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!

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?

Steps to make it

(Full ingredients and recipe instructions in recipe card below)

Bring cream, milk and garlic to boil in a large saucepan,
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.
Simmer for 6-7 mins, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender.

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.
Spoon on the remaining potatoes, pour on some of the sauce, season once more and sprinkle on more Gruyere cheese.
Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cheese is golden.

Season with a little parsley before serving.

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

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.
As the potatoes are parboiling in the cream and milk, they release starch into the sauce. This helps to:
1. 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.

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:

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.