What is gratin dauphinois?
It is the potato dish France serves next to a roast: thin slices of potato, baked in cream and milk scented with garlic, until a knife goes through with no resistance and the top has browned. It is rich, plain and very hard to stop eating.
It belongs to the kind of cooking I wrote about in a typical French dinner at home: few ingredients, no shortcuts, and most of the work done by the oven.
Does gratin dauphinois have cheese?
Not in the classic version, and French people will tell you so with some energy. The creaminess comes from potato starch thickening the cream as it bakes. Cheese is not needed and, in the Dauphiné, not welcome.
Plenty of French home cooks add a handful of grated Gruyère anyway. That is allowed in your own kitchen. Just know that a potato gratin made with cheese and stock is closer to a gratin savoyard, the neighbouring region's version, and that the American dish called scalloped potatoes or potatoes au gratin is a cousin, not the same thing.
Which potatoes should you use?
A potato that holds its shape but still releases starch. In the United States, Yukon Gold is the closest and the easiest to find. Very waxy salad potatoes stay too firm, and floury baking potatoes such as Russets can collapse into mash.
Slice them thin, about three millimetres, or an eighth of an inch. A mandoline makes this quick. Then leave the slices alone: do not rinse them and do not soak them. The cloudy starch on the surface is the thickener.
How do you make it?
Warm the milk and cream in a wide pan with a crushed garlic clove, salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Add the potato slices and simmer gently for about ten minutes, stirring carefully so they do not catch. The liquid will start to thicken.
Rub a baking dish with a cut garlic clove and butter it. Tip in the potatoes and their liquid, level the top, and bake at a moderate heat for about an hour, until the top is deep gold and the potatoes are completely tender. Let it stand for ten minutes before serving. It sets as it cools and tastes better warm than scalding.
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Your First Dinner with French In-Laws
A choose-your-own-adventure. His parents, six decisions and one Brie you should not touch.
Start the adventureWhat goes wrong?
The cream splits. The oven was too hot. Keep it moderate and be patient.
It is watery. The potatoes were rinsed, or they were a very waxy variety with little starch.
It is bland. Potatoes absorb a great deal of salt. Season the liquid until it tastes slightly too salty before the potatoes go in.
The top browns before the middle is cooked. Cover it loosely with foil and keep going.
What do you serve it with?
Roast lamb is the classic partner, and roast chicken or beef are just as common. Follow it with a green salad and a sharp vinaigrette, which is what the richness needs.
It also reheats well, which is why it turns up at French family lunches: it can be made in the morning and warmed while the meat rests.
Three potato gratins that get confused
| Gratin dauphinois | Gratin savoyard | Scalloped potatoes (US) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid | Cream and milk | Stock | Milk or cream, often thickened with flour |
| Cheese | None, traditionally | Yes | Often |
| Garlic | Yes | Sometimes | Rarely |
| From | The Dauphiné | Savoie | North America |
Questions, answered
Is there cheese in gratin dauphinois?
Not in the traditional recipe. Classic gratin dauphinois is potatoes, cream, milk, garlic, salt and nutmeg. Many home cooks add Gruyère, but that is a variation.
What is the difference between gratin dauphinois and scalloped potatoes?
Gratin dauphinois is baked in cream and milk with garlic and no cheese or flour. American scalloped potatoes are usually made with a flour-thickened sauce and often include cheese.
Should you rinse potatoes for gratin dauphinois?
No. The starch on the sliced potatoes thickens the cream. Rinsing or soaking them gives a thin, watery gratin.
Which potatoes are best for gratin dauphinois?
An all-purpose potato that holds its shape and still releases starch. In the United States, Yukon Gold is the best choice.
Can you make gratin dauphinois ahead?
Yes. Bake it fully, let it cool, and reheat it covered in a low oven. Many cooks think it is better the second time.
Still wondering?
Ask my French husband.
A short ruling in a few seconds. Written by AI from our Journal, in his voice.
He judges America weekly on Instagram, and Le Bulletin collects the best of it once a month.
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