It’s less than two weeks from Easter Sunday, and I bet ham is going to be gracing many an Easter dinner table. It was definitely the traditional main entrée on my family dinner table growing up. And you want to know what goes best with ham – ooey, gooey, cheesey potatoes.
I first made these Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier cookbook last year for Easter and they quickly became a new favorite. The unique thing about these potatoes is that they are cubed – not the traditional sliced potatoes au gratin that I was seeing in most of the other recipes I was perusing or had previously made. What I like best about this shape of potatoes is that slices can stick together but these little cubes allow the creamy garlicy sauce and cheese to surround each potato cube. I couldn’t help tweaking the recipe just a little bit by adding more garlic and deciding to layer the cheese into the casserole and add some gruyere. It became one of those side dishes that steals the show.
Here’s what you need:
Plus some gruyere cheese that I forgot to show.
Start by making the cream sauce. In a measuring cup (or a bowl, but a measuring cup makes pouring much easier) whisk together milk, cream, a little flour, some minced garlic – well not just some, 6 cloves of minced garlic because garlic makes everything better – salt and pepper. Set this aside while you prepare the potatoes.
Then we need to turn 6 russet potatoes into cubes. Start by running them through a mandolin on the fry setting – or you can cut them into even sticks.
Cut the sticks up into cubes.
Now butter a 9×13 baking dish and place half the potatoes in the pan.
Pour on half of the cream mixture.
Sprinkle on a cup and a half of gruyere cheese.
Now pile on the second half of the potatoes.
Pour on the remaining cream mixture.
Now cover the dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. The creamy garlic mixture should be bubbling up and starting to get thick.
Test one of the potatoes to make sure it’s nice and tender. If a fork doesn’t pierce easily, bake for another 10 minutes.
Then sprinkle on some grated sharp cheddar cheese.
Bake for 3-5 minutes until the cheese melts.
Just before serving sprinkle with some slices green onions.
Serve up alongside all the other goodies with your Easter dinner. Or if you dinner guests are a little late, don’t be ashamed about scooping up a bowl and having yourself a little snack – the rest will keep in a warm oven.
This made great leftovers!
- 3 T softened butter
- ¾ c whole milk
- 2 ¼ c heavy cream
- 3 T flour
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ t salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 6 large russet potatoes
- 1 ½ c shredded gruyere cheese
- 1 ½ c sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread softened butter into a 9x13 glass baking dish.
- Whisk together the milk, cream, flour, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Slice the potatoes into sticks. Cut the sticks into minced cubes.
- Spread half of the potatoes into the prepared baking dish. Pour on half of the cream mixture. Top with gruyere cheese. Add the remaining potatoes. Pour on the remaining half of the cream mixture.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Test a potato for doneness, if fork doesn’t pierce easily continue baking, checking in 5-10 minute intervals until potatoes are tender.
- Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chopped green onions.
- Serve.
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