Creamy au Gratin Potatoes

Creamy, saucy and delicately flavored potatoes which are the perfect accompaniment to more robustly seasoned meats. Would be better, however, with onions chopped rather than sliced, and to uncover for the last 20 minutes to brown the top.

My husband and I loved this so much... My makin them out of the box days are over... I made just a couple changes... I sprinkled garlic powder on both layers of the potatoes...I also used marble cheddar and after I poured the cheese mixture over I also topped it off with a bit more shredded cheese... I baked it covered like it said but uncovered it for the last 10 minutes and it gave it just the right amount of crispiness, just the way we like it... and for my husband I added just 1 more sprinkle of cheese to his on his plate... These are also great the next day served with eggs for breakfast... Kiki (Brampton,On,Canada) P S.. I wanted to add that I just made this again today (Oct 4th) and topped it off with some cooked and crumbled turkey bacon and sliced green onions.. Fabulous!!!

I was planning on making this for dinner, but forgot to look at the recipe until about 1hr before dinner time. I started to panic, but I decided to improvise, and I may just use these short cook time directions from now on! I sliced the potatoes and boiled them for about 10min. While the potatoes were cooking, I choppped the onion and sauted them in the butter, then finished the cheese sauce as written. I put the potatoes and sauce together and baked for ~30 min at 350F. Turned out perfectly!

This was pretty good. I have a habit of making high fat recipes into low fat ones. This one was ok but not great using low fat cheese. For some reason the cheese burned on the bottom. I baked it in a glass dish. If I had used full fat cheese I'm sure it would've been fabulous. I save this recipe for special occasions and use the right cheese.

These were very good au gratin potatoes and I liked the fact that they didn't call for canned soup or Velveeta, because I didn't have either one on hand at the time. I cut the potatoes MUCH thinner to speed up the cooking time (mine took about an hour), added an extra 1/2 cup of cheese, used half and half instead of milk for more creaminess, and added some minced garlic to the cheese sauce (I sauteed the garlic in the butter before adding the flour). For those of you who are ending up with lumpy or greasy results, you're not heating and/or blending your cheese sauce enough before adding it to the potatoes and onions. Use a whisk to incorporate the milk a little at a time until it's all mixed in, then be sure the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy before pouring it over the potatoes. Use a fork to move the potatoes around a bit so the sauce can work its way down to the bottom layers and you won't end up with plain, bland potatoes at the bottom of the dish and your cheese sauce won't bubble over the top (I filled my pan FULL and didn't have one drop bubble over). I also removed the foil for the last 10 minutes to get that nice brown crust on top. I'll definitely make these again, but next time I think I'll add a little cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick.

Good overall, but on the bland side. Found the onions sliced into rings changed the overall texture and appearance of this dish. Also, potatoes sliced at 1/4 inch were not done at 1.5 hours. Perhaps diced onions vs sliced would have been a better fit which is why I am only rating this 3 stars.

These potatoes are the real thing...brought me back to my childhood and pot luck suppers at the church...I mutiplied the recipe for 30 people and added ham for a main meal dish...nary a disappointed soul in the lot...makes me chuckle a bit when reviewers say that they were bland so they added this and this and this...like saying a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a little bland so they added bananas, cinnamon, and raisins...folks, this is how au gratin potatoes are SUPPOSE to be...

This is a classic French dish that is a great comfort food. As for anyone who thought the taste was bland, you should know that you cannot use a mild or even medium cheddar with any Cheddar cheese sauce or it will be bland. You have to use a sharp/old cheddar to get the cheddar flavour to come through.

The flavor in this was wonderful, but I hope my review will help some others out! I followed the recipe for this exactly, except that I doubled it so we'd have enough to serve all our guests for Christmas dinner, and omitted the onions because my family just doesn't really like onions. I put it in a glass casserole dish and baked at 400. An hour later, I opened the oven to put in the other side dishes, and saw that the cheese sauce was burning on the top and bottom of the dish! Fortunately, the cheesy potatoes in between the burnt parts was delicious, so we were able to salvage about half of it. So, please learn from my experience. First off, either make sure you don't use glass, or if you do, reduce the temperature at which you bake it to 350. Also, make sure you cover the dish with foil for the first hour of baking. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes. One of our dinner guests was a culinary specialists, so he gave me these tips. :) I will be attempting this again, and will update if I can. But in the meantime, I hope my review helps save someone else from burning and/or ruining their potatoes.

