divided, Flour
- Salt and White Pepper
- 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups Half and Half
- Butter or cooking spray for the baking dish
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 375
- Butter or spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish thoroughly
- Place a thin layer of potatoes on the bottom of the dish
- Top with a handful of cheese and a bit of the onion, spread evenly over the potatoes.
- Sprinkle about a teaspoon of flour over the layer. Add a bit of salt and white pepper.
- Repeat for several layers until all the potatoes are gone, about an inch from the top of the dish.
- Pour the cream over all the potatoes, filling in through all the layers
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes covered tightly in foil. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 30-40 minutes. Careful as the potatoes should be very bubbly.
- The potatoes are done when top is brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 15 minutes. This will allow the potatoes to cool and the juices to settle a bit. Serve right from the baking dish. Enjoy!
This potato dish offers layers of thinly sliced potatoes bathed in creamy goodness, delicately baked to perfection with rich Gruyère cheese