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Gratin Dauphinois with Tarragon

This is a rich potato dish with fresh tarragon, thyme, cream, wine and Gruyere cheese. Perfect for a special occasion meal like Christmas, Easter or any fancy festive gathering. This isn't your ordinary scalloped potatoes.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, French
Keyword Gruyere Cheese, Potato, Potato casserole, Potato Gratin, Scalloped Potatoes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Rest 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author The Tiny Fairy

Ingredients

Cream Sauce

  • 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 large garlic cloves, unpeeled and smashed
  • 1 spring each of thyme and tarragon
  • 1 cup white wine

Potato Filling

  • 3 lbs baking potatoes, peeled, sliced thin rounds ⅛ inch thin Yukon Gold are nice and creamy potatoes
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups Gruyere cheese, freshly grated Dubliner cheddar cheese is a great substitute
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian parsley, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt prefer Diamond brand
  • fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and butter a 13x9x2 baking dish. Set aside.

  2. In a small sauce pot, scald the heavy whipping cream with bay leaves, smashed garlic cloves, sprigs of tarragon and thyme. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

    Note: Scalding means to bring to temperature, just before boiling.

  3. Grate the Gruyere cheese and set aside.

  4. Combine the chopped tarragon, thyme and parsley in a small dish and set aside.

  5. Peel and slice the potatoes ⅛ inch thick. Rinse the potato slices in cold water to remove the extra starch they release. Pat dry to remove any excess water just prior to layering in casserole. See notes below.

    Tip: Use a mandoline slicer to evenly cut the potatoes into thin uniformly cut rounds.

  6. In the prepared casserole, lay down potato slices in rows slightly overlapping. Sprinkle a little kosher salt, black pepper, Gruyere cheese and chopped herbs. Repeat steps until all the potatoes have been layered in the casserole.

  7. Strain the cream or remove the bay leaves, smashed garlic cloves and sprigs of tarragon and thyme. Whisk the strained cream together with the white wine and pour evenly over the potatoes. Top with extra cheese.

  8. Cover with foil and bake in the center rack for an hour. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden.

    Tip: Test for doneness by piercing with a knife or skewer. If the knife has no resistance when you remove it, they are done. If you don't have non-stick foil, lightly butter the foil so it doesn't stick to the cheesy top layer.

  9. Remove from the oven let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Note:  Potatoes oxidize quickly and turn brown when exposed to air.  Slice the potatoes immediately before making the dish and keep the potatoes under water until ready to assemble.  Work quickly to rinse, pat dry with paper towels and assemble in the casserole dish.