Au Gratin Potatoes - the perfect recipe?

[Raspberrymocha55]

I am on a mission to find/create a recipe for the perfect au gratin potatoes. I've spent 3 hours looking through recipes online. I will be trying out recipes all winter. I have warned my hubby of my quest. Eventually, I hope to create the perfect au gratin. I need recipes and suggestions to try. I know I want them über cheesy, slightly creamy, and above all I want a dish fit for the cooking gods! Your help is needed. Please help in this search.

 

[GotGarlic]

Do you have a mandolin or a V-slicer? Evenly cut potatoes are a key to success with this recipe.

I use Betty Crocker's recipe: Cheesy au Gratin Potatoes. Love it. I usually add diced smoked ham and peas to it, to make it a meal.

 

[Raspberrymocha55]

Yup! Overly stocked with appliances, I'm ready to try anything! Although I need a new deep fryer, a mortar and pestle, and a cheap grinder for outside horseradish grinding!

 

[Andy M.]

Time to think about the potatoes and cheese you want to use. Most recipes call for russet potatoes and sharp cheddar cheese. Russets will yield in a softer result than red or yukon golds. On the other hand, YGs or Reds will be firmer and hold their shape better.

Sharp cheddar can be replaced with Swiss or any other cheese or a blend of cheeses.

 

[Rocket_J_Dawg]

Are you looking to change the type of cheese used? Mrs Dawg has a recipe that uses Gruyere. I'll have to translate it (it's in either hers or her mothers handwriting) and post it for you.

 

[KatyCooks]

A mandolin to get even sliced potatoes is a very good start.

As for potatoes. I am a fan of reds - flavour and texture-wise they seem to work well.

The cheese has to be about what you like and what you can get hold of, but a good cheddar is perfect. Or a mix of hard cheeses. The higher fat content ones taste great but will mean you don't really want to be adding cream - otherwise you will get an oily "slick", which isn't too appetising. Better to add a small amount of vegetable stock to cook the potatoes. You don't need cream for "creamy"!

Personally, I like some onion in there too (finely sliced on the mandolin when you are doing the potatoes).

Best tip for this? Don't rush it. Cook it for ages - the potatoes will slowly absorb more and more flavour. (Cook it the day before you want it if you can.) When you think it is utterly soft - grate some cheese over the top and flash it under the grill or in the top shelf of the oven at a very high heat to brown it.

Lovely!

 

[Addie]

KatyCooks suggested some cheese sprinkles over the top. Great idea.

When I make mac and cheese, I take some of the grated cheese and mix it with bread crumbs, then sprinkle over the top of the pan and then brown. A nice crispy topping.

 

[Rocket_J_Dawg]

Ok, I think I have this right.

1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp butter, softened
1.5 lbs potatoes
1.75 cups minimum 35% cream
200 grams Gruyere, grated
1 tbsp thyme
salt
pepper
nutmeg

Heat the oven to 350
Smash the garlic and butter together and spread it all over the baking dish leaving the bits in.
Peal and slice the potatoes and rinse in cold water.
Mix the cream with half of the cheese and the thyme and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Layer the potato slices in the baking dish and pour the cheese mixture over.
Cover with the left over cheese and bake for about 45 minutes

 

[Raspberrymocha55]

I've never cooked with Guyere. I am not familiar with it as it is not easily found in our stores. I will have to lookit up and find a local (within 75 miles) source. Our stores carry the more prosaic cheeses. I'm a fan of super sharp cheddars and bleu cheeses. Can't find a decent havarti.

 

[Andy M.]

I've never cooked with Guyere. I am not familiar with it as it is not easily found in our stores. I will have to lookit up and find a local (within 75 miles) source. Our stores carry the more prosaic cheeses. I'm a fan of super sharp cheddars and bleu cheeses. Can't find a decent havarti.

Neither Gruyere nor Havarti are super sharp cheeses or even sharp cheeses.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I would ask for Havarti each time I went to the store...because I like saying it.

I like to make a thin bechemel sauce and layer that with the potatoes and cheese. My favorite cheese is smoked gouda with taters.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I like to make a thin bechemel sauce and layer that with the potatoes and cheese. My favorite cheese is smoked gouda with taters.

