Au gratin potatoes often come together as layers of sliced potatoes with a rich sauce poured between or over them. This recipe changes that order.
The thin potato slices go into the cream and cheese sauce before they reach the baking dish. Each slice gets coated before the potatoes are arranged into layers, giving the sauce more contact with the potatoes from the start.
Thin slices matter here, too. The recipe calls for cutting the potatoes as thin as possible, which helps them cook at the same rate and absorb more of the cheese sauce.
Cream Sauce Comes Together Before the Potatoes
Butter goes into a saucepan first, followed by pressed garlic. Once the garlic turns golden and fragrant, cream cheese, cream or whole milk, shredded cheese, salt, pepper, and oregano join the pan.
The mixture cooks over low heat until it reaches a creamy consistency. One cup of shredded cheese melts into this sauce, while the remaining cheese is reserved for the top.
Instead of assembling dry potato slices and adding the sauce afterward, the potatoes meet that mixture before the baking dish enters the picture.
Thin Potato Slices Get Coated Before Layering
The peeled potatoes are cut as thin as possible with a mandoline. A sharp knife can also work, provided the slices stay thin and even. Consistent thickness helps the potatoes cook at the same pace.
Next comes the key change: the sliced potatoes are mixed with the cream sauce. Only then does the entire mixture go into the baking dish, where the coated slices are moved into layers.
The source notes that thin slices promote even cooking and greater flavor absorption from the cheese sauce.
Mozzarella and Cheddar Replace the Traditional Cheese
Gruyère or Swiss cheese may be associated with traditional au gratin potatoes, but this version uses a combination of mozzarella and cheddar.
Some of that cheese melts into the cream sauce surrounding the potatoes. The rest goes across the top before the dish enters a 355°F oven for 20 minutes, creating the melted, browned cheese layer associated with the dish.
Russet Potatoes Help the Layers Hold Up
Potato choice matters once the thin slices are covered in sauce. The recipe recommends Russets because they hold their shape better during cooking. It also warns against overcooking them, since the finished slices should retain some bite.
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