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    Home > Sides

    Dauphinoise Potatoes

    Published: Apr 9, 2020 · Modified: Sep 22, 2020 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Go to Video Print Recipe

    Classic dauphinoise potatoes baked in a creamy garlic sauce and finished with Gruyere cheese. A rich and indulgent side dish that totally hits the spot!
    Dauphinoise Potatoes being scooped out of a baking dish

    I can totally eat this for dinner with nothing else.

    Yes it makes a beautifully indulgent side dish with steak or salmon or roast lamb, but a double helping of this glorious dish, eaten whilst sat on the sofa in my PJs?

    Heaven.

    What are dauphinoise potatoes and how does this dish differ from potato gratin or boulangere potatoes?

    Dauphinoise potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes cooked in the oven in a dish with cream and/or milk with a hint of garlic. It can be made with or without cheese. The potatoes are often layered in the dish raw. I prefer to pre-cook my potatoes in the milk and cream as this helps to thicken the sauce and prevent it from curdling.

    Potato Gratin is often a term used interchangeably with dauphinoise potatoes. Any baked dish of thinly sliced vegetables cooked with cheese and butter is generally a gratin. Potato gratin can be made with a creamy sauce, sometimes with the inclusion of onions, garlic and/or breadcrumbs.

    Boulangere potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes cooked in the oven in a dish with thinly sliced onions, stock, herbs (thyme, rosemary or sage) and butter.

    What do we need?
    Ingredients for Dauphinoise potatoes on a wooden table

    Steps to make it

    (Full ingredients and recipe instructions in recipe card below)

    1. Bring cream, milk and garlic to boil in a large saucepan,
    2. Peel and thinly slice potatoes (you can use a mandolin or the slicing attachment on a food processor). Add the potatoes to the heated cream mixture.
    3. Simmer for 6-7 mins, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender.

    8 image collage showing initial steps for making dauphinoise potatoes

    1. Scoop half of the potatoes out of the pan and arrange them in the baking dish. Sprinkle over a little salt, pepper, nutmeg and grated Gruyere cheese.
    2. Spoon on the remaining potatoes, pour on some of the sauce, season once more and sprinkle on more Gruyere cheese.
    3. Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cheese is golden.

    8 image collage showing steps for assembling dauphinoise potatoes

    Season with a little parsley before serving.

    Overhead of a dish of Dauphinoise Potatoes

    Why to I need to par-boil the potatoes first?

    1. Parboiling the potatoes helps to ensure the potatoes will be fully cooked and tender after 40-45 minutes in the oven. Using raw potatoes would increase the cooking time substantially, meaning the cheese could be too brown by the time the potatoes are tender.
    2. As the potatoes are parboiling in the cream and milk, they release starch into the sauce. This helps to:
        1. Thicken the sauce
        2. Ensure the sauce doesn't curdle when the assembled dish is baked in the oven

    Pro-tips:

    • Peel the potatoes, then use the slicing attachment on a food processor to slice the potatoes thinly and quickly.
      A mandolin is a good alternative to consistently slice the potatoes, although it will take longer.
    • When par-boiling the potatoes in the sauce, use a blunt knife to separate the layers of potato. The starch in the potatoes means the potato slices will try to stick together without having any sauce in between them. Stuck together potato slices is comparable to not slicing the potatoes at all, and it means the potatoes won't cook evenly. Separate them out in the pan and ensure all of the slices get coated in the sauce and you'll have perfectly tender, creamy potatoes.
    • Don't worry about arranging the potatoes neatly in the baking dish. So long as they're fairly flat on top, they'll cook evenly and you'll still see those lovely layers when you cut into the dauphinoise.

    Dauphinoise Potatoes with a portion taken out

    What to serve with dauphinoise potatoes

    Although very rich itself, I think dauphinoise potatoes works really well with rich meats such as roast lamb, steak or beef shortribs. However, it will also go perfectly with baked salmon (you could add a little lemon zest to the salmon to cut through the creaminess of the potatoes).

    How about roast leg of lamb, slow-roast shoulder of lamb or rack of lamb.
    You could also serve it as part of a roast pork, roast beef or roast chicken dinner

    Serve along with:

    • Green Beans with Garlic and Parmesan
    • Simple Butter Pepper Carrotsor
    • Baked Parmesan Sprouts with Bacon

    Watch how to make it:

    YouTube video
     

    A scoop of Dauphinoise Potatoes being taken out of the dish

    Dauphinoise Potatoes

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    Classic dauphinoise potatoes baked in a creamy garlic sauce and finished with Gruyere cheese. A rich and indulgent side dish.
    4.56 from 9 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 50 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine French
    Servings 8
    Calories 437 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 cups (480ml) double (heavy) cream
    • 2 cups (480ml) full-fat milk
    • 3 garlic cloves - peeled and lightly crushed (so they’re flatter, but stay in one piece)
    • 2 ¾ lbs (1 ¼ kg) King Edward or Maris Piper potatoes – use medium-sized potatoes
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • Pinch of nutmeg
    • ¼ tsp white pepper
    • 1 ½ cups (150g) grated gruyere cheese
    • 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Preheat the oven to 190C/375F
    • Lightly grease a large, shallow ovenproof dish. I use a 32cmx18cm dish (see *note 1 for conversion).
    • Place the cream, milk, garlic into a large saucepan and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat.
    • Peel the potatoes and slice thinly using the slicing attachment on your food processor or a mandolin. They need to be around 2mm thick.
    • Add the potatoes to the cream and stir to coat.
    • Bring back to the boil, then simmer gently for 6-7 mins, stirring occasionally (to ensure the sauce doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan) until the potatoes are tender and just cooked. Don’t worry if they break apart a little.
    • While the potatoes are cooking, mix together the salt, black pepper, nutmeg and white pepper in a small dish.
    • Scoop half of the potatoes out of the pan and arrange them in the baking dish, being sure to separate any potatoes that have stuck together. Discard the garlic.
    • Sprinkle over half of the salt/pepper/nutmeg mixture and â…“ of the gruyere cheese.
    • Spoon on the remaining potatoes and pour over enough sauce so the potatoes are coated in sauce, but not drowning in it. The sauce should be quite thick, so there won't be much left in the pan anyway.
    • Sprinkle on the remaining seasoning and the remaining cheese.
    • Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cheese is golden.
    • Top with fresh parsley before serving

