Alice Waters’s Potato Gratin
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My sister, the doctor, lover of pies and Peeps, is hosting Thanksgiving this year. She has it all under control, sleeping arrangements organized, color-coded cooking timeline mapped out, and the menu finalized, promising her 12 guests a turkey, a spanakopita, cranberry sauce (not this one) and pie.
To help lighten her load, I’ve signed up to bring punch, stuffing, bread, and this potato gratin, a dish my mother has served at nearly every big holiday gathering for as long as I can remember, one that often steals the show no matter what it’s beside, turkey or otherwise.
It comes from Chez Panisse Vegetables, which offers a number of enticing combinations — potato with turnips or celery root or leeks or sweet potato — but we almost always use potatoes exclusively and keep the seasonings simple too: salt, pepper, thyme and just a dash of freshly grated nutmeg. Submerged in a mixture of equal parts heavy cream and chicken stock, topped with a mixture of Gruyère and parmesan cheeses, these potatoes emerge irresistibly crispy on top and creamy underneath.
This gratin couldn’t be easier to throw together, and you can’t mess it up. I promise. Hope all of your Thanksgiving preparations are going well.
My mother swears by red potatoes. I’ve learned not to question. 
A mandoline makes quick work of the slicing, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry.
Rub baking dish with butter and garlic:
Layer potatoes overtop:
Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, and thyme leaves:
Add another layer of potatoes and season in the same manner:
Submerge the potatoes with equal parts heavy cream and chicken stock…:
… then top with a combination of grated gruyère and parmesan cheeses:
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour:
Seriously, I cold totally skip the turkey.
Alice Waters’s Potato Gratin
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hours
- Total Time: 1 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 to 10
Description
Source: Chez Panisse Vegetables
I love the simplicity of the Chez Panisse Vegetables’s recipe, so I’ve written this one out exactly as it appears in the book and have offered some guidance on quantities/timing below:
“Rub an earthenware gratin dish with smashed peeled garlic and butter. Layer overlapping slices of potato cut 1/8-inch thick. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme leaves. Make another layer of potato slices and season again. Moisten with cream, cream and chicken stock, or milk to the top level of the top layer of potatoes. According to taste, sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan or Gruyère cheese, and distribute thin shavings of butter on top. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour in a preheated oven at 375ºF until nicely browned.
Notes:
If you need to make this ahead of time, just reheat covered with foil in a preheated 350ºF oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until cream-stock mixture is bubbling. Uncover if necessary for 5 to 10 minutes to get the cheese bubbling.
Ingredients
- softened butter
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 3 lbs. red skinned potatoes, peeled (about 2 lbs. 10 oz. peeled)
- kosher salt
- pepper
- 8 to 10 fresh thyme sprigs
- freshly grated nutmeg, optional
- 1.5 cups (or more or less) chicken stock
- 1.5 cups (or more or less) heavy cream
- 1 heaping cup grated Gruyère cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Rub an earthenware gratin dish (or 9×13-inch Pyrex) with smashed peeled garlic and butter.
- Using a mandoline or knife, cut potatoes 1/8-inch thick and layer overlapping slices in the prepared pan. Season generously with salt, pepper, and thyme leaves (no need to chop — just pull and scatter). Lightly grate nutmeg over top. Make another layer of potato slices and season again in the same manner.
- Cover the potatoes with the stock and cream — you may need more to allow the liquid to get to the top level of the top layer of potatoes. Sprinkle the top with the grated cheeses. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking after 40 minutes or so to make sure the potatoes are not browning too quickly. If they are browning too quickly, cover the pan with foil and continue baking until the potatoes are tender and the top is nicely browned. You can also turn the temperature down to 350ºF if necessary.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: potato, gratin, Thanksgiving, side dish, au gratin, Gruyère, holidays, fall, winter
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
44 Comments on “Alice Waters’s Potato Gratin”
Simply gorgeous! Thoughts on adding cheese in between the layers of potatoes? Added to Thanksgiving menu…thanks!
Love this idea! Honestly though, it doesn’t need any extra cheese. The cream adds enough richness, and the cheese makes the topping crispy. If you want it richer, I suggest using higher ration of cream to chicken stock (as opposed to equal parts). Make sense?
Yum! And lol…I don’t like turkey either 🙂
haha, it’s not that I don’t like it…it’s just not my favorite. I’m also (as you probably can gather if you’ve been reading my blog for awhile now) highly influenced by my mother who detests (though prefers not to admit so) turkey 🙂
Now I know why you are such a fabulous cook!!! I have been a longtime fan of your Mother. I have been to her restaurant in Berkeley.
Judy, hi! Oops, that is confusing. Just changed the title so as to not mislead anyone any further…haha
Pinned! Along with the punch. Those will be my contributions this year. Can’t wait.
I much prefer a gratin to mashed potatoes, and this one looks irresistible. I might have to give this one a try, maybe with the celery root. Yum!