I've made this recipe MANY times and although it is good as written, I find it a bit bland. For people who like very plain food, make it as written. If not, add a lot of seasoning. I sprinkle saesoned salt, onion and garlic powder and pepper on top of each potato layer. Also, I've mixed 3/4C chive sour cream into 1-1/4C 2% milk and slowly mixed it into the roux and it came out VERY good this way. I like doing a swiss/cheddar mix too and prefer it with red potatoes, but I use whatever's on hand. I'll usually make it several hours in advance and leave in the frige until baking. And although 1-1/2 hours seems like too long to bake, it's actually just right- take the foil off last 20 mins or so. One year for X-mas Eve, I did this in the slow cooker (maybe 5 hours on med.) with Gruyerre and Havarti in between each layer and that was the best ever, but was expensive, time consuming and calorie-packed so haven't done it again since. Next time I think I'll add spiral ham and Jalapenos for a one dish dinner, with a salad. I would consider this a 'Very Good Basic Recipe' but for our taste, needs to be jazzed up. Bonus: Re-heats well too.*****UPDATE: I added a layer of chopped broccoli florets in the middle and it was really good. Probably too long to cook broccoli, it was really soft. Reminded me of broccoli cheese soup, in casserole form.

I love this recipe! I use this cheese sauce for everything now! When I used it for mac and cheese, I especially noticed that the sauce was kind of grainy. After mentioning it to a few people, I was informed that it was because I used the bags of already shredded cheese (they are covered with a powdery substance). While it's not as noticeable in this recipe, I did dig out my cheese grater. I am all about short-cuts though, so I did still use the frozen sliced potatoes and frozen chopped onions. It cuts the prep and baking time by a lot! I also like to take off the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking, add more cheese and crumbled bacon.

I really enjoyed these potatoes. I decided to follow the modifications some previous reviewers used by sauteeing the onions with a little garlic before adding them to the casserole. Wow! The aroma and the flavor this simple step added was well worth the little bit of extra time. I also added 1/2 cup parmesan, and cayenne pepper in the cheese sauce for a little heat. Make sure your pan is high sided enough or the filling will leak and fill your kitchen with smoke. Also, if you're using an aluminum foil pan, it's good to seal the bottom well with some aluminum foil, that way no filling will leak out of the bottom, and if it does it will be caught in the foil wrapper. Another good tip is to place your potato slices in a bowl of cold water until you're ready to layer them so that they don't oxidize before you're ready to use them (just drain them into a colander when you're ready). Thanks for this recipe, I use it all the time now.

I took the advice of most others and sliced the potatoes very thin (the lowest setting on my slicer). I also sauteed the chopped onions with pressed garlic in butter before adding to the potatoes. I had three layers of potatoes and added extra shredded cheese and the onion mixture between each layer. I made sure the milk mixture was thick and creamy prior to pouring onto potatoes. (I used 2 cups of cheese instead of 1-1/2.) As I poured the milk mixture, I gently lifted the potato layers so the mixture could seep down between the layers. I still had some bubbling over in the oven but not much. This dish was tasty and went well with the ham I cooked in the slow cooker. This is a good base cream sauce to use in other dishes as well. Make sure you add salt/pepper to your taste otherwise it can be bland.

Hey wait! This is my world famous recipe for scalloped/gratin potatoes! :-D Trust me - this is a never fail recipe. My husband HATED all potato dishes (He's Irish, go figure!) until I made this the first time. He was very hesitant to try it. Fortunately, he adored these. The key I have found (and from what I have deduced from eating my mother-in-law's)is the cooking time. If the potatoes are even remotely hard, the whole dish will flop. As a result, I ALWAYS cook my potatoes an hour and a half, sometimes two, depending on the density of the cheese mix. I understand that some parboil first but I find that is one too many steps and one too many pots. Don't be intimidated by putting together a basic cheese sauce. It is like gravy -once you figure it out, it will be the easiest thing you will ever make and you will never understand what all the fuss is about. My criteria for when I make this dish isn't always when we are having ham for supper but usually when we have too much, expiring-soon cheese. This is a fantastic way to use up whatever left over cheese you have in the fridge. I just throw them all in -it always works, even when using some rather offbeat cheeses (etc, blue brie!)I rarely give five stars, but would this time since this dish is very easy, inexpensive (especially if you were going to chuck the cheese to the garbage anyways)kiddie (and Wolseley) approved and an absolute classic. You will never use a bagged mix again!

