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This beautiful and delicious scratch made cast iron skillet scalloped potato (potatoes au gratin) recipe is all about heavy whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, and a crispy browned top.
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Don't have a cast iron skillet for making skillet potatoes? Cool - make potatoes au gratin in a dutch oven or a baking pan.
Scratch made scalloped potatoes crisp up perfectly in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven and look rustic and beautiful. They also taste amazing.
The difference between au gratin potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and Gratin Dauphinois:
What's the difference between a scalloped potatoes and potato au gratin recipe? Not much - traditionally scalloped potato recipes are made with cream or milk and flour where au gratin potaotes are topped with cheese or bread.
These days we use both cheese and milk or cream, so we can call it what we want - it's all comfort food in the end.
Gratin Dauphinois is traditionally made with thinly sliced potatoes that have not been pre-cooked and are cooked at a lower temperature for longer in cream with no cheese.
What kind of potato for scalloped potatoes? What kind of cream or milk?
Use any potato for this scalloped potato recipe but russet is starchy and also absorbent which is good for the cream "sauce". Having said that, yukon gold is also a great all purpose potato that will still get soft but retain a little more texture, which is what I prefer.
In a pinch, use the potato you got and don't sweat life.
Heavy cream doesn't generally curdle when heated (especially at a lower heat) due to the high fat content.
If you decide to use a lower fat dairy product you may see some curdling due to the lower fat and higher protein molecules binding together. Add a little cornstarch or flour to inhibit the proteins from binding and stop the curdling.
Quick Tips for Cast Iron Skillet Scalloped Potatoes
Buttering the casserole dish or cast iron pan helps to brown the edges and prevent the potatoes from sticking.
If you are using a cast iron skillet for au gratin potatoes, give it a quick wipe down with a paper towel before buttering the edges and bottom. I'm using a 10 inch cast iron skillet for this au gratin recipe.
Do you love cheese? Knock it out! Add any cheese and/or more cheese to this scalloped potato recipe and the technique will still work.
Love melty yellow cheddar cheese? Do it! Leave a comment below and tell me what you did. Cheesy scalloped potatoes are pretty difficult to mess up.
Like ham or bacon with your scalloped potatoes? Add cooked bacon or pancetta or grate or dice already cooked ham and cook it with the potatoes.
Cast Iron Skillet Scalloped Potatoes FAQS
Do you skin / peel the potatoes for scalloped potatoes?
I do. But you don't have to. It's a texture preference issue. I prefer scalloped potatoes to have a consistent tender texture so peel the potatoes. If you are in a hurry or wanted something more rustic then leave them unpeeled.
What kind of potato do you use for potatoes au gratin?
Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes work best for scalloped potatoes because they are more starchy and soak up and thicken sauce. Yukon golds hold their form a little better whereas russets can fall apart if cooked too long, so boil russets for less time initially.
Why does the milk curdle in my skillet scalloped potatoes?
Milk curdles when heated. The lower the fat in milk, the more it curdles. Starting with a high fat cream like heavy whipping cream helps a lot. Using russet potatoes also helps because they are high in starch and help naturally thicken the sauce without the addition of flour or cornstarch.
Serving Suggestion
Looking for a main dish that makes a perfect match for this cast iron Scalloped Potatoes recipe?
- Cradled Prime Rib Roast
- Simple and Easy Traditional Beef Meatloaf
- Easy and Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Easy Roasted Turkey Breast
You May Also Like
If you like these skillet Scalloped Potatoes, here are some other hearty side dishes you might like...
- Creamed Spinach Gratin
- Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes
Things In My Kitchen:
- Classic cheese grater– This is old school and nice for when you want a little cheese (my arm gets tired of turning sometimes). I find that amicroplane zestercan be just as easy for when you want more cheese.
- Mandoline- For cutting potato slices thin and not having to pull out a big food processor. Hands down favorite mandolin.
- Smithey Ironware-makes this gorgeous and tough cast iron skillet. It’s made in the U.S. and handcrafted in my home-town of Charleston, SC. I'm using the 10" skillet in this recipe.
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Cast Iron Skillet Scalloped Potatoes (Au Gratin Potatoes)
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5 from 4 reviews
EatSimpleFood.com
This beautiful and delicious scratch made cast iron skillet potato (potatoes au gratin) recipe is all about heavy whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, and a crispy top.
- Author: beckie
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
UnitsScale
- 2 tsp unsalted butter
- 2 lb yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled & sliced thin
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 12 sprigs thyme, divided
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
- pinch ground nutmeg
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Butter a bakingdish (this helps to brown the edges and prevent sticking). If using a 10 inch cast iron skillet wait on this step until the heated cream comes out of the pan.
- Slicepotatoesinto ~ ⅛" rounds (use a mandoline
or food processor if desired). Set potatoes aside in a large bowl. - Bring a pan to medium high heat and add the cream, 6 sprigs or so of thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Gently bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Remove cream from heat, and discard bay leaves and thyme. Add cream to bowl of sliced potatoes and stir to coat (careful may be hot!).
- Add ~ ½ cup cream to the bottom of the baking dish or cast iron skillet and layer potatoes, spreading evenly. Add remaining cream to nearly cover the potatoes (you will probably have some cream left - just toss it if you do).
- Top with shredded parmesan and garnish with remaining thyme sprigs.
- Cover dish with aluminum foil lightly covered with oil - tenting so that the aluminum doesn't touch the cheese. Leave one corner open to let some steam escape, but not open enough to brown the cheese.
- Bake covered ~ 50 minutes or until potatoes are tender with a fork.
- Remove aluminum foil and bake / roast 10 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. If the cheese is being stubborn, turn the broiler on to low and broil 3-5 minutes or until cheese is brown. Happy Eating! Beckie
or food processor if desired). Set potatoes aside in a large bowl.Notes
- Heavy cream doesn't curdle when heated due to the high fat content. If you decide to use a lower fat dairy product you may see some curdling due to the lower fat and higher protein molecules binding together. Add a little cornstarch to inhibit the proteins from binding and stop the curdling.
- Buttering the casserole dish helps to brown the edges and prevent sticking. If you are using cast iron, give it a quick wipe down with a paper towel before buttering the edges and bottom.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
- Kim says
So damn delicious and the easiest version I’ve ever made!!!!!
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- beckie says
Thanks Kimbalaya4ever!
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- Amy says
Love this recipe! Will definitely become a new “go to” on holidays!
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- beckie says
Thanks Amy!
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- Trish Bryant says
My husband smoked a ham and I was looking for a “comfort food” side and gave this a try. I found perfection! Warm, creamy, cheesy perfection that afforded me the perfect opportunity to use my grandmother’s cast iron skillet. The addition of thyme gives it the perfect brightness that is often missing in a starchy dish. A sprig on top after serving is so pretty too!
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- Margie says
I am this dish last night and had to post a review. This is the best Au Gratin recipe I have ever tried. 100% success. I made this for dinner guests and it was a hit - we are still talking about how good the potatoes were. This is my go to recipe now. The thyme and bay add so much flavor. I heated the cream, herbs and spices early and let completely cool so I could handle the potatoes. I added some parm on the first layer and added the rest on the top. After broiling for a bit it was nice and brown with a bit of crispness.
Reply
- Beckie Hemmerling says
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Margie - I appreciate it! Thanks too for letting all the readers know that you cooled the cream to be able to handle the potatoes. I love this dish - it makes me happy that it turned out so well for you!
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