Hey, AW coulda been your mom! But I’m sure you prefer the real thing! 🙂 Anyway, the dish looks amazing and I love the idea of the layer of garlic or onion in between! I’m going to try it all different ways….The store where we bought the stove called, we’ll bring it next Friday they said….I asked them if they remembered what day next Thursday is! lol….not! I said, you put that stove in your glovebox but you’re bringing it before Thursday! 😉
Haha, that is hilarious! How fun that you are going to have a new stove before Thanksgiving! You aren’t going to break that thing in slowly I guess?! I love it. Can’t wait to see hear how it performs on turkey day! Happy Thanksgiving, Laurie!
You are still a fabulous cook! I am pretty good at it and my mother isn’t Alice Waters!!!
Haha, ok, thanks, Judy!
This gratin looks gorgeous, would love to see this on our dinner table during the holidays or in general. Can’t wait to make it!
Man, you know I’m really a believer in mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving because of — gravy! But these have my mouth watering. They sound awesome! Maybe, since my sister-in-law always crosses her fingers that I will cook “traditional” dishes and not anything with too much of a twist, maybe I can bring these to my parents’ Thanksgiving dinner. Who cares, they’re going to be on my table one of these days very soon, holiday or not!
Love that you share family recipes like this with us! Makes it so special. Also, your sister sounds extremely organized. Not to sound braggy — I dont know if it is just coming with practice — but I am finally moving away from my time-lines and to-do lists for Thanksgivings, the process seems more predictable now. Perhaps it helps that I have settled on like the same turkey method, the same cranberry sauce, etc — at least I spend less time narrowing down my menu 😉 Thanks again Ali!
I like your use of cream and stock so it’s not too heavy. Usually when I do something similar I usually do a white sauce which thickens up so because quite a creamy dish even though there’s no actually cream in it. Yours looks like the potato is the star rather than the sauce!
That’s my mother’s doing, and I’ve only ever made it with equal parts heavy cream/stock, but my mom says it is way too rich when only cream is used. And you are right — the potatoes definitely aren’t lost here!
What a wonderful potato dish – I don’t think I’d need the turkey for thanksgiving if I made this !! delicious
Mary x
Yes, you must! Do you have the Benriner? The key is to have something to secure the bottom, like the back of a cutting board (if you have one with a back lip) or even a towel. Also, wear that kevlar glove!
Also, where in Philly? I am so jealous!
That is one gorgeous gratin!!!
I love these potatoes; seriously – I LOVE this dish. I use Parmesan, I use Gruyere, I use bacon, I use green onions – I use this dish to make all kinds of gratin potatoes and I LOVE this recipe. O my, O joy, O deliciousness – whole and good and wonderful.
So happy to hear this Rene! You are funny. I share your enthusiasm for this too — it’s what I look forward to most every holiday, but I love making it year round too in various incarnations. Thanks for writing in!
Love to make this dish for a special family gathering. I need to know if I can do the night before and if so at what point would I resume? Do you need to bake as soon as it is assembled? Please advise and be specific . Thanks for your help. I am making this week, hopefully!
Hi Karen — this is definitely a crowd pleaser and it feeds a crowd, so nice choice 🙂 The farthest in advance that I have made this is Thanksgiving morning, and then I reheated it covered with aluminum foil until it was warm. I do feel it’s best made fresh and served when it cools briefly. I’ve never tried assembling it the night before, but I kind of think it might work. The reason I say this is that I have potatoes cut into fry-shape pieces that have been soaking in water for over a day now. They are hard still — raw potatoes don’t seem to soak up liquid and turn soft, so I have a feeling it will work. I would not top it with the cheese until the day you decide to bake it — grated cheese can dry out in the fridge. But I would make sure the potatoes are mostly submerged in the chicken stock-cream mixture, then I would put a layer of plastic wrap on top and press it into it so that any potatoes bobbing on top aren’t exposed to too much air. The next day, I would remove from the fridge while the oven is preheating. Grate your cheese, sprinkle it on top, and proceed with the recipe. Good luck! Let me know if there is anything else!
Made this with Christmas dinner yesterday, totally fantastic and everyone loved it. Thanks!
Forgot to add – substituted gouda for the gruyere. AND I made the peasant bread as well, which as usual was a hit. Am now attempting the prosciutto and gruyere croissants. Happy Christmastime!
So happy to hear this, Jessica! I happen to have a ton of smoked gouda on hand — I wonder how that might work? — and a ton of potatoes from my CSA. I’m going to try your variation soon. Happy New Year!
Do you think this would work if you substitute 1/2 & 1/2 for the heavy cream? I am very excited to make this dish!
Thank you for this! It was a hit and all was devoured. Very easy to make and tasty. Definitely a good note to pay attention to the amount of cream and broth. I did by listed measurement and could have used less. Then I saw the note to adjust per recipe. Either way it came out delicious and no leftovers!
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Rhob! Yeah, depending on the size of your dish and the amount of potatoes you use, you may need more or less, but it’s forgiving in the end!