I do basically the same thing, but once the bechemel is finishing I melt in as much cheese (at least 1 cup per 1 cup sauce) as I think my heart will take that night. Smoked gouda is wonderful, but I tend to mix a number of cheese ends for both potatoes or mac & cheese dishes. My favorite used up the last of my sharp cheddar for tang, Fontina for creaminess, smoked gouda for the smoky taste, and a small bit of another mild, creamy cheese. It all depends on what we have a taste for and what needs to be cleaned out of the cheese drawer.

Every once in a while I might soften some minced onion in the butter I'm melting in the beginning. A sweet onion like a Vidalia makes the potatoes or mac & cheese a little bit grown-up.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would toss out most of the old potato au gratin recipes recipes and go with your favorite macaroni and cheese recipe substituting cooked potatoes for the macaroni.

When I make them I use a white sauce and add equal parts of grated American Process cheese for creaminess and sharp cheddar for flavor then I add a good shake of cayenne pepper. I leave the potatoes in chunks and bake them for about 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees, until bubbly and the top has browned.

 

[GotGarlic]

I've never cooked with Guyere. I am not familiar with it as it is not easily found in our stores. I will have to lookit up and find a local (within 75 miles) source. Our stores carry the more prosaic cheeses. I'm a fan of super sharp cheddars and bleu cheeses. Can't find a decent havarti.

Gruyere is like a hard Swiss cheese, with a sourish flavor. I don't enjoy it by itself, but it's good mixed with other cheeses.

The recipe I posted does use a cheesy bechamel for the sauce and a topping of bread crumbs and extra cheese. I like the idea of adding thyme to the mix.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I do basically the same thing, but once the bechemel is finishing I melt in as much cheese (at least 1 cup per 1 cup sauce) as I think my heart will take that night. Smoked gouda is wonderful, but I tend to mix a number of cheese ends for both potatoes or mac & cheese dishes. My favorite used up the last of my sharp cheddar for tang, Fontina for creaminess, smoked gouda for the smoky taste, and a small bit of another mild, creamy cheese. It all depends on what we have a taste for and what needs to be cleaned out of the cheese drawer.

Every once in a while I might soften some minced onion in the butter I'm melting in the beginning. A sweet onion like a Vidalia makes the potatoes or mac & cheese a little bit grown-up.

So does some minced garlic!!!

 

[medtran49]

Gruyere is like a hard Swiss cheese, with a sourish flavor. I don't enjoy it by itself, but it's good mixed with other cheeses.

.

See how different tastes are, as well as maker and maybe where you buy it and how it has been stored, I think it is like a swiss in texture, maybe even a little softer, not harder, and has a nutty creamy flavor and absolutely love it. We use it to make grilled cheese sandwiches with carmelized onions.

Love this potato/fennel/onion gratin recipe from Ina Garten.

Potato-Fennel Gratin Recipe : Ina Garten : Recipes : Food Network

I did make a slight change though, covered the dish with foil until about the last 20 minutes or so.

 

[Andy M.]

Gruyere is one of my favorites. I love it on a burger or in an omelet.

I don't care for sharp cheeses at all.

 

[GotGarlic]

Good thing there are all kinds of foods to suit all tastes! That makes it tricky to create the "perfect" recipe, too.

Razz, think about the kinds of cheeses you enjoy and can get, and use them in your sauce. Also, consider online sources. I have bought Bel Paese soft cheese medallions and Parmigiana Reggiano from this source and it was wonderful: http://www.ditalia.com/Cheese-Shop-Formaggio/italian-imported-cheese

 

[CarolPa]

I would ask for Havarti each time I went to the store...because I like saying it.

I like to make a thin bechemel sauce and layer that with the potatoes and cheese. My favorite cheese is smoked gouda with taters.

Also, if you keep asking for it, they might eventually start to stock it!

 

[Oldvine]

I've had the good fortune to make the perfect batch of potatoes au gratin a couple times. But I also had the rotten luck for it the times that I had decided to use up all those bits and pieces of cheese in the refrigerator so there is no recipe. In my case, perfect batches just happen now and then. Pretty good batches happen often following a simple recipe like the Betty Crocker example.