Creamy Gluten Free Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe
This recipe is a perfect side dish for special occasions and holiday meals for a gluten-free diet. It is the simple ingredients that make this special and allow each flavor to blend beautifully and stand out. I’m not going to lie, this cheesy potato casserole is very rich thus I am putting it in the special occasions and holiday meals category. Or if you want some cheesy comfort food you are right where you need to be. Let’s dive into this gluten free au gratin potatoes recipe.
Table of Contents
Types of Potatoes To Use
It’s highly recommended to use Russet potatoes for this recipe. Russet potatoes are the most common starchy potatoes and you want the natural starch to mix with the cream as your casserole bakes. The starch will help your cream thicken to a creamy and cheesy sauce. The next best option is Yukon gold potatoes. Avoid red potatoes which are high in moisture and low in starch. As with any potato recipe, it is best to not combine two or more types of potatoes. Each potato cooks at different times so your cook time will be unpredictable. I have not tried au gratin with sweet potatoes. It does sound delicious though.
Au Gratin vs. Scalloped Potatoes
The main difference between scalloped potatoes and au gratin potatoes is the ingredients. Au gratin potatoes are traditionally gluten free with cream and cheese while scalloped potatoes are cooked in a white roux (think butter, flour, and milk/stock). Au gratin potatoes rely on the starchiness of potatoes to thicken the cream sauce while it bakes in the oven. The sauce for Scalloped potatoes is thickened with all purpose flour before the potatoes are baked in the oven.
Food processor or Mandoline
I would definitely not recommend using a slicing attachment on your food processor to cut the potatoes. In this recipe, I use a mandoline to cut the potatoes using the 1/8 inch blade on my mandoline and there is no way to get that kind of precision with a food processor. Now, if mandolines scare you then you are not alone. They are definitely in the top 5 list of dangerous home kitchen tools. That is why I recommend using a cut resistant glove while you slice the potatoes. Potatoes are slippery and awkwardly shaped and no matter how special Potato au Gratin is to your holiday menu it is not worth slicing your fingers. So make sure you take all precautions that are necessary.
Special Equipment
- Casserole Dish – Emile Henry 9x 9
- Mandoline – Benriner Super Slicer
- Cut Resistant Gloves – NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves
- Cheese Grater – Cuisinart Boxed Grater
Gluten Free Au Gratin Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 ounces freshly grated gruyere cheese divided
- 1 ounce parmesan preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon butter plus more for the casserole dish
- 1 or 2 garlic cloves. minced I used one
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 2 lb russet potatoes peeled
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Adjust a rack to the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9in by 9in casserole dish.
- Set aside 1 ounce of Gruyere cheese for a cheesy crust.
- Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and then add the garlic. Saute stirring for one minute before adding all of the heavy cream. Add the thyme and bring to a bare simmer and maintain for 10 minutes. Stir every minute or so to make sure it does not break.
- While the cream is simmering, slice potatoes lengthwise with the mandoline set at ⅛ inch thickness. Don’t forget to stir the cream occasionally. For your safety, use the cut resistant gloves out of precaution. Mandolines are not safe and should be handled with care.
- Put a couple of tablespoons of the cream mixture on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Overlapping slightly, put one layer of potato slices over the cream mixture. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and black pepper over the potatoes. Next spoon a light layer of the cream mixture of the potatoes. Make sure all of the potatoes are covered. Lastly, sprinkle a light layer of gruyere and parmesan cheese. Continue with the next layer of potatoes, salt and pepper, cream mixture, and cheese. Occasionally press down on the potatoes to compress the layers. Stop layering before you run out of potato slices or cream sauce.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and put it in the oven. Bake until a knife or fork easily pierces the center of the baking dish. Check the doneness after one hour. If the test is successful, sprinkle 1 ounce of gruyere cheese on the top and put it back in the oven without the foil for 15 minutes. If the cheese is not browned to your liking, feel free to switch the oven to broil until the top is golden brown. Don’t walk away or answer the phone while your potatoes are under the broiler. Should only take a couple of minutes once the broiler is hot.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 to 30 minutes. It will be much easier to remove from the baking dish if you let it rest for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
