Rosemary Potatoes au Gratin (2024)

Your holiday table needs these potatoes au gratin infused with delicious rosemary flavour and made even creamier with Comte cheese!

For different takes on a gratin recipe, try my Cauliflower Gratin or Butternut Squash Casserole!

If I had my way I would eat potatoes every day! I am such a meat and potato lover. That is especially true when it comes to a holiday dinner, when potatoes are a non-negotiable item.

These rosemary potatoes au gratin are like a warm blanket on a rainy day. I want to crawl right in there and never leave. NEVER!!

Even though they are fairly decadent, I make creamy potatoes au gratin a few times a year. They are always massively popular with the family, especially this version with aromatic rosemary and sharp Comté cheese!

How to add more flavour

To impart more flavour into my scalloped potatoes, I infused the heavy cream they are cooked in with fresh rosemary, fresh bay leaf and garlic. And let me tell you, that extra teeny tiny step made a world of a difference!

Please don’t skip it because it will give your regular potatoes an oomph they always longed for.

I also topped them with sharp French Comté cheese, which I absolutely love. But any sharp cheese such as extra mature cheddar or gruyere will do the trick.

What potatoes should I use?

It depends on what you like. If you like firmer slices that keep their shape like I do, then go for waxy varieties like the red ones in the photo below.

But if you like your potatoes falling apart and blending into the sauce, then floury potato varieties like Maris Piper in the UK or Idaho and Russet in the US are for you.

How to serve

Rosemary potatoes au gratin are a substantial side dish that should be served with a hearty piece of meat. I think that it goes particularly well with ham. I recommend blackcurrant compote glazed ham as a fantastic choice, or pork roast with warm persimmon sauce.

It will work with pretty much any roast, such as rosemary and thyme roast chicken or roast leg of lamb.

Because potatoes au gratin are a slightly indulgent side dish, my preference is to serve them as part of a holiday table. So whether a roast turkey at thanksgiving or honey mustard crusted prime rib roast for Christmas, this is the side to choose!

Recipe tips and tricks

• In order for creamy potato gratin to cook well, the potatoes have to be sliced thinly and evenly, which is a bit of a chore. Using a mandolin or food processor will make this much easier and faster.
• Some cooks insist that only starchy/floury potatoes work for this recipe but I disagree. The argument is that the starch in the potatoes helps to thicken the sauce and it does. However, as long as they are cooked in herb infused heavy cream and not milk, the sauce will not be watery.
• I used Comté cheese because it’s a personal favourite. Other sharp cheese will work, such as gruyere, Emmental, and aged cheddar.
• The rosemary in the cream sauce can be replaced with other flavourings such as thyme or bay leaf.

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