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When it comes to potato dishes, this Cheesy Hasselback Potato Au Gratin is everything.
If thereโs one ingredient thatโs universally loved, itโs got to be potatoes. You donโt often meet many people who dislike potatoes. In fact, I have a couple of potato recipes on HBH that are up there in the top ten most popular recipes (Iโm talking about these potato stacks and these mashed potatoes).
I think itโs safe to say that in general, people love potatoes, my family and I included. With every holiday meal, potatoes are almost always a side dish, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know Iโve said this over and over now but, every Christmas Eve I always cook a roasted beef tenderloin for my family. This is something my parents have done since I can remember, so Iโm just carrying on the tradition. Since the main course is always the same on Christmas Eve, I love to have fun with the sides and switch things up every year.
That said, potatoes, without a doubt, have got to be on the table or my brothers will lose it. This is where these cheesy hasselback potatoes come in.
You guys. I know I say this often, but Oh. My. Gosh.
These potatoes are legit the best thing ever. Crispy, creamy, soft, cheesy, and a little salty. Literally every bite is perfect.
Hereโs the story.
I love a good potato au gratin, but for whatever reason every single time I try to make them at home the potatoes just never get soft and I have to keep adding cream to the dish to keep them from drying out. In the end, I end up with way too rich of a potato casserole, and yes, the potatoes are still somewhat hard. I honestly do not know what the deal is. Clearly itโs a recipe I need to do some problem solving with, but since I didnโt feel like problem solving I tried my hand at baby hasselback potatoes, and you know what? Iโm not really sure I ever need to go back to making potatoes any other way, because like I said, these are everything.
Best part? They are SO freaking easy to make. So easy.
I know that slicing the baby potatoes might seem like a tedious task, but to my surprise it really takes no time at all, and I actually found it kind of relaxing slicing the little potatoes one by one. Is that weird?
Yeah, thatโs weird, but whatever.
Anyway, once the potatoes are sliced, itโs really just a matter of roasting them, mixing up some cream, herbs, and cheese, adding the cream mix to the potatoes, baking some more, and then eating. Thereโs no stove-top involvement and everything is done in one baking dish, even the mixing.
You see? Easy.
Iโve now made these a few times in the last week and I swear I love them more each time. I like to add a little blue cheese to the cream mixture for extra flavorโฆitโs delicious.
Also, you can prepare this dish in advance through step two. Once the potatoes are roasted, add the cream, let the dish cool, then place in the fridge until ready to finish cooking. When ready to cook, Iโd tack on an extra five to ten minutes of cooking time since the potatoes will be cold.
Trust me, these will be the star of your holiday dinner. Everyone loves a cheesy potato.
Cheesy Hasselback Potato Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 3 pounds baby potatoes, I like using a medium size
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups heavy cream or whole milk
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 cup grated manchego cheese
- 1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons butter, thinly sliced
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 2. Carefully slice the potatoes into thin slices, leaving a 1/8 inch at the bottom, be careful not to slice all the way through the potato. Place In a 9x13 inch baking dish and gently toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cream, garlic, cheese, thyme, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. 3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and pour the cream over them, arrange the potatoes in a mostly even layer. Place the slices of butter around the potatoes. Return to the oven and roast for another 20-25 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the potatoes are tender. Season with flaky salt just before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
PS. Baby hasselback potatoes are the cutest.
Guests coming at 5 for ribs. What time should I make?
Hi Stefanie,
I would say it depends when you are planning to serve dinner. You could do steps 1-2 earlier and then finish the dish when you are ready to serve.
I hope this helps!
Is there another type of cheese that you would recommend besides manchego?
Hi Ashley,
Parmesan, gouda, or asiago would also be great options for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Hello! I love the concept of this recipe, and tried a test run of it tonight before Thanksgiving. The potatoes were cooked well, but I had issues with my sauce. I think it kind of split? I couldn’t get it to be thick and creamy – it was more lumpy and watery. And also, it was difficult to get the sauce to stick to the potatoes – I used a 9×13 baking sheet. Any comments would be welcomed. Thank you!
Hi Ella,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so sorry to hear you had some issues! It’s really key to use heavy cream and make sure to use a good quality cream. The cream shouldnโt separate. I hope this helps for next time! Happy Holidays! xx
Hello! Iโm getting ready to make these for thanksgiving, and Iโm confused by the prep ahead note. If I work to the end of step two, let cool, then refrigerate – do I add the cream or not? Thanks!
Hi Ellie,
You will wait to add the cream:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe is delish! xx
Could you freeze these ahead?
Hey Shelly,
Sure, that would be okay for you to do. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Do you think I could sub coconut milk for whole milk and do all sheep cheese for a dairy free option? Be honest – or will that be a flop.
Hey Andrea,
I have not tried this, but I think it could work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Hi! Can you take those ingredients (cheese, etc) and top the Hasselback potatoes with a homemade bechemel sauce?
Hey Patricia,
Sure, that would be great! xTieghan
How would you recommend making these ahead and freezing them? Would I cook them for the initial 30 minutes, then let cool, then freeze? And then cook from frozen once I need them?
Hey Jocelyn,
You bet, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe! xT
YOU GUYS. If you are debating whether you should make this or not – debate no longer and DO IT because this recipe is insane. I rarely cook really rich recipes but this was a Christmas treat and it was insane. I also added bacon because f*ck it, it’s the holidays right?
Hey Reba,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a go, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Really wonderful dish! Made this as a side dish for Christmas dinner and was a huge hit! Followed the recipe and it was absolutely fantastic. Broiled the potatoes for 2 minutes to get the tops crispy at the end and was absolutely perfect.
Love that! Thank you for trying this Brittany! Merry Christmas! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I made this recipe last night for a group of friends and the sauce never thickened. It became watery and separated, do you have any recommendations for how to fix this?
Aside from the sauce, the potatoes were cooked perfectly ๐ Thanks!!
Hey Kendall! Did you use heavy cream or whole milk? If you used all whole milk I would try using all heavy cream or half cream and half milk. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Glad you loved this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I feel like this recipe was just a little lack luster
Hi Moe! I am sorry to hear that! Are there any questions I could help you with? xTieghan
I’m not sure what went wrong with this dish, but after an hour of cooking the potatoes were still raw. I followed the recipe and refrigerated them after the first 30 minutes of cooking, so maybe that was part of it? There really wasn’t much creamy sauce either, potentially because I kept trying to cook the potatoes but the sauce cooked away. I probably won’t be making these again (they were a proper embarrassment at the table) but if I did I probably wouldn’t refrigerate them in between, and I would cook them for longer, add more cream, and cover them with foil.
Hi there! I think it was the refrigeration step, is there a reason you did that? My guess is that the potatoes soaked up the cream in the fridge. I recommend cooking all the way through as directed. Hope this helps! sorry for any trouble!
Will make these for sure. I love your blog and the way you present your food! Everything looks so appetizing!!
Thank you so much Joyce!