Does sour cream work as a substitute to the heavy cream? Thanks!

I make it everytime I have guests over and get compliments every time!

I don't think that sour cream will work in this recipe as you need to cover the potatoes in liquid and I'm pretty sure the sour cream will split. Whipping cream is required. Sorry for the delayed response Renata.

Is powdered parmesan the same as grated ?

Yes they are interchangeable for this recipe as long as it's fresh powdered parmesan.

I have made this recipe 3 times and it is special no doubt rich and fulling. But sometimes the potatoes don't quite get soft not sure why Joe can you help with this?

If there was only one thing that we could teach here at Rouxbe, it would be to ignore the times on recipes and learn to cook until things are done by knowing what done looks and feels like. Think about potatoes... there are small ones, medium one, etc.. Think about ovens, electric, mine is gas, convection, some hold the right temperature, others are off by 100 degrees. So focus on learning to cook until things are done. For this dish, I never uncover the potatoes until I can push a fork easily through the potatoes (with very slight resistance). You can of course take off the aluminum foil to check, but seal it back up tight if not done (and watch out for the steam when opening up). Only when they are almost fully cooked can you take off the cover for the final browning. Then, let them sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. These potatoes can even sit for up to an hour and they will be delicious.

I should have read the comments before trying the recipe. My potatoes took much longer to cook. Also when I removed the foil and tuned oven temp up to 375 degrees my cream mixture curdled. I believe this was because of the increase in temp. There was a lot of water in the base of the pan around the curdled sauce. However, the taste of the sauce and the potatoes was delicious! I think I will try to adapt this recipe to my Scalloped Potato recipe. Bettye V.

Roughly how much is 4 medium to large potatoes, 1lb, 11/2 lbs etc. Also I wondering if I could mix in some swiss or cheddar cheese along with the parmesan cheese topping.

4 medium to large potatoes is about 3 pounds. I just weighed them :-) As for other cheeses, I would maybe add them only in the last 10 minutes of cooking, as the Swiss or cheddar may slip on you otherwise.

I made this tonight with lamb, this is the best. But, I really need a lesson on lamb. I may just mess with my family, and make these wonderful potatoes for Thanksgiving! Oh no, where are the mashed potatoes!!! Talk about comfort food, this is the definition.

These were so easy to prepare and tasted amazing! Thank you for your comments because had I not read them first I would not have known to cook them longer. I cooked them the night before. Once cooled I took a cookie cutter and cut out small portions, placed them on a cookie tray on Parchment paper and then reheated them just before serving. Made for a nice presentation and easy clean up.

Hi Joe, I'm looking to have this along side a Chateaubriand on New Year's day. I was wondering if you get different results if using a waxy spud like yukon golds or a starchy version such as a russet?

I suspect that both will work okay but I've always preferred russet potatoes for these gratin.

Happy new year :-)

Hi 1/2 teaspoon salt? Is that table salt or kosher salt.

Great question... And sorry in advance, because I'm going to give you a short and long answer. I think we use table salt for this recipe. However, I want you to whisk in the table salt until the mixture tastes just a bit too salty for you (the cream mixture). This is how you will be able to learn to do this dish without a recipe. The only key points to remember with this recipe are: 1. butter the dish (so things don't stick) 2. the cream mixture, needs to be a bit salty 3. the potatoes should be just covered 4. cook the potatoes covered - testing with a fork or knife as shown in the video) 5. then remove and brown the surface 6. let rest for a few minutes before serving (even up to 30 to 45 mins - no problem) With this knowledge, you can know make this dish for 100 without a recipe. In general, most recipes have a few critical points (as I call them). Master these and you will always have success. Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.

I doubled the recipe and had to pack the rows of potatoes a bit closer together in order to fit into my pan . So it took 90 minutes to bake them and then I let them rest for 20 minutes to soak up the cream. I was sure I would have leftovers but everyone raved about them and devoured them all.

Thank you so much for this recipe Joe! I made it with some baked parmesan chiken and it was a total hit, everybody in my family loved it. Something tells me this will become one of their favorite dishes from now on :) Thanks again!

Cooking for two can be tough sometimes. It's nice to find recipes that do wonderfully as a leftover too. These potatoes are easy and truly scrumptious.

I added some cubed ham and had it as our main course. Hard to stop eating them....SO good!

Could an alternate vegetable such as rutabaga be used in this dish? Could be delicious. If so, would any modifications be necessary?

You could try another vegetable for sure. You may just have to adjust the cooking times. Let us know how it turns out. Good luck and enjoy!

My family loved this recipe! The potatoes took quite a bit longer to cook, and thankfully I read some of the early reviews and was expecting this, so it was not a problem to plan the rest of the meal around. My husband and I did notice that the garlic tasted a bit over cooked, almost bitter. Perhaps this is due to needing to cook the dish longer. Would mixing the garlic in with the cream & cheese mixure perhaps prevent this? I am new to this site and just love it. Thank you Rouxbe staff!

We have never had an issue with bitter garlic in this recipe. Maybe it was your garlic. Here is a video on Buying and Preparing Garlic. If you want to try adding the garlic with the cream, it won't hurt. Try it again - this one is delicious.

What's the difference between Heavy cream, Whipping cream, and Heavy Whipping Cream. I have Heavy whipping cream left over from the Creme Anglase I made.

