Au Gratin Potatoes
Au Gratin potatoes are a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Filled with three cheeses and "Onion Obsession Spice Blend" by The Spice and Tea Exchange in Blowing Rock, NC.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Vidalia onion, 1/4" dice (approximately 3/4 cup)
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Finely Ground White Pepper, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed and finely minced
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons Onion Obsession Spice Blend, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flake, optional, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- 3 cups cheese, shredded, divided, see Notes
- 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled, optional, see Notes
- 2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold, or golden potatoes, scrubbed, but left whole, see Notes
- 3 tablespoons fresh chives, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3 to 4-quart baking dish or a 9x13” dish.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the onion and sauté until softened, stirring often. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down if the onion is beginning to burn.
- Add the garlic and stir constantly for about 20 seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir to combine until no lumps of flour are seen.
- Slowly add the milk and heavy cream while whisking. Add the Onion Obsession and Crushed Red Pepper Flake if using.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Stir until slightly thickened, and turn the heat down to low.
- Add 2 cups of the cheeses by handfuls, stirring after each addition until melted and combined.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired (salt, pepper, etc.).
- Now, slice the scrubbed potatoes and add to the cheese sauce, stirring to cover all the potatoes with the sauce. (If your saucepan/pot is not big enough, you can slice the potatoes into a large bowl, then pour the sauce over the potatoes and combine to coat everything.)
- If you are adding the Gorgonzola cheese, pour half of the potatoes into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle with the Gorgonzola, then top with the remaining half of the potatoes. If not adding the Gorgonzola, pour all the potatoes into the baking dish.
- Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and top with the reserved 1 cup of cheese. Continue to bake uncovered for another 15 to 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender (a fork easily pierces through the potatoes without resistance), bubbling, and the cheeses on the top are nicely browned. You may utilize your broiler for more browning, but keep an eye on it the whole time the broiler is on your potatoes.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, to allow the sauce to thicken.
- Top with the chives and serve very warm and thoroughly enjoy.
Notes
The Gongonzola cheese can be omitted if you don’t like this lovely blue cheese.
If you choose a different potato, like Russet, you will need to peel them. If they are sliced very thinly, they break down during baking more so than Yukon Gold/golden potatoes. They will work, but the results will be somewhat different than following this recipe.
Also, leave the scrubbed potatoes whole until you are ready to add them to the sauce. That will keep them from oxidizing while you are working on the rest of the recipe. Don’t rinse the potatoes after slicing them. Just slice and add to the sauce.
Any good melting cheeses will work. Gruyere, Parmesan, extra-sharp white cheddar, Fontina, etc. Just, please, no Velveeta.
You can leave out the vidalia onion all together. Just melt the butter, add the garlic and stir for 20 seconds, and continue with Step 4.
The nutrition chart is a guesstimate only and done as a courtesy to you. Please, calculate for yourself as necessary.
Nutrition Facts
Au Gratin Potatoes
Amount per Serving
Calories
505.03
% Daily Value*
Fat
37.58
g
58
%
Saturated Fat
23.2
g
145
%
Trans Fat
0.55
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1.81
g
Monounsaturated Fat
10.27
g
Cholesterol
121.21
mg
40
%
Sodium
580.11
mg
25
%
Potassium
599.01
mg
17
%
Carbohydrates
25.39
g
8
%
Fiber
3.22
g
13
%
Sugar
4.6
g
5
%
Protein
17.82
g
36
%
Vitamin C
15.56
mg
19
%
Calcium
452.56
mg
45
%
Iron
1.04
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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