The Cheesiest Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe

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Potatoes Au Gratin is a classic side dish that’s wonderful all year long. But it’s especially great during the holiday season! This post is a paid collaboration with Borden® Cheese, who I’ve teamed up with to bring you this cheesy potatoes au gratin recipe that’s perfect for celebrating the holidays with family!

There’s nothing more important to me than family. While I’d love to experience living in other parts of the world, I settle for traveling when I can. At the end of the day, I’d rather be close to my family so that I can see them regularly throughout the year.

We love getting together to celebrate the holidays, so when Borden® Cheese reached out to me about their #BordenHome4Holidays campaign and contest, it seemed like a natural fit.

Luckily for me, I don’t have to travel far to enjoy being home for the holidays. My parents live 35 minutes away by car. My brother, his wife, and my soon-to-be niece or nephew live another 25 minutes past them!

A lot of my extended family also lives in the area. It’s fantastic.

We like mixing it up a bit each year, and don’t always make the same recipes. However, we all LOVE cheesy potato recipes. Broccoli Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes, Cheesy Potato Soup, these sort of things. This year I decided to go a bit more classic with an extra cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin recipe.

How to MakePotatoes au Gratin

Au gratin potatoes are traditionally made with gruyere cheese, but I went with cheddar for this recipe, because I absolutely love the way cheddar and potatoes pair together. I stuffed this au gratin with an insane amount of cheddar.
I recommend using a mandoline to slice the potatoes if possible so you get thin, even slices that stay flat and bake evenly.

In addition to being creamy and super flavorful, Borden® Cheese has a lot of protein, so I figure that kind of balances out all of the potatoes, right? Plus, it’s the holiday season. This is not a time for cheese restraint.

Borden® Cheese is hosting an epic contest that will bring families together to celebrate the holidays! They’re selecting winners from across the country and awarding each with a $500 VISA cash gift card to use towards the cost of travel expenses! They’re giving away $100,000 total in gift cards!

How to Chop an Onion

This recipe calls for chopped onions. Check out my fast and easy technique for how to chop an onion with step-by-step photos!

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The Cheesiest Potatoes Au Gratin

5 from 6 votes

This Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin recipe is perfect for celebrating the holidays with family!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword potatoes au gratin

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

▢ 3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 5 medium)
▢ 4 ounces unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
▢ 1 medium yellow onion, diced
▢ 1 clove garlic, minced
▢ 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
▢ 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more as needed
▢ 4 cups half-and-half (whole milk may be substituted)
▢ 4 cups Borden® Cheese Sharp Cheddar Shreds, divided
▢ Optional for serving: chopped fresh chives and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter a 3 1/2-quart casserole dish (see notes).
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Peel potatoes and slice to approximately 1/6-inch thin on a mandolin (or using a knife). Submerge completely in a large bowl filled with cold water to prevent oxidation.
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In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring periodically, until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium and cook for an additional minute, stirring, until the onions have caramelized slightly.
▢
Add the remaining butter. Mix in the flour and whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes to cook out the flour taste. Stir in half-and-half, salt and pepper, then whisk until mixture has thickened, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and add 3 cups of the cheese in handfuls. Continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds.
▢
Drain the potatoes, using paper towels to pat away excess water. Layer half evenly in the casserole dish. Pour half the cheese over the potatoes and top with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cheese sauce and shredded cheddar. Cover the casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil.
▢
Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the top is golden. For the final few minutes, you can optionally turn on the broiler to further crisp up the top. If you do this, keep a very close eye on it!
▢
Remove from the oven. If using, top individual servings with chives and freshly ground black pepper.

Video

Notes

I used a 3 1/2 quart round casserole dish, but any rectangle or square dish that holds 3 1/2 to 4 quarts will work. If you’re not sure how much your casserole dish holds, test it by adding water.

Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!

Nutrition

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