Madame Laracine's Gratin Dauphinois (Madame Laracine's Potato Gratin) Recipe (2024)

You have 2 options:
1) Prepare through the end of Step 3, cover & refrigerate
until ready to bake. Then bake until crisp & golden, about
60-70 minutes. This will give best results.
2) Prepare completely then let stand uncovered at room temp
for up to 2 hours; reheat in a 375 oven for 20+ minutes until
crisp and bubbling at the edges. Timing will vary depending on
the depth of the baking dish.
Real Gruyere is the key to success. Don't substitute.

Can this be made in advance and heated before dinner?

Make sure you salt each of the two layers decently. Salted cooking water isn't enough salt.

This is so good that it should be illegal!I reduced the cooking time by 10 minutes. Next time I will add a few thyme branches to the potato-cooking liquid.

It's true, the "authentic" French version does not contain cheese. However, Madame Laracine's version is greatly enhanced by the addition of Gruyere. Even in France, this is a dish that begs creative license from any cook. There are so many ways to make this dish a special treat at any meal, no cook should feel limited by anyone's imagination.

I don't understand a lot of these directions. What is a flat strainer?Size of gratin dish? (what is the specificity of a gratin dish as opposed to casserole?)Step 3: "cover with remaining potatoes" So, have they been sitting in water/milk this whole time? The first part of the step says to strain "half" of the potatoes. Were they actually all strained together at once in a "flat strainer"?

Has anyone experimented with other types of cheese? This seems like it would be good with cheddar or other options too.

I made this last night and it will forever replace mashed potatoes on the Thanksgiving table. The only change I made was to replace 1/4 cup of the cream with 2% milk, but I don't think it made a huge difference. I also assembled it in the morning, refrigerated it, and then baked it off in the afternoon. Excellent recipe.

Perfect recipe. and I save the starchy milk the potatoes were cooked in as a base for a chowder.

Won’t cooking thinly sliced potatoes for 10-minutes plus leave them falling apart? I think cooking them an additional 45 minutes in the cream and cheese would create a dish of delicious mashed potatoes.

I have been making this exact recipe (from the NYT) at least 30+ years. It is always a fan favorite.

The addition of cheese makes this a gratin savoyard, not a gratin dauphinois... but who's counting?

I’ve been making this since I first got Bistro Cooking in the 90’s. It’s a perfect recipe, no adjustments required. Everyone I’ve ever served it to adores it.

A fabulous recipe. Will hold overnight not refrigerated. Gives the flavors time to meld. The taste and presentation is very dramatic when presented at the table.Excellent for a dinner party.

i skipped the cooking in the large saucepan. instead i let the sliced potatoes soak in milk, garlic, salt, bay leaves, nutmeg AND PARMIGIANO. , i strained them, keeping the liquid on the side. i arranged the uncooked sliced potatoes directly in the buttered gratin dish . put the liquid over them and cooked them in the oven for one hour covered. then i added the gruyere on top and baked it another 30 minutes. all the liquid was absorbed and it was delicious.

I love this recipe - what adjustments (if any) should I make when doubling the recipe? (Cooking time or temp)

We have made this dish, or any number of very similar versions, dozens of times. It's a family favor at the holidays. I use one more clove of garlic. Also, I use heavy cream. I'm not saying it's better than creme fraiche. I've just never tried it. The real trick with this recipe is not to under- or overcook the potatoes during Step 2. Surprisingly, I've found the potatoes do not really cook during baking, so under cooking is worse than slightly overcooking the potatoes.

This is my go-to “bring a dish” for Fall & Winter. I hope we get back to those days. It is marvelous!

Really good bay leaves make a difference. Penzey’s Turkish bay leaves do the trick. Using grocery store dried out bay leaves doesn’t cut it

Everyone Loved this dish!!