Made this yesterday as a test. Love the flavors! Love how it looks. Since it’s just me I left the skins on. My sauce seemed a little thin, about the consistency of whole milk. Is that how the sauce should be? Should I have kept the gratin in the oven longer? The potatoes had a very slight “bite” to them but seemed cooked through. I thought they were terrific.
★★★★★
Hi Bill! Nice to know that leaving the skin on works. I’ve always wondered plus I like skins generally. The sauce definitely is thin … it thickens the longer it is in the oven and as it sits, but it sounds as though it could have used a little bit more time given the way you describe the texture of the potatoes, which it sounds as though you like — given the potatoes had a little bit of bite, they probably could have stayed in the oven 10-15 minutes longer without turning to mush, which would allow the sauce to thicken/reduce a bit more. I think with a little bit of extra time, you might be happier overall with the sauce, and I think your potatoes will still be knife or fork tender.
This was amazing! I made it alongside a Christmas ham with pineapple stuffing. I had 3 lbs of red potatoes from my CSA and wanted to use them. I followed the recipe exactly. One confusion I had was that the gruyere cheese says 1 heaping cup = 2 oz. If they meant 2 oz weight then this is way off. I did weigh it and 2 oz was 1/2 cup which was not at all enough cheese so ignored that and went with the heaping cup instead. Sprinkled on ground nutmeg – I think this is a must. Will definitely be making this again next Christmas if not before!
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Stephanie! Glad you went with the 1 cup measure and not weight measure. Going to edit recipe now. Happy happy New Year!
My family LOVES this! I originally came upon this recipe because all I had were red potatoes and most recipes use other potatoes. Boy am I glad I found it! Made it with Christmas ham earlier this year and today made it with my Easter ham (although used Russets – quarantined and can’t be picky!) Terrific! I love that it uses half chicken broth to cut down on the calories and richness but definitely not the flavor.
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Stephanie! This is one of my all-time favorites as well. Happy Holidays 🎉🎉🎉
Hello Ali,
This is something I must do for Christmas. I am thinking the quality/taste of the gruyere cheese makes a difference here. Do you have a brand recommendation? I have access to a Wholefoods if a typical supermarket doesn’t carry a satisfactory brand. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.
Denise, hello! And apologies for the delay here … did you end up finding a Gruyere you like? I buy the one from my grocery store, and the brand is Emmi, and I like it. It’s reasonably priced. I don’t think you need to use a super high-end Gruyere here. Let me know if you have any questions!
Ali,
Uncanny! I am going to make a half recipe today and have been shopping around looking for a Switzerland Gruyere rather than domestic, not an easy task in our local markets. Yesterday I came home with my selection…Emmi…!! Isn’t that fun. Thank you.
Btw, I made the Apple Frangiopane galette yesterday for a test, outstanding. Like to reheat as you suggest.
That is fun! Hope the potatoes turned out well… they’re truly my favorite part of the meal. Great to hear about the galette as well!
Nice recipe. Very good narratives
Alex, I need some experienced advice from you or your mom since you’ve made these often. I tested and we love these so much that I am determined to work out the timing kinks rather than give up. I am looking for any steps that can be done in advance. You mention reheat at 350. I assume the casserole was all made that same day, never refrigerated, still warmish before you reheated. How long did they sit out before reheating? Did you initially cook them directly from composing or did they sit out at all sauced and cheesed for a while? I tried two tests and results were both lacking. First I made through sauce, held back cheese pressed saran wrap onto potatoes and put weight on them so potatoes stayed submerged. Then next day added cheese and baked. These were ok but fussy, some browning and I feel results might be inconsistent. Second test was slicing day ahead and storing sliced potatoes in water. Next day drained, blotted continued recipe. These resulted with too much loose sauce left in bottom of pan and overcooked potatoes. I suspect too much starch was lost overnight and maybe they were even waterlogged causing overcooked batch. So bottom line is I think I will have to make on Christmas day. Any practical experience as to how long the composed dish can sit prior to cooking and how long it can sit out after cooking and before reheating. So sorry to ask you to read all of this but I am desperate to treat my company to these potatoes with Ina Garten’s slow roasted filet of beef!
Hi Denise!
Sorry for the delay here. One year, I baked the potatoes on Wednesday but only for about 25 minutes; then I removed the pan, let it cool, covered with foil and transferred to the fridge. On Thanksgiving, I finished the baking — I can’t recall how long it took, but I imagine it took nearly the same amount of total time (45 minutes or so). I remember this working out well, but I would hate to steer you wrong.
This year, I baked them early in the day; then let them sit out all day (at least 5 hours) before reheating them before serving. I don’t think you have to worry about them sitting out all day (personally … but I’m pretty lax with these things.)
To answer your other question:
Did you initially cook them directly from composing or did they sit out at all sauced and cheesed for a while? I think they can sit out composed for a few hours (4 to 5) before baking as well — as long as the potatoes are submerged it should be fine.
Let me know if that helps or if you have any other questions!
Thank you for your thoughtful suggestions. They are very helpful. I will make Christmas Day early-ish and then reheat. Making buttermilk rolls from your book today and will freeze.