Ten stars!! Wow....these are so much better than the boxed au gratin potatoes could ever be. Served these potatoes with a pork loin and "pan-fried asparagus" (also found on this site) for Easter dinner. Fabulous...family raved. I made a few changes to the prep of the casserole. Recipe called for 4 potatoes...I cut 2 thinly and layered them with the onion and salt/pepper for the first layer. I then poured half of the cheese sauce over it and added a little more shredded cheese. Repeated with the second layer of potatoes and onions and sauce. Covered and cooked for 1 1/2 hrs at 375. I then removed the foil and cooked for another 20-25 min to slightly brown the top. Heavenly....will make again! Thanks Cathy for a delicious recipe..a true keeper!

I made this to go with ham for Christmas dinner. Turned out fabulous...my cheese-loving kids and hubby loved it! Followed recipe exactly; will make again!

I made this recipe for the first time today and after reading some of the reviews beforehand, I made just a few adjustments. I had read that some thought it needed just a wee bit more flavor so I added 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. of dried mustard to the sauce in the pan. Wow! If there was a sixth star, I would give it! Tips or reminders would be to make sure you cook the butter, flour, salt, milk mixture until it has thickened before adding the cheese and I added the extra seasonings before the cheese as well. Another tip would be to remind that it says onion "rings" so you want to separate the slices into rings by pulling them apart. I also added some freshly ground black pepper to the top before baking. 400F for an hour and a half sounded a little too high so I baked it at 350F and it was done to perfection at an hour and a half without burning or over-cooking. This recipe will definitely be on our favorites list and I know my husband is just going to love these tonight! Thank you!

I think some of the difference people experience in making this recipe is because of the potatoes. I live near Idaho and the Russets that I can buy are probably twice the size of those in other areas. When I used the number of potatoes called for, I didn't have enough sauce. It might help to know the amount of potatoes in pounds instead of quantity. I used whole wheat flour for the sauce, less cheese, diced the onions, and added more milk to stretch the sauce. I used the slow cooker on "low" and it was ready in 3-4 hours, which was exactly what I suspected with 1/4" sliced potatoes. All in all, we loved the simplicity, yet versatility of the recipe...it can be morphed into a thousand other recipes with a few simple changes.

My version is different than this - but both are good! I never use onions , nor do I make a cheese sauce.Instead rub a garlic clove around the dish.Layer potatoes, cheese (and I use gruyere,)and CREAM alternate, ending with cream . This is how the french chef made it in the restaurant I worked in.

The best au gratin potatoes I've ever eaten or made. I did add about 1/2 c extra cheese to the sauce, and substituted onion powder (1/4 tsp) instead of the onion rings. I used the thick slice grater part of my cheese grater to slice the potatoes thin, since I don't have a mandolin. Were just the right thickness for my liking. I think next time I'll either bake these for a shorter time, or on a lower temp, because the edges and bottom were quite browned. I took the foil off for the last 20 min, and it browned nicely. Will add this one to my collection.

Definitely needed more cheese but great recipe!

I agree with other reviewers to make half-batch more of the sauce. I, like others before me, also pop the potatoes in a steamer and steam them in the microwave for about 8 minutes. It reduces the oven time to about 40 minutes. I have been making this recipe for several years, so that says how much we enjoy it. Every special occasion it is served in our home.

5 stars! 5 stars! 5 stars!!!! I will never purchase au gratin potatoes in a box at the grocery store AGAIN!!!!! Thank you for rich and creamy and DELICIOUS side dish. YOU ROCK!!!

Sometimes simple is better as is the case here. I agree that a few simple tweaks might be beneficial such as adding a little more cheese and browning the top during the last portion of baking time but over all this is a great dish!!

I've made this multiple times now and have played around with the seasonings...honestly, it's good as is. My husband prefers the onions diced, i like them sliced in thin rings...either way yields the same results. I usually add a bay leaf to the rue while it's thickening. I've also par-boiled the potatoes to shorten cooking time, otherwise the hour and a half stands. . And i usually bake at 375 with whatever else i'm making. Delicious!

