Easy White Cheddar Potato Gratin
Creamy, cheesy, and deceptively flavorful, Easy White Cheddar Potato Gratin can be made the day before your holiday meal or family dinner and then quickly broiled right before you are ready to serve.
Scalloped Potatoes, But Make Them Cheesy
This recipe is based on a potato gratin I made from Bon Appetit. Essentially, it was scalloped potatoes with a sprinkle of Gruyere and parmesan on top. While the gratin was good, my family and I thought it tasted more like hot cream than anything else. And it needed more than just a sprinkle of cheese on top!
So I decided scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin should get together in one dish and make this easy white cheddar potato gratin. A delicious cream sauce infused with garlic, shallots, and thyme, then blended with good quality aged cheddar, is the best of both worlds in one dish. Tender, creamy, cheesy potatoes. Yes, please!
Why the Cheese Matters In Easy White Cheddar Potato Gratin
I cannot stress enough how important it is to use a good quality aged cheddar in this dish. While I’m all for prepackaged, pre-shredded cheese, it has no place in these potatoes! Sometimes, you gotta go for the good stuff. And in this case, the good stuff is quality aged cheddar.
You don’t have to go searching high and low for cheese. Your local grocer should have plenty in stock. I recommend Kerry Gold Irish cheddar or something from a local farm or dairy. But make sure it is white cheddar that has aged at least two years or more. The longer the cheddar aged, the sharper and more developed the flavor will be.
Aged cheddar can take on an almost nutty flavor that goes wonderfully with the heavy cream, shallots, garlic, and thyme. Adding a bit of parmesan to the white cheddar to top the gratin adds another layer of salty, cheesy goodness.
Lastly, make sure you buy white cheddar, not yellow. You want the potatoes to have that gorgeous creamy white color with crispy brown bits on top when you pull them out of the oven.
Tips for Making Easy White Cheddar Potato Gratin
- Keep an eye on the cream making sure it simmers and does not boil over. If it does, the sauce could break, making the final dish very watery and clumpy. Gross.
- You can use whatever you like to slice the potatoes (knife, food processor, mandolin), but I prefer just using a sharp knife. That way, I have more control over the thickness of the potato slices.
- Don’t slice the potatoes too thin OR too thick. You’re looking for about 1/8 inch thickness (or thinness, technically). Any less and the gratin will get mushy. Any more than that, the potatoes will take forever to back. And yes, it is possible to cut potatoes that thin with just a sharp knife.
- Be sure you allow the cream mixture to cool slightly before blending. Hot liquids expand significantly in a blender, so you’ll most likely have the hot cream mixture all over yourself and your kitchen if you don’t allow it to cool.
- If you have a food processor with a grating blade, this is wonderful for the cheddar. Otherwise, a box grater works just as well.
- I am all for convenience, but in this case, but the nonstick spray away and go for the real deal: butter. Rubbing the inside of the baking dish with garlic and then salted butter gives this potato gratin incredible flavor. I tried it with both nonstick spray before and salted butter. The feedback is always the same; use the butter next time.
- I recommend not peeling the potatoes for three reasons. 1: it saves you time. 2: the edges of the potatoes get nice and brown and crisp with the skin. 3: it adds a little more color to the gratin.
- To make the gratin ahead of time, bake the day before you plan to serve the gratin, let cool, then cover and refrigerate. Allow the gratin to come to room temperature, then broil it right before you are ready to serve dinner. Easy peasy!
Let’s Eat!
Tender potatoes, creamy, cheesy, garlicky sauce, fresh herbs, and just the right amount of crispy browned cheesy bits on top make this gratin anything but ordinary. The first dish to go at all my holiday dinners (everyone always goes back for more!), it is my all-time favorite side dish.
If you make my Easy White Cheddar Potato Gratin, be sure to leave a comment and/or rate the recipe! I love hearing from you, and feedback is always welcome. And be sure to tag me on social if you make it. Seeing photos of recipes you’ve made is my favorite!
Cheers to you, friend!
Easy White Cheddar Potato Gratin
Equipment
- Box grater or food processor with grating blade
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup milk or half & half I've used both skim milk and half & half and both have worked great.
- 3 cloves garlic divided
- 1 large shallot peeled and quartered
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 7 ounce package good quality aged white cheddar cheese shredded on a box grater or with a food processor
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 4 large Russet potatoes scrubbed clean
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine heavy cream, milk or half & half, 2 garlic cloves (smashed, peeled, and left whole), shallot, chopped thyme, salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally and making sure not to let the cream boil. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the garlic and shallot are very soft and tender. Remove cream mixture from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- While the cream is simmering, grate the cheddar cheese using a box grater or a food processor with a grating blade. Set aside ½ cup of cheddar cheese to top the gratin. Next, grate ¼ cup of parmesan and set aside. Alternately, you can use parmesan cheese grated by your local grocery store. But like the cheddar, I don't recommend anything prepackaged (like Kraft or Sargento). You want the real deal!
- Next, preheat your oven to 350° and prepare the baking dish. Cut the remaining garlic clove in half and rub it inside of your baking dish. Next, take the salted butter and butter the entire baking dish (bottom and up the sides). The butter doesn’t have to be completely smooth in the baking dish. Some dots of butter in the corners or on the bottom of the dish add great flavor!
- As soon as the cream is off the heat, it’s time to cut the potatoes. Slice the potatoes to ⅛ inch thick using a sharp knife, a food processor with slicing blade attachment, or a madolin. Whatever you use, be careful not to cut your fingers!!
- Arrange potatoes slices in the dish at an angle, almost like shingles on a roof, covering the bottom in a single layer. Continue shingling potatoes in the prepared baking dish until all potato slices are used, filling in any gaps by tucking in smaller slices. Set aside.
- Pour the slightly cooled cream mixture (shallots, garlic, and all) into a blender and add all but the ½ cup of cheddar cheese. Blend the cream mixture and cheddar cheese until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add any additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Pour cheese sauce over the potatoes. It may not look like you have enough sauce when you add it to the potatoes, but trust me, you do! Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake gratin for 60-75 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and creamy. **If you are preparing gratin the day ahead, allow it to cool, then cover and refrigerate. Bring gratin to room temp before the next step.**
- Remove the foil from the baking dish and top gratin with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Place on the top rack of oven and broil on medium-high for 5 minutes, or until cheese is browned and formed a crust. Top with additional thyme leaves if desired. Serve immediately. Remaining gratin can be stored tightly wrapped or in an airtight container for about 3-4 days.
Notes
- Be sure you allow the cream mixture to cool slightly before blending. Hot liquids expand significantly in a blender, so you’ll most likely have the hot cream mixture all over yourself and your kitchen if you don’t allow it to cool.
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