Easiest Pommes Dauphinoise (Scalloped Potatoes)
Pommes Dauphinoise is a tasty potato side dish flavored with cream and garlic. Here’s a one pan version that works for brunch or dinner.
It was many years ago that I first made Pommes Dauphinoise. The tasty side is a versatile party dish–and it always draws rave reviews. Plus it works for any meal from brunch to dinner, especially on occasions where you need to go beyond a simple baked potato!
In fact, it was so good, I wanted to eat it for non-company meals. But it was just a little too time-consuming. The original had you layering slices of potatoes and garlic in circles into a taller casserole. Yes, those pretty circles take a while to lay out. 
Luckily when my Sunday Blogging Group decided to do Julia Child recipes, I came across some easier methods. I even took the simplification one step further and made it a one dish recipe. Who needs a little easy now? 🙋♀️
Yes, now you can basically just drop potato slices into a pan, heat & stir them with milk and garlic, then top with cream and bake. And it still looks pretty I think!
The pan I used for this is the traditional gratin pan, a shallow oval dish made of metal or ceramic. Mine is stainless steel which I like because it can go from stove top to oven and even under the broiler.
But if I didn’t own this, I’d use an oven-safe frying pan without hesitation. Or you could do the stovetop cooking of the potatoes and milk in a saucepan and then pour into a pretty baking dish, or even a round pie pan.
I did the slicing of the potatoes using a mandolin. This was the most time-consuming (active) part of the process, taking about 10 minutes. I also own an old salad shooter which would have made this really quick. And the rest was mostly waiting while things baked.
I do have one important tip for you, though. The potato starch helps thicken the sauce, so don’t rinse or soak your potato slices before cooking them. This also means you can get away with less fat in the dairy–depending on any dietary goals and/or what you have in your cupboard. 
Easiest Pommes Dauphinoise (Scalloped Potatoes)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes ideally Yukon Gold
- 2 cups milk
- 3-4 large garlic cloves finely chopped or run through garlic press
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Slice the potatoes into 1/8 inch thick rounds. Do not wash or soak the slices.
- Combine the potato slices, milk, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan or metal gratin pan and bring to a boil. Stir carefully to keep the milk from scorching and the slices from sticking together. Simmer briefly until thickened.
- If cooked in a saucepan, transfer the mixture to a 6-cup gratin dish or similarly sized oven proof dish; otherwise leave in the metal gratin pan. Pour the cream over the potatoes. Place the dish on a baking sheet (in case of overflow) and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed, the potatoes are tender and the top is browned. Let the potatoes rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Julia Child Inspired Recipes
- Beurres Composés – Cold Flavored Butters by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Cheese Puffs by That Recipe
- Coq Au Vin by Making Miracles
- Easiest Pommes Dauphinoise (Scalloped Potatoes) by Art of Natural Living
- Eggplant Pizzas by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Organic Ratatouille Lasagna by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Slow Cooker French Onion Soup by Palatable Pastime
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This is one of my fave recipes! Potatoes and cheese are the perfect pair to me.
This looks delicious!! I like that you don’t have to fuss with layering.
Love these potatoes look amazing!
so fancy and delicious! i’d risk slicing my finger off on the mandoline for these. 🙂
Looks absolutely incredibly, Inger! I love scalloped potatoes of any kind!
Those look so tasty! I love the browned potatoes on top. I have a cast iron gratin pan that would work perfectly for these!
I absolutely love scalloped potatoes, but rarely make them because of the tediousness of layering them. I love your time saving tips.
Thanks for the tip about not soaking the potato slices. I will skip that part next time I make them.