These were absolutely fantastic!!! The few changes I made were to use a 2 qt. casserole dish, sliced the potatoes a lot thinner which cut the cooking time to just under an hour, 2 cups of medium cheddar cheese and I diced and sauteed the onions (not a huge fan of whole or crunchy onions, just personal preference) and added to them to the cheese sauce before I did the layering. I had 5 layers and after adding the sauce to a layer, I would move the potatoes around a bit with a fork to get the sauce evenly distributed. I also let the potatoes cook for the last 10 minutes without the foil. I will make these again and again! Next time will try the breadcrumbs. You have to love user reviews!

delicious, loved the hint of onion flavour & aromat. Goes really well with braais & roast dishes. Mmm. (don't make too much extra cheese sauce though). I tried adding breadcrumbs like one of the other reviewers suggested, and it burnt horribly, I don't recommend it. I would try putting the breadcrumbs just before removing from oven.

This is almost exactly how I have made my au gratins all my life. I agree with the previous comment, there is a difference between au gratin and scalloped potatoes. If there is cheese in them, they are au gratin, with plain white sauce they are scalloped. I use red potatoes, sometimes precooked first. I chop the onions small, and never layer, always mix the cheese sauce completely with the potatoes and onions before baking it.

@ Chynook73, how long did you cook in crockpot and on low or high? Did you stack ingredients as listed? Thanks! And thank you for the great recipe!!!!

I wanted to make this for Easter so I have been testing it for the past few weeks and it has been a let down every time. I can make a white sauce, but this ends up lumpy and not at all creamy after I get it out of the oven. I have tried three times now and it just isn't working out. I am trying again this week, with some modifications. Hopefully it turns out but I have a back up potato recipe on stand-by. I saw that another reviewer had this problem as well. Any suggestions....? UPDATE: Still didn't work out. I am giving up!!!

Anyone who thinks the boxed version of these are better than this recipe has gotta be outta their mind...either that or they did something wrong b/c these were fabulous!! EVERYONE raved about these potatoes. I added a dash of garlic/onion powders when I added the flour/salt and used sharp cheddar cheese. For some reason, mine were done in 1 hour but all the sooner we can eat these great potatoes!! I guarantee these will appear on my dinner table again!! Thanks Cathy!!

We really enjoyed this. Like others, I diced the onions, increased the amount of sauce and added extra shredded cheddar between the layers of potatoes. I've also, at times, added different varieties, other than just cheddar cheese and it has always turned out very well. I like to make homemade bread crumbs to add to the top for a little texture too. Thank you for a great recipe!

This was my first try at Au Gratin potatoes and they sure came out great! I only changed two things about this recipe. One, I chopped the onion up pretty good, I'm not a fan of the large slices. And two, which I was pretty nervous about, was I used my crock pot instead of the oven. It worked great! I set it on high and I was so pleased! Not only did my husband and friends LOVE them but my hubby and I enjoyed frying the left overs up the next day with some eggs and sausage. Thanks so much for sharing this!

Very yummy, but some reviewers are right..add just a little more cheese. And if you're worried about the potatoes being bland and want to reduce bake time, soak the sliced spuds in cold salt water for an hour or so and them put them on the stove to parboil (same water). That gives much more flavor that a salt shaker on the table just can't handle. I also used fresh potatoes from my garden; reds, whites, and blues for a neopolitan effect. Very pretty.

So Good!! I made these potatoes for a party and everyone loved them! I baked them for 1 hour the night before and finished them off the day of the party (45 minutes without the foil). I followed the recipe as written with one exception. I made a triple batch but I did not triple the onion. It looked like enough with just one onion. I sliced the potatoes thinner than 1/4 inch. I used my food processor so it would go faster. The thin potatoes worked just fine. I used two 9 x 13 pans with a triple batch. I will definitely make these again. MMMMM.

The best Au Gratin Potato recipe ever! Made this last night and LOVED it! Like other reviewers, I medium diced the onion and used 1 1/2 times the sauce recipe. I doubled the cheese to 3 cups. I also added 2 tsp. of dry mustard powder to the sauce. I used about 2 pounds of potatoes, and a 9X13 well-buttered baking dish, since the increased sauce would mean it wouldn't fit into a one quart pan. I baked it, covered with foil for one hour at 375 and then uncovered it for another 20-30 minutes. It browned really nicely. Planning to make this again for a family Easter dinner next week! Perfection!

