Best 7 Cooks Illustrated Au Gratin Potatoes Recipes

POTATOES AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Seasoning each layer with salt and pepper as you go, layer the potatoes in a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet.
• Dot the top with 2 tablespoons butter. Pour in half-and-half. (It should come about 3/4 of the way to the top.)
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to low and cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, until the half-and-half has reduced by about half.
• Transfer to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and cook until the potatoes are fork tender and the top is nicely browned, about 8 minutes more. Top with grated cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melty and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg, if using, and serve.

SIMPLE AU GRATIN POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in cheese until melted. Add potatoes and onion., Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake 1 hour. Uncover; bake 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. If desired, top with additional pepper.

AU GRATIN POTATOES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook potatoes in boiling water until done. Drain and place in a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add the flour, salt and pepper; stir to form a smooth paste. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 1 minute. Add cheese; stir just until melted. Pour over potatoes. Cover and bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley.

CREAMY AU GRATIN POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a medium casserole dish.
• Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

POTATOES AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of the softened butter.
• Arrange a layer of potatoes in the baking dish, and sprinkle some of the cheeses over them. Continue layering potatoes and cheeses until you've used them all, ending with a layer of potatoes.
• In a small bowl, whisk the cream with the salt and pepper; pour this over the potatoes. Dot the remaining butter over the top and sprinkle with the paprika. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender and golden brown on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

COOK'S ILLUSTRATED SCALLOPED POTATOES RECIPE - (3.8/5)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until foaming subsides, about 1 minute. Add onion and sauté until it turns soft and begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, milk, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and potatoes and bring to simmer. Cover, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain light simmer, and cook until potatoes are almost tender (paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potato slice with some resistance), about 15 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Transfer potato mixture to 3-quart gratin dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cream has thickened and is bubbling around sides and top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Tips: For the fastest and most consistent results, slice the potatoes in a food processor. When the potatoes were cut thicker than 1/8 inch, they slid apart when served. Yet when cut much thinner, the layers melted together, producing a mashed potato-like texture. At exactly 1/8 inch, the potatoes held their shape yet remained flexible enough to form tight, cohesive layers. Although it is possible to cut 1/8-inch slices by hand, it is far easier when using a food processor or mandoline.

COOK'S ILLUSTRATED SCALLOPED POTATOES WITH THYME AND BAY

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes, broth, cream, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of a potato slice with some resistance), about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
• 3. Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish (or other 1 1/2 quart gratin dish). Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.