Au Gratin Potatoes

We live near a local restaurant with the most amazing potatoes au gratin. These aren’t quite as good, but they would go great with a summer barbecue or a warm fall meal. They are made with a mix of cream and chicken broth and topped with a cheese crust so they are still creamy and cheesey, but not as heavy as some au gratins.

I learned while making this that red potatoes are the preferred potato for au gratins. Even my bag of potatoes read, “for au gratin potatoes.” Who knew?? The original recipe calls for gruyere cheese and that package also read, “for au gratins.” Again, who knew? I guess more seasoned chefs… but I’m not that, I’m just a lover of good recipes. This is adapted from another great recipe from, alexandracooks.com. Her recipe includes Gruyère cheese, Parmesan, thyme, and nutmeg. It is delicious and I use it often as well. I just changed this up for a different take on the dish.

*This is GLUTEN FREE*

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons softened butter for greasing dish
• 1 clove garlic, smashed or 1/2 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
• 3-4 pounds red potatoes, sliced & unpeeled
• sea salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder plus
• 3 teaspoons freeze dried or fresh chives, sprinkled
• Pinch of garlic powder on each layer
• 1 cup chicken bone broth or broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups grated raw cheddar cheese, or any cheddar cheese, plus more to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Rub a glass baking dish or gratin dish with butter and garlic.

Rinse potatoes. Slice with a mandolin about 1/8 inch thick.

Layer half of the potato slices in dish, overlapping a little bit.

Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, half of the chili powder, half of the chives, and a sprinkle of garlic powder over the top. Mix together so the potatoes get an even coating of the spices.

Make another layer of potatoes and repeat sprinkling with salt, pepper, the remaining half of chili powder and chives, and a sprinkle of garlic powder. Mix together so the potatoes get an even coating of the spices.

Mix the stock and cream in a large measuring glass with a spout. Pour mixture over potatoes.

Cover with the cheddar cheese.

Bake in oven for 1 hour. If still liquidy, continue baking, checking every 15 minutes for doneness. Top should be golden brown and liquid should thicken. If top is brown, but it still needs cooking, then cover with foil and continue baking. After 1.5 hours, if it still isn’t cooked, remove from oven, let cool a bit and then put back in the oven until it’s done. Mine took close to 2 hours, with me checking on it every 15 minutes after the 1 hour mark.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!