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Impress your dinner guests with this delicious and easy-to-make Rosemary Potatoes au Gratin recipe. Creamy, cheesy, and full of flavour, this dish will be a hit at any meal. Infused with fragrant rosemary and made even creamier with Comte cheese!
For different takes on a gratin recipe, try my Cauliflower Gratin or Butternut Squash Casserole!
If I had my way I would eat potatoes every day! I am such a meat and potato lover. That is especially true when it comes to a holiday dinner, when potatoes are a non-negotiable item.
These rosemary potatoes au gratin are like a warm blanket on a rainy day. I want to crawl right in there and never leave. NEVER!!
Even though they are fairly decadent, I make this creamy au gratin potatoes recipe a few times a year. They are always massively popular with the family, especially this version with aromatic rosemary and sharp Comté cheese!
Any fans of scalloped potatoes will find this recognisable and easy to love. But it has taken the familiar version and cranked up the flavour and sophistication, all with a nod to the French origin of this dish.
The difference is, and what makes this an au gratin recipe rather than scalloped potatoes, is the use of cheese. In fact, au gratin means a dish topped with cheese. And who doesn’t want more cheese?
How to add more flavour
To impart more flavour into my scalloped potatoes, I infused the heavy cream they are cooked in with fresh rosemary, fresh bay leaf and garlic. And let me tell you, that extra teeny tiny step made a world of a difference!
Please don’t skip it because it will give your regular potatoes an oomph they always longed for. The cream mixture does a lot of work in this recipe, so it’s worth the effort to pack it with flavour.
I also topped them with sharp French Comté cheese, which I absolutely love. But any sharp cheese such as extra mature cheddar or gruyere will do the trick.
What potatoes should I use?
As unsatisfying as this answer might be, it depends on what you like. If you like firmer slices that keep their shape like I do, then go for waxy varieties like the red ones in the photo below.
But if you like your potatoes falling apart and blending into the sauce, then floury potato varieties like Maris Piper in the UK or Idaho and Russet potatoes in the US are for you. Floury potatoes can absorb flavours better than firmer varieties but do tend to fall apart when cooked.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- In order for creamy potato gratin to cook well, the potatoes have to be sliced thinly and evenly, which is a bit of a chore. Using a mandolin or food processor will make this much easier and faster.
- Some cooks insist that only starchy/floury potatoes work for this recipe but I disagree. The argument is that the starch in the potatoes helps to thicken the sauce and, truth be told, it does. However, as long as they are cooked in herb infused heavy cream and not milk, the sauce will not be watery so even waxy varieties will work.
- I used Comté cheese because it’s a personal favourite. Other sharp cheese will work, such as gruyere, Emmental, and aged cheddar cheese.
- The rosemary in the cream sauce can be replaced with other flavourings such as thyme or bay leaf.
- If the top of your potatoes are not golden at the end of the baking time, do not bake it longer as this can dry out the potatoes. Instead, switch your oven to broil/grill and move the dish closer to the element. Leave for 1-2 minutes and watch carefully to avoid burning.
Serving suggestions
Rosemary potatoes au gratin are a substantial side dish that should be served with a hearty piece of meat. I think that it goes particularly well with ham. I recommend blackcurrant compote glazed ham as a fantastic choice, or pork roast with warm persimmon sauce.
It will work with pretty much any roast, such as rosemary and thyme roast chicken or roast leg of lamb.
Because potatoes au gratin are a slightly indulgent side dish, my preference is to serve them as part of a holiday table. So whether a roast turkey at thanksgiving or honey mustard crusted prime rib roast for Christmas, this is the side to choose!
Storage and leftovers
If you plan on making this potatoes au gratin ahead to serve it the following day, here is what you need to do.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and reheat in the preheated to 180C/350F oven to 25 minutes, then take the foil off and heat for additional 5-7 minutes. Note that I used a fairly shallow casserole dish. If yours is deeper, add an additional 10 minutes to the reheating time and of course check that it is hot throughout.
More potato recipes
Rosemary Potatoes au Gratin
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Mandoline slicer
- This is an affiliate link.Pie dish
Ingredients
- 400 ml / 1½ cups double cream/heavy cream
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 medium potatoes
- 50 g /1/4 cup Comté cheese, grated or Cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F/220C
- Slice your washed and unpeeled potatoes thinly with a mandoline slicer or with a sharp knife and put them in a bowl filled with cold water, set aside.
- Pour cream in a small saucepan and add fresh rosemary, a bay leaf, salt and a peeled garlic clove cut lengthwise. Slowly bring it to a boil to allow the cream to get infused with herbs and garlic. It should take about 7-10 minutes on low heat.
- Butter a 9" round pan and arrange well-drained potatoes slices in layers. Then pour hot cream over the potatoes while reserving 1/4 cup of the cream. Cover with foil and cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
- Take the foil off and test for doneness with a knife, which should pierce them easily. Change the oven setting to broil/grill. Pour the rest of the cream over the potatoes and sprinkle with grated cheese. Broil/grill for 2 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned on top.
Notes
- In order for creamy potato gratin to cook well, the potatoes have to be sliced thinly and evenly. Using a mandolin or food processor will make this much easier and faster.
- Some cooks insist that only starchy/floury potatoes work for this recipe but I disagree. The argument is that the starch in the potatoes helps to thicken the sauce and it does. However, as long as they are cooked in herb infused heavy cream and not milk, the sauce will not be watery.
- I used Comté cheese because it’s a personal favourite. Other sharp cheese will work, such as gruyere, Emmental, and aged cheddar.
- The rosemary in the cream sauce can be replaced with other flavourings such as thyme or bay leaf.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Really creamy with a subtle flavour of herbs
I cannot print the recipes?
I don’t have this issue on my end, Joyce? What message are you getting when you click the print button?
I love gratin, you can’t beat creamy, cheesy potatoes! I’m enjoying my new mandoline slicer as well, it is so much quicker!
This dish is potato perfection, Julia! So much easier, too, with a slicer. Always good to be able to get to potatoes and cheese more quickly 😉
As a fellow Russian, I can appreciate your passion for everything potatoes…. but these cheesy, creamy beauties would make anyone weak in the knees!!!
Totally agree re: potatoes. I could eat them for every meal and gratins/dauphinoise and boulangere are one of my favourite ways to cook them.
Rosemary potatoes might just be the way to my heart!
Mine too!!! We are so easy to please, Laura! 🙂
I feel the same way about potatoes, and this recipe looks amazing! It would be the perfect addition to my holiday table. 🙂
Hahaha I bet you do, thank you, Roxana! There is nothing better than cheesy potatoes on a cold day!