Gratin Dauphinois is a simple but deeply savory and satisfying dish. Seasoned potato slices bubble away until they nearly melt in a thick, ultra creamy sauce. It’s the kind of decadent dish that’s worth a splurge on holidays and special occasions.

With this easy recipe, you’ll only need 7 simple ingredients (plus salt and pepper), 20 minutes of active time, and a baking dish. No sauce making or stovetop required.
Nigel Slater, one of my favorite food writers, inspired this recipe. His book Appetite not only has mouthwatering photos, it’s a sensory pleasure to read. In his Gratin Dauphinois recipe, which he titles “A Creamy Unctuous Potato Dish,” he instructs readers to peel their potatoes as the skins “are totally at odds with the gratin’s hedonistic overtones.” I agree.

There are plenty of wonderful, lighter potato dishes with skins intact, two of my favorites are Mashed Red Potatoes and Skillet Potatoes. But this dish is worth the indulgence. And if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, it tastes even better heated up the next day.
Ingredients You Need to Make Gratin Dauphinois

- Russet Potatoes: Or other starchy potatoes (not waxy potatoes), peeled. Look for firm potatoes that have not started to sprout (an indication that they’re old). And avoid any green-tinged potatoes.
- Butter: For buttering the baking dish.
- Garlic: Just one, large clove for rubbing the baking dish.
- Heavy Cream: For an even richer dish, you can substitute the milk for more heavy cream (also called double cream).
- Whole Milk
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper: Ideally freshly ground.
- Cheese: Gruyère cheese or Comté (French Swiss-type cheese) – optional.
- Chives: For garnish.
An Easy Recipe You Can Make Anywhere
I first made this dish on an anniversary trip to Paris in the compact, but well-equipped kitchen of our vacation rental.
For a few reasons, I prefer to rent an apartment when we travel instead of staying in a hotel. The most obvious reason is that it tends to be less expensive, not just in the nightly rate, but because we don’t eat out as often. And that’s the most important reason of all, the not eating out as often, because after about two days of it, I’m done.
I don’t cook anything complicated in these little apartments, but being able to cook makes me feel a little more at home. Especially in a place where you don’t speak the language, it’s nice to have a little part of your day feel familiar.

Gratin Dauphinois is similar to a dish that my mom made growing up, but richer. My mom used to make scalloped potatoes, just a white sauce with butter, flour and milk, poured over raw, sliced potatoes and baked. But this recipe skips the white sauce by baking the raw potatoes in rich blend of heavy cream and milk (then topped with cheese if you like). It’s the ultimate potato side dish! And so simple.
A Note on Slicing Potatoes
You want your potato slices to be uniformly thin (~1/8-inch thick). A sharp knife will work, but if you have a mandoline, this is a great time to use it. A ~1/8-inch (3mm) food processor slicing disc is also a great option if you have one.