This recipe was very, very good. However I modified it just a little. I added two cups of Kraft Sharp Chedder instead of a 1 1/2 cups and I also seasoned the potatoes with Lawry's season salt. I cooked the potatoes for 2 hours because they were still hard at an hour and a half. This was very easy to make and tasted delicious!!!

These were okay, but they were bland and just didn't have the flavor I thought they would. The sauce was very watery while preparing; not what I expected. I did wait until it was thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, but it didn't get any thicker than that. I recommend using a larger baking dish than suggested since the sauce filled the entire dish to the rim and started overflowing slightly while baking. When I took it out of the oven the top was very watery, but I mixed it together and it thickened. All in all, they were decent au gratin potatoes but I don't think I'll make them again. It wasn't worth the time and effort. Thanks for the recipe.

I made this recipe for an early easter dinner, everyone raved. I only made one change. Instead of the sliced onions I sprinkled minced dry onion between the layers of potato. It gave the dish the onion flavor w/o turning my children away from trying it. Thanks for a great alternative to mashed potatoes

The recipe needs to state the poundage of four russet potatoes.

Really bland...I even added garlic and sharp cheddar cheese. I made it for my mom and was so embarrassed afterwards.

I've made this recipe twice so far, and it's great! It's savory and satisfying and easy to prepare. It takes a while to cook, but it's worth it.

There are traditional Au Gratin Potatoes. Even though they are a lot of work since you have to make a roux, they really are worth the effort. i will make them on occation as a special treat, but I do usually cheat and use an easier recipe if I am in a hurry.

Absolutely delicious! I made 8 servings (the original recipe is 4 servings) so that I could have leftovers for the week, but there were no leftovers! They loved them and raved about them. I made them exactly as described, except, like others i added a handful of cheddar cheese and left uncovered the last ten minutes of cooking. I served it with the herb rubbed sirloin tip roast (also a recipe from this site) and my family hardly said two words at dinner...they were too busy eating!

Excellent dish. Only change is I would chop the onions and sauté them before mixing in with potatoes. Otherwise 10 stars!!!

I thought this was pretty tasty and everyone seemed to really like it. I made a few changes: instead of onions, I simply sprinkled each layer (2) with onion powder. I used 1/2 & 1/2 to richen it up, instead of just milk. To the sauce I added some garlic, black pepper and cayenne pepper. I put the cheese sauce between layers. Next time I think I'll experiment with cheeses...perhaps make half of it gouda. Also maybe sprinkle the top with some paprika.

I have made a similar recipe in the past using 1 can cream of mushroom soup mixed with 1/3 cup milk and black pepper, layered with shredded cheese, potatoes & onions and it was a million times more tasty. This recipe lacked flavor and the cheese is lumpy. Looks unattractive.

Solid recipe. The cheese sauce is creamy and good. Like previous reviewers I diced the onions instead of making rings. The only other change was I added more salt,pepper and garlic powder. Just good old fashioned comfort food !!!

I have to go against the grain on this one. I followed the recipe to a "T" and found it to be edible but very, very bland.

I had to use a 13x9 pan because there was no way 4 sliced potatoes were going to fit in anything smaller. Obviously better than a boxed mix but there is work involved. Made the potato slices real thin, sprinkled on garlic powder and sauteed diced onion. Delicious.

Great recipe - bit hit with the hubster. This can come together much more quickly if you slice the potatoes and onions in the food processor (separately). Faster still if you keep the skin on the spuds - which I do when we aren't having guests! I also find that this dish cooks more quickly than what the recipe states - usually 45 mins of bake time and it's nicely browned on the bottom.

I have made this recipe several times, all successful. I do prefer the diced onions and I like to use heavy whipping cream instead of milk. I have used both sliced and diced potatoes with the same results. If you follow step 3 and have made cheese sauce before, you can gauge if it's going to be soupy or not and adjust with extra or less cream/milk and cheese as needed. If you have not made cheese sauce before, it has to warm slowly and be thick (gravy-ish) before adding the cheese and sometimes I have to add a little more cream once I do add the cheese. If you heat it too fast and curdle the milk, you will get the globs of cheese everyone has talked about. It does separate a little in the oven (though far less if you make the cheese sauce correctly), as you can see from the photos, but it's cheesy goodness and my family has never complained. I just use whatever cheese I have on hand, sometimes blending several together, and have never had a problem. Parmesan adds a nice flavor.

