Au Gratin Potato Recipe with bacon
Looking for the BEST scalloped Potatoes Au Gratin EVER?! These are critiqued as "insanely good!" Tender layers of buttery potatoes, bacon and onions cocooned in melty Gruyere cheese enveloped by creamy herb cream then topped with bubbly golden Gruyere cheese.
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
- 6-8 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped
- 2 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)
- fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Spiced Cream
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced (or 2 tsp dried)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt, pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add the "Spiced Cream" ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 5-10 minutes while you grease a 9x13 casserole dish and peel and slice potatoes into 1/8-inch slices. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl.
- Spoon just enough of the herbed cream that has been simmering to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. Pour the remaining herbed cream over the potatoes and gently toss to coat.
- Using a slotted spoon, layer the bottom of the casserole dish with 1/3 of the potato/onion slices (the slotted spoon will allow you to leave most of the cream in the bowl). Layer 1 cup of the cheese and 1/2 of the bacon, then top with 1/3 of the remaining cream. Repeat the layers.
- Top the casserole with remaining potato/onion slices and pour over remaining cream—season with freshly cracked salt (in addition to salt listed in the recipe).
- Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake for one hour. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and continue to bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Test the potatoes in the center to make sure they are tender. Continue to cook if necessary (it will depend on how thin you cut your potatoes).
- When the potatoes are done, broil until golden brown. Some grease will likely accumulate on the top after baking and settle back into the potatoes after resting for 10 minutes. If not, dab it off with a paper towel before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Video
Notes
Butter: This recipe had one cubed tablespoon of butter dotted over the surface, but I omitted it because some readers were experiencing grease on top after baking.