FAQ
This dish, using the gratin technique, originated in the Dauphiné region of south-eastern France.
Dauphinois (meaning “from Dauphiné” in French) potatoes are a French side dish of thinly sliced raw potatoes layered with cream, milk, and sometimes Gruyère cheese, and baked. Lyonnaise (meaning “from Lyon” in French) potatoes are also a French dish of layered potatoes, but they are pan-fried in butter with onions and parsley.
Slow Cooker Duck Confit
Pan-Fried Lamb Chops
Coq au Vin Blanc (An ultra-decadent pairing.)
A simple green salad dressed with Champagne Vinaigrette
How to Make Gratin Dauphinois
First, preheat the oven to 350˚F and butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish (or casserole dish or gratin dish). Rub sides and bottom of dish with cut side of a halved clove of garlic. in a glass measuring pitcher, whisk together heavy cream (double cream), and milk. Add one layer of potato slices to bottom of baking dish and season with salt and pepper; top with 1/3 of cream mixture. Repeat layers twice, finishing with cream mixture.
Finally, bake 70 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown with some crispy edges. Top with cheese if desired and bake 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Gratin Dauphinois (Potato Gratin)
Ingredients
- 1 large garlic clove halved
- butter for greasing the baking dish
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 pounds russet potatoes or other starchy potato, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds (see recipe note #1)
- kosher salt 2 teaspoons or more
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 ounces shredded gruyere cheese optional (or more, see recipe note #3)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- With cut sides of garlic clove, firmly rub the bottom and sides of a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Then generously coat bottom and sides with butter.
- In a pitcher, whisk together cream and milk. (A 4-cup glass measuring pitcher works great for this.)
- Layer 1/3 of potato slices into prepared baking dish. Season generously with salt and pepper and pour over 1/3 of the cream mixture. Repeat with 2 remaining layers, finishing with cream mixture that should just cover the potatoes.
- Bake 70 minutes, until bubbly on the edges and golden brown on top (see recipe note #2). Sprinkle with cheese if using and bake 10 minutes more. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish with chives and serve.
Notes
- A mandoline or food processor slicing disc makes quick work of this.
- To protect against spills, place the baking dish on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet before placing in the oven. If gratin is getting too brown, cover lightly with foil.
- You can skip the cheese in this gratin. Or, if you prefer a cheesy gratin, add an additional 4 ounces, for 6 ounces total. Sprinkle the first 2 layers of raw, seasoned potato slices with 2 ounces each before baking. Then add the final 2 ounces to melt during the last 10 minutes of baking.
I made these for Christmas day, what is the best way to reheat them without drying them out!
Hi Robin! To reheat in the oven, cover the dish with foil and heat at 350˚F for 15-20 minutes.
I know I’m in for a treat if I see a dish like this on a table! Just look at that golden topping – absolutely gorgeous, Marissa! Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Katerina. Merry Christmas to you too!
Cheesy potatoes are the BEST! And I LOVE starchy potatoes. This looks absolutely mouthwatering.
Thank you, Angie!
Amazing! Pretty sure this dish is the mother of all comfort food recipes. YUM! 🙂 ~Valentina
Thank you so much, Valentina! It sure is for me.
I love any kind of potato dish, but potato gratin is my ALL time favorite (I mean, who can resist, right?)! Your potatoes have me DROOLING, Marissa!!! They look absolutely PERFECT! Is it bad I want just this for dinner tonight?! Hand me a shovel, because I’m ready to dive in!!!! Pinned!
I hope you and your family have the most beautiful holiday, my dear friend! xoxo
haha… thank you so much , Cheyanne! Wishing you and your family a beautiful holiday too. xo
I’m a fan of hedonistic potatoes and these surely fit the bill. I love adding Easter ham leftovers to mine, but for Christmas, these are perfect!!
ha! Hedonistic is the perfect adjective, Liz. Thank you!
Thanks, Marissa! Given the situation right now, we’re having a very small Christmas dinner here in the Sierra Nevada mountains in NorCal—just me and my sister and bro-in-law. But we’re going to have traditional prime rib and I will definitely make Pommes Gratin Dauphinous—what a wonderful and perfect recipe! Happy holidays! I enjoy your website-blog-recipes so much!
I appreciate that so much, Bob! And what a wonderful meal. Wishing you and your family Safe and Happy Holidays!
Whenever my family has a big holiday dinner, someone is in charge of bringing “cheesy potatoes”. What this really means is subjective, so I think I might need to make your recipe next time it’s my turn!!
I love to hear that, Katherine!
Ah, this looks amazing, Marissa! First of all, I love your logic behind renting apartments on vacation – I’m going to keep that in mind whenever we can travel again. The bit of homecooked goodness would be a nice way to balance all of the eating out. Speaking of homecooked goodness, these potatoes look amazing! This sounds like the side dish of all side dishes right here. 🙂
Thanks, David! I bet that once you try an apartment, you’ll be hooked. It’s so fun to cook simple meals with local ingredients while you travel!
We love potatoes all year round, but they’re particularly associated with the holiday season. A good gratin always is a great idea, and this gratin Dauphinois looks fantastic; that’s a perfect indulgence for this time of the year.
Thanks so much, Ben! I hope you’ll give it a try.
I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like and gratin has to be one of my favorite preparations.
Same, Karen! I love potatoes and this is one of my favorites too.
I haven’t made a potato au gratin in quite a while Marissa. You’re inspiring me. This side looks like it needs to make an appearance with our next grilled steak!
Perfect combo! Thank you, Mary Ann.
I made these for dinner! I just love them and maybe I love them a bit too much. I hope you’re having a fantastic holiday!
Wow, thank you so much Maureen! And, I agree, “…just one more bite.” 🙂
Marissa! This makes me so happy <3 Brings back so many memories of cozying up in small cafes and eating duck confit with gratin dauphinois. I love renting an apartment for the same reason as you. It's so nice to be able to wake up and just make yourself an egg to eat with your baguette or make a light soup for dinner. Your gratin dauphinois looks fantastic. Even though you've said you only make simple meals at the apartment, I can imagine that each one of them is absolutely scrumptious! You always have great recipes. Also, I noticed that you included the eiffel tower there in your logo…LOVE! Have so much fun exploring the city! <3
You and I were born with the same appetite my friend! You’ve described everything that I love about eating here. xoxo
Hi Marissa! What a wonderfully simple recipe! Potatoes are such comfort food for me. Thank you once again! 🙂
Me too, Dorothy! Breakfast, lunch or dinner, potatoes are so versatile! 🙂
I love potato gratin! This looks great 🙂
Thanks, Sabrina!
Interesting! I do get tired of eating out but that’s after a week or so but sometimes it’s nice to eat something in your hotel or apartment. We’ve never stayed at apartments, only hotels but hubby is quite obsessed with Air BNB.
Air BNB is where we found this apartment… 🙂
Using your recipe tonight!
Thanks!
Thanks, Tom. If I know you, there’ll be a tinker or two. 😉
Well Marissa… honestly I was confused… So I did modify slightly… First, since it was just myself and my sweetie, I cut the recipe in half. I read the recipe a couple times and something seemed missing.
I kept thinking Gratin Dauphinois… should it include cheese? In my limited command of the French language, it has always been my understanding au gratin was with cheese. Albeit, you did say slightly modified. So, I followed your recipe to a “T”, but the more I looked at the dish it was screaming for “au gratin”. To my cheese locker I went and lo and behold, I had some Gruyère! I added a ½ of cup of shredded Gruyère and my world was in balance.
They were the highlight of the meal! A small piece of meat, some fresh peas, and Dauphinois from heaven (con queso) were washed down with a lovely Cahors (Clos La Coutale). Mon ami, il est uniquement du lundi! [ French words added by Google Translator 😉 ]
Well that sounds pretty amazing. 🙂 As always, I like the way you think. 🙂
LOVE POTATO GRATIN AND I MAKE IS THE SAME WAY! GREAT RECIPE MARISSA!
Thank you, Mira. 🙂
These potatoes look fabulously creamy!
Thanks, Medha!