Gratin Dauphinois (Potato Gratin)

This is a lightened up version of a French classic. No fuss and with all the creaminess, flavor and comfort factor of the original.

Last weekend my husband and I met friends for dinner at a neighborhood French restaurant in San Francisco. We had been there before with the same couple but even with the small, traditional menu we had still yet to try their potato gratin so our friend ordered one for the table. But having prepared this skillet of Gratin Dauphinois for this post a few weeks ago and it being our go-to potato dish for the past three years, a comparison (from my husband) was inevitable.

I enjoyed the restaurant’s gratin–creamy and smooth with a golden, cheesy top. It was unabashedly rich and I would have been perfectly content having it for dinner paired with the mesclun salad served earlier but I was expecting an entrée: black cod with braised oxtail and mashed potatoes. I stuck to one spoonful of gratin knowing that profiteroles and an apple tart were in our near future, too.

When we returned home and compared notes about our meal, my husband was not so complimentary about the gratin and said my version was better. All the things I liked about it were negatives to him (too rich and mushy were his main complaints). This was no surprise as he prefers lighter fare but his praise of my potatoes, though at the expense of the very nice restaurant, pleased me anyway.

Gratin Dauphinois vs Potatoes au Gratin vs Scalloped Potatoes

What’s in a name? I had to educate myself on the difference between Gratin Dauphinois, potato gratin and scalloped potatoes before writing this post. All three share a base of sliced potatoes baked in milk and cream but traditionally, scalloped potatoes do not have cheese. Gratin means a dish has either a cheese or breadcrumb topping and gratin Dauphinois from the Dauphine region of France typically uses gruyere for the cheese component.

Modern recipes show heavy overlap between the tree and any of them would have been an appropriate name for this recipe but since I first fell in love with this dish during our trips to France, Gratin Dauphinois it is. Plus, everything sounds better in French.

A Lighter Gratin Dauphinois

I don’t remember where I picked up the idea to replace some of the milk/cream with chicken stock but it works here without compromising the gratin experience. The preparation is no-fuss. The potatoes are not par-boiled on the stove as I’ve seen in some recipes, eliminating an extra step. Rub the inside of a skillet or baking dish with garlic and brush olive oil (butter is more traditional), layer thinly sliced potatoes with cheese if you like. The Boursin cheese here is optional but it’s a nice addition. You can opt for gruyere instead and top with Parmesan cheese to get a nice brown crust.

This recipe is easy to adjust to your preferences. I’ll leave it up to you to add nutmeg or thyme or chives for more pop but you may find this recipe delightful as-is. Even lightened up with chicken stock this is rich and satisfying without being cloying. There’s just enough cheese to give it extra flavor while still keeping the potatoes the star. If you decide to go all out on butter and cream like our local French restaurant does, you won’t hear a complaint from me…but my husband might be another story.

(If you would like to see how I prepare this dish, please visit my Instagram page for the video.)