Easy Dauphinoise Potatoes (Potato Gratin)

My easy dauphinoise potatoes are a great tasting and versatile potato side dish. Thin slices of potato, layered up with onion, garlic and cream, the perfect accompaniment to the Sunday roast.

I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love my easy dauphinoise potatoes. My family in particular love this easy potato side and if asked to choose their favourite way to serve potatoes I reckon dauphinoise would be right up there with Crispy Roast Potatoes.

When is comes to easy potato side dishes you can’t beat easy dauphinoise potatoes, or potato gratin. Thinly sliced potato, combined with onion, garlic and cream before being baked in the oven. The baking thickens the cream leaving you with a very moreish potato side dish.

This easy potato gratin takes only 15 minutes to prepare then the oven does all the hard work. I’m a great fan of simple dishes like this, they taste great and require very little effort. Safe to say I never have any leftovers when I cook this!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Prepare the dish earlier in the day, then cover and place in the fridge, ready to cook in the oven just before you are ready to serve.
• Feed a crowd as this recipe can be easily doubled or quadrupled depending on numbers.
• Uses only 5 inexpensive ingredients making this a great low cost side option.

From where do dauphinoise potatoes originate?

This is a classic French potato side dish, which layers slices of potatoes with garlic. It is then baked in the oven with milk, cream or a combination of both. This layered potato dish is cooked using the gratin technique, from the Dauphiné region in south-eastern France.

Onion is not traditionally added, however I add a layer of onion as it really adds to the flavour of the dish. Many recipe’s add cheese, most often gruyere, either between the potato layers or sprinkled over the top of the dish before it goes into the oven. I have not added cheese as this dish is rich enough.

Recipe ingredients

• Potato– use a floury potato like Maris Piper or King Edwards (or Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes if you are in the US). You can peel the potatoes or leave the skin on, it is entirely down to personal choice.
• Onion and garlic – are softened in butter and layered with the potatoes to add flavour to the finished dish. You could also use shallots or red onion. Onion is not traditionally used, but it adds great flavour to the dish.
• Butter – is added to saute and soften the onion and garlic. Use salted or unsalted butter, just watch when seasoning the potatoes if using salted butter.
• Double Cream & Milk – a combination of both double cream (heavy cream) and milk is used to cook the potatoes. Single cream would also work here. For a really rich dish you can leave out the milk, just add a little more cream. It is entirely up to you.
• Cheese – I have not added any cheese to this layered potato bake as I reckon it is rich enough already. However, if you fancy adding some cheese a little can be added between the layers of potatoes or scattered over the top. If you are adding cheese I recommend using gruyere as it has great flavour and cooks well.
• Herbs – if you would like to add some chopped herbs to this easy potato side dish, you can chop them finely and add them along with the garlic and onion layer. Parsley, thyme and rosemary would all work in this dish.

How to make dauphinoise potatoes

• Preheat the oven to 190CFan/170C.

• Peel and slice the potatoes thinly. No need for fancy equipment, a sharp kitchen knife all that is needed.

• Melt the butter in a small pan, add the onion and saute gently for 5 minutes to soften, but not colour the onions.
• Now add the garlic and saute for a further minute.

• Place a layer of sliced potatoes on the base of an oven-proof dish, approximately 20x20cm square. Follow this will a little seasoning of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Take care not to over season as each layer of potato requires seasoning.
• Now add a layer of the onion and garlic mixture, spreading it over the potato layer. Repeat this layering process of potato and onion a further two times, finishing with a layer of potatoes on top.

• Combine the milk and cream in a jug and pour over potatoes.

• Finish with a final seasoning and place the dish in the oven to cook for 1 hour or until the potatoes are cooked and a knife slides easily through the layers.
• Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

What to serve with dauphinoise potatoes?

This is a deliciously rich and creamy potato side dish, which is great served as part of a roast dinner. As this dish is decadent I like to keep the meat I serve it alongside simply roasted. I would not serve this dish with a main that has a heavy cream based sauce as that would be too much.

My favourite way to serve dauphinoise is with roast chicken and a few simple vegetable sides, nothing too rich. However, it if also the perfect side dish to serve with my Roast Pork Fillet with Bacon & Sage or my Pan Roasted Guinea Fowl Supremes.

Useful hints and tips

1. No special equipment required, just a really sharp knife to cut the potato into layers. For really evenly sized potato layers you can use the slicing blade in your food processor or a mandolin if you have one.
2. This is a great gluten free side dish suitable for coeliacs or those following a gluten free diet.
3. Allergy advice: gluten free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions

For some of our other great tasting side dishes featuring the humble potato try some of these recipes:

• Easy Boulangere Potatoes
• Fried Potatoes with Garlic & Thyme
• Potato Pave
• Mustard Mash
• Easy Hasselback Potatoes with Thyme Butter
• Best Crispy Roast Potatoes
• Garlic & Thyme Roast Potatoes
• Easy Fondant Potatoes

If you are looking to change things up a bit, have a look at our 12 Best Potato Side Dishes post. It’s full of useful hints and tips, along with all our favourite potato sides.

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