    Video

    YouTube video

    ✎ Notes

    Note 1
    I use a 32cmx18cm (12.5"x 7") dish, but you could use a 24cmx24cm (9.4"x9.4") dish or 26cm/10" (ish) diameter round dish or even a cast iron skillet. Don't worry if your tin is a little smaller or a little bigger. Try to ensure it's at least 5cm (2.5") deep though.
    Best potatoes for dauphinoise potatoes
    Starchy/floury potatoes are the best option - as the starch in them helps to create a thicker sauce. Maris Piper, King Edwards, Rooster, Russets, Yukon golds and Desirée are all good options.
    Can I make it ahead?
    Yes, cook as per the recipe, but just place in the oven for 20 minutes rather than 40-45. Then you can cool, cover and refrigerate.
    Remove from the refrigerator an hour before you want to reheat it (to take the chill off the centre) and cover in foil. Place in the oven at 190C/375F for 30-35 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes, until piping hot throughout.
    Gruyere cheese
    I like to use Gruyere cheese for dauphinoise for its delicate nutty flavour. You can swap it out for mozzarella or cheddar if you prefer.
    Nutritional information is per serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 437kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 15gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 293mgPotassium: 794mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1208IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 407mgIron: 5mg
    Keywords Comfort Food, potatoes, side dish
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

     

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More

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    1. P. Nicholson says

      May 14, 2023 at 11:35 pm

      4 stars
      Tasty, but next time I’ll salt the cream/milk before boiling the potatoes.

      Reply
    2. Kyra says

      April 10, 2023 at 1:42 am

      5 stars
      I made this today. For the milk I used a can of evaporated milk and Fairlife skim milk to get 2 cups. I used 4 frozen garlic cubes so it stayed in there. I had shredded Swiss and double cheddar for cheese. Lastly I did not have white pepper so used turmeric and a pinch of all spice since did not have nutmeg. I put all the sauce in. I baked it first and then the rest of dinner and it set beautifully while I made everything else. Family loved it! So delicious. So glad I found this recipe.

      Reply
    3. Emily says

      December 18, 2022 at 7:14 pm

      4 stars
      I made this a few months ago and it really was delicious! The only thing is, it took well over an hour and a half to cook. I want to make this for Christmas Day so was going to make this the day before. I know you say to cook it for only 20 minutes when cooking the day before, but should I cook mine for longer as I know it will take longer? Oh also just realised I’ve changed my oven since then so it may all be different anyway!

      Reply
    4. Julian Such says

      November 06, 2022 at 7:02 pm

      4 stars
      Lovely, used crushed garlic though.

      Reply
    5. Nona says

      September 11, 2021 at 11:05 am

      Hello.. I plan to make these tomorrow night for a dinner. They look sinful and delicious! But needed to check one thing.. Don't you add any salt to the milk and cream mixture when you cook the potatoes in that? i know you sprinkle salt later but isn't that too little for the dish? Thanks

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        September 16, 2021 at 8:38 am

        Hi Nona, I don't add salt to the milk and cream. We're using salt in the dish on the potatoes, and also the cheese adds a fair bit of salty flavour too. The saltiness in those components will meld with the sauce when the dish is baking in the oven.

        Reply
    6. Fiona says

      March 14, 2021 at 10:37 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! Best gratin recipe I’ve ever tried. I added some onion quarters to the sauce and removed along with the garlic for extra flavour. Will definitely be using this recipe in the future.

      Reply
    7. Lianne says

      March 05, 2021 at 4:21 pm

      I love this! But my sauce is never thick am I not simmering it enough there's usually loads left and runny like milk

      Reply
    8. Richard Blackett says

      February 09, 2021 at 9:36 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks Nicky - made this twice now and perfect each time. A treat during a cold, eternal lockdown!

      Reply
    9. Georgina says

      January 09, 2021 at 11:00 am

      Hi I’ve made the dauphinois a few times when I have all the family around. We just love them! But I’m wondering can you freeze any left overs?

      Reply
    10. Ginnene says

      July 08, 2020 at 5:28 pm

      4 stars
      Easy recipe to follow turned out perfect

      Reply
    11. Shari says

      July 04, 2020 at 6:17 pm

      5 stars
      I've made this dish a few times now and it is simply amazing!!!! First time, I followed it to the tee - some family members found the gruyere overpowering and others loved it, next round I made it with grated cheddar and that went down well with EVERYBODY!
      Its a family favourite now and our go-to comfort food!! Thank you so much for this recipe and many others! Love to you both!

      Reply
      • Chris Corbishley says

        July 07, 2020 at 5:55 pm

        Thanks Shari,

        Really glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂

        Thanks

        Chris & Nicky

        Reply
    12. Kath says

      April 18, 2020 at 12:16 pm

      5 stars
      Such a gorgeous, indulgent potato side dish. Made our Easter dinner extra special, thank you 😋

      Reply

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