Greg if you look at your carton or container of heavy cream it should be marked somewhere with the percentage of milk fat. It will likely say something like 33% M.F. (instead of the actual words "milk fat"). Hope this helps!

Ah ok, thanks. It says 40% Butterfat which I assume is the same as Milkfat. Followup question: It there any difference in taste between Pasteurized and Ultra Pasteurized? The latter states that it has a longer shelf life.

Don't have the answer to this one Greg, sorry. Perhaps someone else may be able to assist you with this question.

I am thinking of making these to go with a main dish that cooks at a much lower temperature. So, I was wondering if I could cook them earlier in the day, and then re-heat them. Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks.

Hi Michelle, Two options for you. First, you can cook these at the lower temperature and just increase the time. No problem. One thing that is great about these potatoes is that they will hold very nicely. So if you put them in say 1.5 hours to 2.0 hours before you need them, cook them at a lower temperature until they are cooked (e.g. knife goes through them easily), then you can pull them out, keep covered, and then just put them back after your other dish is done (assuming meat) to finish (cover off, increase the heat until nicely brown). This is the perfect time to just let your meat rest in a warm spot (like on top of the stove - tented with aluminum foil). If you want to cook ahead of time (like earlier in the day or day before, yes you can as well, but you will need to ensure that the potatoes are cooked through before removing or the potatoes will go dark brown/black (oxidize, just like they would if you left a peeled potato out on the counter). However, if you do this, you will have to be careful to chill them properly for food safety reasons. Cook them through (don't brown), then take off the cover, let cook in an ice bath in the sink, then refrigerate until later (or next day). They should still be a bit runny (but fully cooked). Then just put them back in the over about 30 minutes on about 300 degrees to heat through and brown before serving. And if you are not quite ready to serve when the potatoes are ready, don't worry, these can sit for 30 minutes covered in a warm spot and they are even better.

I made these as my contribution to a group dinner, and everyone LOVED them. Brilliant.

this dish added some style to my sunday lunch. it looked great on a plate and did not taste too bad either. i am not a fan of cremy dishes. but i ate this one. my husband enjoyed it. i definately will be making this dish again

may i use low fat milk instead of whipping cream

Hi, I am going to try these potatoes; they look yummy! Could you please tell me what powdered parmesan cheese is? Thank you.

Powdered, or grated parmesan, is parmesan cheese that has been dried and ground into a more granular state. Moisture is sometimes removed from it after it has been grated. Additives and or filters are also sometimes added to it, so be sure to check the labels. Look for 100% grated parmesan. It is used in this recipe as the smaller granules permeate the whole dish and also help to thicken the sauce. Cheers!

These turned out incredibly well. I dream of having an entire pan just to myself!

I've been asked to bring these potatoes to New Year's dinner again. "And maybe you could make enough so there's leftovers for breakfast the next day?" Is there better testimony than that?

At what temperature do i reheat the potatoes? And for how long?

They can really be reheated at almost any temperature. I would reheat them at around 325F and just reheat them until they are hot all the way through. For food safety reasons, it's best to check the internal temperature, it should reach 165F. How long this will take, while depend on your oven, the temperature you have it set to and how many potatoes you are reheating. Cheers!

I don't like milk and cream, can you use a liquid stock instead? Thank you.

Without milk or cream you will get a different result but it can still be done. This would give you what is called Potato Gratin Boulanger - here is one recipe I found but there are several more. Cheers!

Hi, i'm planning cook this dish. What main dishes would you suggest to go with it?

There are many entrees that would go well with gratin potatoes. Braised dishes such as braised chicken or beef are a good starting point. Then again, something like a roasted prime rib or even panfried steaks, chicken or pork would be well suited to gratin potatoes. Cheers!

Is this recipe suitable to freeze? I am a working mom and usually cook the full week's meals on a weekend and freeze.

We have never actually tired freezing these potatoes. I would say that due to the fat content in the cheese/cream and the water in the potatoes, that it may not freeze that well. The potatoes may become water logged during defrosting and the cheese/cream could split when reheating. All that being said, you could always give it a try and see how it goes. I am sure the taste would still be good. I know my mom used to freeze almost everything and we never complained :)

Gently press on the potatoes to fan them out until the potatoes are at a about a 45 degree angle. I'm not sure I get this - can you elaborate?

Hi Terry. Thanks for your question. This recipe is pretty forgiving but what we mean is to overlap your potato slices so that they are not stacked directly on top pf each other. As you "fan" the potatoes, you create space for the cream to weave its way into the crevices and bake the potatoes evenly. The angle of the "fan" is not important. Enjoy, this recipe ...it is delicious. Lauren

hi what is the difference between gratin and dauphinoise potatoes?

Hi Bilbo! Great question. Gratin Dauphinoise is from the Dauphine region of France. Gratin Dauphinoise is a type of Gratin. There are some variations if you research both recipes but this link describes the differences well. https://www.foodnetwork.ca/holidays/blog/the-delicious-difference-between-potatoes-au-gratin-and-dauphinoise/ Lauren

Hi there, I noticed that pepper was not listed as part of the ingredients, but it was in the method (into the cream). Would it be to taste? Thanks!

Hi Tina, Thank you for pointing that out! Yes, to taste would be the suggestion, had it made it into the list. Sorry about the confusion! Cheers, Sandy

Hello. Anyone know what kind of pan is being used and what the dimensions are? It looks like one of those steam table pans you see in commercial kitchens. Thanks.