Mom's Amazing Potatoes Au Gratin

We typically only get mom's cheesy potatoes au gratin once per year. Two baking dishes of potatoes are prepared and we fight over leftovers. Welcome to Easter at my mom's house with bunny rabbit place mats, perfectly cooked ham and potatoes au gratin so good we fight over it...comically, yet viciously.

Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin is an easy gourmet side

As I've mentioned in other posts: I'm a potato fiend. My favorite food is potatoes. But potatoes au gratin is a treat because it's not something we make too often. It's simple. Potatoes, onions, butter, cheese, and milk. The ingredients are cheap and this is such an easy recipe. Also, can you think of a single person you know who doesn't love cheesy potatoes? We fancy it up a bit with some toasted, buttery cracker crumbs too. Over the years, those buttery cracker crumbs have become one of my favorite parts about this recipe.

I'm always a fan of seasoning as you go and truly think it makes a difference with most recipes. However, with this recipe I do not salt and pepper between the layers. The cheese has a lot of salt in it and I don't love pepper with this dish. I prefer letting people salt it if they want to when served. You can certainly add a pinch to the layers if you prefer, but I opt not to.

A brief history of my relationship with potatoes

My mother has been preparing this dish every year since childhood. Interestingly, I did not like potatoes growing up and refused to eat them. Of course, I didn't make the connection that French fries were made with potatoes when I was real little and loved those. I ate my first baked potato at 19 years old. And needless to say, I've never looked back.

I can't think of anything more comforting than a bowl of cheesy potatoes. And even though this is a cheesy recipe, the potato doesn't get lost in it. That's what I love about it. The potato is still the star of this dish. Thanks mom! Hope you all enjoy this recipe!

If you're looking for other yummy potato treats, you should check out my Potato Bacon Croquettes with Gorgonzola Bechamel, Fancy French Fries or my Crispy Mashed Potatoes with all the Fixin's

Mom's Potatoes Au Gratin

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Stacey
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

This somewhat old-fashioned recipe of my mom's causes fights at Easter over who will get to take home the most potatoes. It's potatoey, cheesy and delightful!

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Ingredients

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The Potatoes

• 6-7 med. to large yukon potatoes
• ½ stick butter
• 1 ½ pounds of American cheese, cubed
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 3 cups of whole milk, divided

Cracker Crumbs

• 1 sleeve of Ritz-type crackers, crushed
• 3 tablespoons butter

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Instructions

NOTE: You’ll need 2 baking dishes for this. Should be 1.5-2 quarts each. Or if you have one large rectangular baking dish that could work too.   

1. Peel the potatoes.
2. Finely dice the onion.
3. Cut cheese into cubes. I usually buy 1 ½ pounds of sliced American cheese and cut that stack into cubes. Then I divide the pile in two – one pile of cheese for each baking dish since I use two baking dishes for this.
4. Cut the ½ stick of butter into pieces or cubes. My butter in the video was frozen so I had to slice it first, then break it down into smaller pieces. I also divide that into two portions – one for each baking dish.
5. Slice all the potatoes into about ¼ inch slices. The slices should be uniform in size so they’ll cook evenly.
6. Layer some potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish. Then add onion, cheese, butter. Repeat the layers until baking dish is full. If you’re using a second baking dish, repeat the process there too.
7. Split the milk evenly and add to your baking dishes if using two. If you're only using one large baking dish, then all the milk will go there.
8. Cook in a preheated over at 375 degrees for one hour.
9. Crush a sleeve of Ritz-like crackers and toast in a pan with 3 tablespoons of butter. 
10. After the potatoes have cooked for one hour, take out the potatoes for a fork test. Make sure tender all the way through. 
11. Add cracker crumbs to the top of your potatoes, then bake an additional 10 minutes.
12. Let the potatoes rest a good 10-15 minutes (or longer) before serving.

Notes

1. Whole milk is needed for this recipe. It does not taste the same with low or no-fat milk.
2. If you don’t need to make a big batch like this, just cut the recipe in half and make one baking dish.
3. I don't salt and pepper between the layers because the cheese already has a lot of salt. I don't care for black pepper on my potatoes au gratin so I don't use it. If you want to use a pinch of salt and pepper between your layers go for it.