I made this recipe almost exactly a written. I used only a half of an onion as that's all I had, and 1 cup cream, 1 cup milk, as my milk was low and I found some cream in the fridge. I also sprinkled extra pepper on the top after adding the cheese sauce. It was AWESOME. My husband and I both loved it, and I will definitely make this one again. I took the tin foil off after the 1.5 hours and let it brown, and the potatoes were done perfectly. I used regular cheddar, and I didn't find it bland at all. Thanks for posting this keeper!!!

De-lish! Made these last night for my boyfriend's family and everyone loved them! Took suggestions from other viewers (thank you) cut potatoes thinner, boiled them sliced for ten minutes, used half and half instead of milk(much creamier) layer sauce on top of the first layer and then the second. Put onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne between layers, cooked bacon bits on top. Cooked for 40 mins at 350 and removed foil with 20 mins left and that's when I added the chives. Thanks for a great recipe!

Not at all what I expected. Very bland and no better the next day. Wonder what I did wrong?

I was so excited to make these, as i love au gratin potatoes. I finally made these last night with meatloaf and sauteed string beans. The taste was good, as i seasoned through each layer, however, i just wasn't found of "all" the sauce, i thought it was a bit much. But my main issue was the buttery film and residue that arose to the top of the dish. Ewww, i didn't like that at all, but i didn't notice anyone else mentioning that problem. Overall, it was ok, just unsure if i would try it again.

excellent side dish - simple to make but a crowd pleaser. the onions really enhance the dish, so mince them if you are feeding people who 'think' they don't like onions.

i did not care for this dish the potato's were to mushy maybe i did something wrong though

This is by far our favorite Gratin Potato recipe.Made it few times and hubby picked it for Easter this year.

Very good recipe. I never make changes on the original recipe the first time. I see no point in rewriting a recipe that someone else has submitted unless there is a ingredient you don't like. Bottom line I would make again with no changes.

we did not eat them either i did something terribly wrong or... they just came out wrong but the cheese sauce looked like curtled milk after all that baking time, and i know how to make cheese sauce well as my mac and cheese is the best around!

These really were creamy and flavorful. I followed the instructions and the sauce came out perfectly with no lumps,just the right amount of milk and cheese. The only thing I'll do differently next time is to leave all the extra salt out. My sharp Cheddar had plenty of salt in it to make this dish tasty.Don't season until the very end, you may not need to.

This is by far the best base recipe for Au Gratin Potatoes. I get asked for this dish all the time. I have since made a lot of tweeks to it. I use half cheddar and half swiss, I use half & half rather than milk and I process my onions into a pulp for a more creamy sauce before cooking in the butter. Those people picky about onions have no idea there is even onion in it! Its also a yummy sauce for mac n' cheese as well.

I made this as written and was totally turned off by the whole onion rings. Since then I have made these creamy potatoes many times, just substituting chopped onions for the whole. You can change the flavor by using different cheeses.

I prepared this as directed. Still not sure why it was so bland but my family has requested that I not make this again. My fiancee said that the au gratin potatoes out of the box have a better taste. What a shame, this recipe looked so good and was such a disappointment.

Followed recipe EXACTLY as written, all I got was giant burnt on mess, and a curdled cheese soupy-undercooked casserole. My suggestion- try another recipe. I have no idea how this could have turned out so terrible.

This is a great recipe, but I assemble a bit differently. Typically I double or triple this recipe. I assemble with three layers and do not add the cheese to the cream sauce. I layer a third of the potatoes, sauce, chopped onion (rather than rings) and sprinkle with sharp grated cheddar cheese. I repeat with a second layer of potatoes. Lastly I place the third layer of potatoes on top and pour the remaining sauce on top of the potatoes. Then I shave some butter and dot the top layer with the butter. I use between 1-3 Tablespoons of butter, depending how many potatoes I have made used in the recipe. We prefer using redskins to russets. This recipe is a hit at our Easter and Christmas dinners.

Love love love this dish!!!!!! I did diced onion instead of the rings and I also added about 1tsp of garlic powder and onion powder for extra flavor! As others posted take the foil off and let the top brown for about 15-30 mins!!!!

This is delicious!! Solid comfort food its really hard to stop eating it. I made mine in a crockpot cooked it on high for 4 hours. Definitely layer the potatoes onions and cheese sauce!! I chopped my onions instead of slicing them into rings. Also, doubled the cheese sauce and added more than double the cheese. DELICIOUS!

