Pommes Dauphinoises (Creamy Potato Gratin)
Updated Sept. 17, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes, plus cooling
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 25 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 2garlic cloves, smashed or cut in half
- Kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
- 2tablespoons butter, at room temperature, divided
- 2cups/500 milliliters heavy cream
- 4 to 5thyme sprigs, plus 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1½ to 1¾pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (6 large or 7 to 8 medium), well-rinsed
- Black pepper
- 1whole nutmeg, for grating
- ⅓cup/38 grams shredded Gruyère
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
336 calories; 27 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 389 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or pan: Sprinkle 1 garlic clove with a pinch of salt and rub it around the bottom and sides of the dish. (Reserve the garlic clove to use in the steeped cream.) Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over the bottom and sides to coat.
- Step 2
Steep the cream: In a small saucepan, combine cream, thyme sprigs, the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and both garlic cloves. Heat the mixture over medium until the cream starts to steam and ripple. Reduce heat to very low and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep while you prepare the potatoes.
- Step 3
Remove any eyes from the potatoes, but do not peel them. Slice the potatoes crosswise into ⅛-inch-thick slices. (A mandoline is the best tool for this job.) Do not rinse the potatoes after slicing; the starch is important to thicken the cream.
- Step 4
Strain the cream into a liquid measuring cup or other spouted container.
- Step 5
Arrange a single, slightly overlapping layer of potatoes evenly on the bottom of the prepared dish. Drizzle the center with 2 tablespoons of the cream, sprinkle evenly with salt (a scant ½ teaspoon), a few hearty grates of nutmeg and a couple cracks of black pepper. Evenly arrange another layer of potato on top of that layer, drizzle with another 2 tablespoons of cream in the center and sprinkle with another scant ½ teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons of picked thyme leaves. Repeat each of these layers once more until you have four layers. Arrange the potatoes in a fifth and final layer overlapping in pretty scallop formation. Pour the remaining cream over the top and sprinkle with a final ½ teaspoon of salt and a little nutmeg.
- Step 6
Bake the potatoes, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the Gruyère with remaining 1 tablespoon thyme leaves and set aside.
- Step 7
After 40 minutes, remove from the oven. Sprinkle evenly with the Gruyère mixture and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until browned and bubbly on top. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
If I may, as a former professional, slice the potatoes directly into the cream then transfer to the baking dish.Not only will this allow the pieces to coat more thoroughly and prevent dryness in the middle, but the completed dish is creamier.
@Southern Peach hello! I find that it creates too much nutmeg flavor - I prefer a hint and I love how it plays with the black pepper as it bakes.
Regarding nutmeg: why not steep in the cream along with garlic for more even dispersal of flavor?
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, but with reheating the cream may "break" and curdle.
I’ve been making the gratin dauphinois for decades and often serve it as a main course. It started with a Joël Robuchon recipe (he used cheese, fyi) and has evolved over the years as I’ve picked up “astuces” from friends, French and American, I’ve made it with. Here is some of their sage advice: -cut the potatoes with a knife. The irregularity of widths and angles allows the liquid to seep between the slices. - Use white pepper to avoid a speckled cream. -bake at 400 degrees for about an hour, but keep it covered the first 30 minutes to avoid over browning. - after rubbing the garlic in the dish, save the cloves and just before baking tuck one in each corner of the dish (I use 2 cloves, each cut in half). -use crème fraîche (or a mixture of liquid cream and crème fraîche) - if you heat the seasoned cream, there is no need to cook the potatoes in it. Just add a lot of the hot cream between each layer. It’s far less messy this way and you can arrange the potato slices more precisely. I’ve tried both ways and it makes no difference in consistency. -for extra crustiness dot the top with butter. -and pure heresy: I put in a few pinches of piment d’espelette. Not enough that anyone would notice, really, but it adds a savory layer I like.
It's called gratin Dauphinois in French. Pommes Dauphines are quite different. They're made with purée and a golden crust. Pommes dauphinoises don't exist in France. Your recipe's great.