Potatoes au gratin is a classic, but it’s long overdue for an upgrade. When thinking about how we could upgrade such a mainstay of a dish, it became clear that everything is cuter in a bundle, which goes double for cheesy, creamy potatoes. Thin-skinned red potatoes get sliced, layered in parchment, smothered in a creamy, cheesy, garlicky sauce, then baked until steaming and tender. We added Parmesan to the standard Gruyère and used cream cheese as a base to get maximum richness and take the classic gratin flavor profile up a notch. The parchment allows the potatoes to steam while letting the cheesy mixture create a thin, crispy crust on the bottom of each potato round. These are easy enough for a weeknight but eye-catching enough to add to your holiday menu.
Part of the appeal of potato gratin is getting those perfectly uniformly sliced potatoes. You need some serious knife skills and a sharp blade to achieve consistently sliced potatoes that are all 1/8″ thick. If you’d rather not put yourself to the test, turn to the same tool chefs use in professional kitchens—a mandoline. They can be adjusted to whatever thickness you need and will provide consistent thickness for each potato slice.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
Potatoes au gratin is a classic, but it’s long overdue for an upgrade. When thinking about how we could upgrade such a mainstay of a dish, it became clear that everything is cuter in a bundle, which goes double for cheesy, creamy potatoes. Thin-skinned red potatoes get sliced, layered in parchment, smothered in a creamy, cheesy, garlicky sauce, then baked until steaming and tender. We added Parmesan to the standard Gruyère and used cream cheese as a base to get maximum richness and take the classic gratin flavor profile up a notch. The parchment allows the potatoes to steam while letting the cheesy mixture create a thin, crispy crust on the bottom of each potato round. These are easy enough for a weeknight but eye-catching enough to add to your holiday menu.
Part of the appeal of potato gratin is getting those perfectly uniformly sliced potatoes. You need some serious knife skills and a sharp blade to achieve consistently sliced potatoes that are all 1/8″ thick. If you’d rather not put yourself to the test, turn to the same tool chefs use in professional kitchens—a mandoline. They can be adjusted to whatever thickness you need and will provide consistent thickness for each potato slice.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
- Yields:
-
4
serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 10 mins
- Total Time:
- 1 hr
- Cal/Serv:
- 286
Directions
-
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Tear or cut out 4 (13″ x 9″) sheets of parchment. In a small bowl, toss Gruyère and Parmesan until combined.
- Step 2In a medium bowl, combine garlic, cream cheese, half-and-half, thyme, and 1 ounce (about 1/3 packed cup) cheese mixture; season with salt and pepper, then stir until smooth.
- Step 3On a work surface, lay a sheet of parchment flat with a long end facing you. Arrange one-quarter of potato slices (about 4 ounces) in a straight line in center of parchment, slightly overlapping, parallel to longer end of parchment. Dollop one-quarter of cream cheese mixture (about 3 tablespoons) on top of potatoes and spread to cover potatoes. Spray parchment on both sides of potato line with cooking spray. Bring long ends of parchment together and fold 2 to 3 times to close. Fold short ends of parchment in to seal. Repeat with remaining parchment, potatoes, and cream cheese mixture. Place parchment packets on a sheet tray.
- Step 4Bake potatoes for 35 minutes. Open each parchment packet and top with remaining 1 ounce cheese mixture. Continue to bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more.
- Step 5Carefully open each packet and arrange bundles on a platter. Top with chives.
- Step 1
Related Video: Potato Gratin Stacks