This is a classic dish.If you are concerned that your potatoes won't get done, drop them in boiling salted water and bring them back to boil for a minute or so. Drain, and continue. Another good tip that I've been doing is use a can of Cream of Mushroom soup (10 OZ) and the remainder of the milk (3/4 cup) to make a very rich, creamy sauce. Use a good extra sharp cheddar and avoid the packaged shredded cheddar from the dairy case. This will give you the most decadent comfy dish ever. Just give the sauce a taste and you won't be able to wait to bake it and get it to the table!!! Enjoy

I've made this several times, but the last time I did something a little different that everyone loved, I caramelized the onions first in a saute pan with butter and kept the rest of the recipe the same. Something about the sweetness of the caramelized onion really added a nice extra flavor to this dish. Still a keeper!

YUM! Thats all I can really say. My potatoes were small, and then I sliced too much so I ended up doubling my recipe. I followed others suggestions and I chopped and sauteed my onion first, then added my cornstarch (didn't have flour). It all fit nicely in my lasagna pan and was OH SO GOOD. I also added some heavy dashes of garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper to my cheese mixture, as other reviews said it was bland. Will make again. Goodbye boxed au gratins! Thank you Cathy!

These were sooo good! I increased the milk by 1/2 cup. They were tender and creamy and delicious.

like most things i cook i tweeked this. I was making this for 18 and it called for over 5 cups of cheese. I am far to cheap to buy 5 cups of shreaded cheese and far to lazy to do the shreading myself. So i added one cup of shreaded chedder cheese and two cans of Cheese Soup from that famous maker. I sent this with my husband for the guys and everyone of them LOVED it. I was greatful i kept some aside for myself. Very Very Simple to make and very very tasty. I will make this over and over and over. A+

I wanted a creamy restaurant style potato and that's what this recipe is. Very good. My changes were to omit the onion and instead add some onion powder to the bechamel while it is thickening. I used about a cup or more of colby plus 1/2 cup mozzarella but this would be good with a variety of different cheeses. Also, I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes since they have a creamier texture to begin with. I used 6 Yukons for this recipe. I layered the potatoes and cheese sauce in a 9 x 13 pan to bake. Fantastic!!!

I made this with sweet potatoes and caramelized onions. A few leaves of freshly chopped sage and fresh nutmeg add "fall" flavor to the sauce.

I'm making this tonight, and I can already tell this is going to be a winner. I will be adding a pinch of nutmeg to the sauce, as I do with all white sauces, to make it "pop".

Great all-purpose recipe for cream based dishes. The potatoes were awesome! I boiled the potatoes first for 10 min. as well to cut down on baking time.. Worked great. I've used this same "recipe" before for Mac and cheese.. The first time was great. The second time was unsuccessful. The problem? Do not use cheese already shredded in the bag! It has a higher oil content and will not melt properly causing clumping and overall nastiness! Break out your cheese grater and use a good quality cheese. It makes all the difference! Hope you all enjoy the recipe. I did. Going to use a sharp white cheddar and Swiss cheese blend next time.. Happy eating!

These were wonderful! I used about half velveeta and half mozzarella cheese in this, it was very creamy. I also added some garlic powder with the salt and pepper, then topped it with crumbled bacon. Thanks for sharing.

This is an excellent recipe! I make the same dish with the following changes. I changed the amount of cheese to four cups of sharp shredded cheese. I also add more cheese to the top of the dish. I finely chop the onions instead of slicing. The onions seem to incorporate into the dish better when they are chopped. I use ground white pepper instead of black pepper.

Very bland tasting, did not thicken and took twice as long to cook as stataed. Will not make again.

These are great potatoes that definitely beat boxed au gratin potatoes any day. They are very easy to make, especially if you have a food processor that slices the potatoes for you. The only reason I gave this recipe 4 stars is because if you make it as is they tend to be rather bland and dry. I added a local seasoning we have in my area called Raven's seasoning and freshly ground pepper to each potato layer. The Raven's is basically a seasoning salt. I didn't double the cheese sauce and I thought they were too dry, especially the next day. Next time I make these I will either double the sauce, or put in one and a half the amount of sauce. Great basic recipe though.

Anyone who thinks the boxed version of these are better than this recipe has gotta be outta their mind...either that or they did something wrong b/c these were fabulous!! EVERYONE raved about these potatoes. I added a dash of garlic/onion powders when I added the flour/salt and used sharp cheddar cheese. For some reason, mine were done in 1 hour but all the sooner we can eat these great potatoes!! I guarantee these will appear on my dinner table again!! Thanks Cathy!!

I didn't have enough cheddar cheese for the recipe so I used half cheddar and half velveeta. All of my kids loved it! The leftovers I simmered with milk on the stovetop until the potatoes cooked apart. I added chopped bacon and sour cream...topped with more cheese and we had loaded potato soup!

I had a little trouble with the sauce since the instructions weren't really clear to me, but the end result was good.

Pure comfort food. I used the food processor to slice the potatoes and onions and shred the cheese which made this an easy side dish. Only deviation I made from the recipe was to add some of the cheese sauce to the first layer of potatoes and sliced onions. I then poured the rest of the sauce over the second layer of potatoes. I did take off the foil at the end of baking to allow the potatoes to brown for about 10 minutes. Very nice recipe.

This is a fantastic recipe, I make 1-1/2 times the amount of sauce. I made it again this weekend and added some Johnsonville mild Italian sausage. Sooooo good!

I have been making this recipe for several months now and have modified it slightly to our tastes. I carmelize the onions in butter which adds a mild sweet taste. I also add two cloves of minced garlic to the cheese sauce. Another variation I have used is to add horseradish to the cheese sauce. I frequently make this for guests and get rave reviews each time. Excellent for buffets too.

I didn't care for this recipe at all. It tasted fine but the cheese sauce just sat on the potatoes and it never really came together like the many other au gratin recipes I have made. It was easy to put together though.

this is an awesome recipe! i substituted 1 1/4 cup of heavy cream & 3/4 cup skim milk vs. 2 cups milk & added approx. 1/2 cup more cheese (sharp cheddar)-other than that i followed the recipe exactly; it turned out rich, smooth, creamy, and flavorful, in a word-Yum!

The recipe is good but needs one change. The flour needs to be weighed not just measured. For a roux to work properly it needs to be equal parts fat and flour by weight not by volumn. So the flour should be 1.5 ozs. That way the roux will look like wet sand in the pan, which is what it should look like. With that adjustment this recipe is fantastic. Will deffinatly make it again.

I make cheesy potatoes every Easter and the recipe is essentially the same, except I do mince the onions and I also add a few dashes of red pepper and thyme for flavor. I also take off the foil and let the top get good and brown. My hubby's favorite side dish! Also, do add cut up ham or cooked sausage etc. for a one dish meal.

I can't say enough about how fabulous this recipe is ! They are creamy and rich and oh-so-yummy, my boyfriend hates onions but he couldn't even tell they were in there! I will DEFINITELY be making these again, and I think I will add some crumbled bacon to the top as suggested by other reviewers. Also, I parboiled the potatoes first as well, it definitely cut down the baking time, i only had to bake them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes and they were cooked perfectly. Thanks again for a wonderful recipe that we will enjoy many times !

These were great and easy to make. I never took the time before to make au grautin potatoes from scratch. I did double the cheese and also used more milk. I substituted part of the milk with cream. Yummy!

Delicious! My husband also loved the leftovers in the morning with his eggs. Definitely use a bigger casserole dish...at least a 2 quart one. Thanks for a great recipe!

I thought this recipe was a good base. I added tabasco and mustard powder to the flour mix before adding the cheese. This may be the missing flavor viewers are looking for.

I thought this one was going to be a hit, but it just came out greasy and bland for me. Next time I will use low-fat cheese to cut down on the grease.

I cooked the potatoes, peeled them while warm, refrigerated them overnight, cut them in slices. The onions I sauteed in olive oil with some all seasoning until charred but not overcooked. I followed the rest of the instructions on the recipe but cut the baking time in half. Last 10 minutes I broiled and got the golden crisp edges on the potatoes that made them so provocative. Served as a side dish with glazed ham, quinoa salad and ceasar's salad. Excellent meal.

As published, I did not really care for these potatoes. The only change I made was to mince the onions rather than slice them. I used medium cheddar. Short and sweet, the potatoes were bland. They need a lot more salt, less onion, more cheese and probably sharp cheddar for more flavor.