Dauphinoise gratin: melting, golden, and ready before the guests arrive
This is the side dish that pleases everyone, alongside a turkey, a capon or game. A good dauphinoise gratin means melting potatoes in a cream that thickened on its own, and a golden crust. The secret: parboil them in milk before baking. And as a bonus, it can be prepared the day before.
- 6 people, 25 min preparation
- Potatoes pre-cooked for 10 min in the milk and cream
- 1 h at 160 °C in fan mode
- Prepare the day before : ideal for Christmas Eve
Appliance and settingBaking tray, then oven at 160 °C fan
Ingredients
The star side dish of the festive season
Gratin dauphinois comes from the Dauphiné, in the French Alps, but it has long had its place on Belgian Christmas tables, alongside turkey, capon or a fine game dish. The recipe is simple: potatoes, milk, cream and garlic. Everything depends on the par-cooking and on gentle baking in the oven.
The steps
- Slice the potatoes. Peel them and dry them with a tea towel. Slice them into 3 mm rounds, using a mandoline or a knife. Above all, don't rinse them: their starch will thicken the sauce.
- Prepare the dish. Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan. Cut a garlic clove in half and rub the inside of an ovenproof dish of about 30 × 20 cm with it. Butter it generously.
- Par-cook in the milk. In a large saucepan, pour in the milk and cream. Add the second garlic clove, crushed, the thyme, 2 pinches of salt, pepper and a good grating of nutmeg. Add the potatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer on the hob at setting 7, then reduce to setting 4 and cook for 10 minutes, stirring gently with a spatula so nothing sticks.
- Pour into the dish. Remove the thyme and garlic. Transfer the potatoes and all the cream to the dish, then press down lightly with the back of the spatula so the top is nice and flat. The liquid should come just up to the level of the potatoes.
- Cook gently. Bake on shelf 2 (middle of the oven) for 1 hour. If you're adding cheese, sprinkle it on after 40 minutes.
- Check it is cooked. A knife tip should slide in with no resistance, and the top should be golden. If it's still pale, grill on fan for 3 to 4 minutes, keeping a close eye on it.
- Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving. The cream finishes thickening and the portions hold their shape better.
Appliance settings
| Step | Appliance and mode | Setting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Par-cooking in the milk | Induction hob | Setting 7, then 4 | 10 min after simmering |
| Baking the gratin | Oven, fan-assisted | 160 °C, shelf 2 | 1 h |
| Gratin cooking (variant) | Oven, conventional heat | 175 °C, shelf level 2 | 1 h to 1 h 10 |
| Brown if needed | Fan grill | 200 °C, shelf 2 or 3 | 3 to 4 min, keeping an eye on it |
| Reheating the next day | Oven, fan-assisted | 160 °C, covered for the first 15 min | 30 min |
Too hot, and the cream boils and separates: it becomes grainy and greasy. Better to use a gentle oven and allow a little more time.
Variations
- With cep or chanterelle mushrooms : fry 200 g of mushrooms in a pan and slip them between two layers of potato.
- Half celeriac : replace a third of the potatoes with thinly sliced celeriac. Very good with game.
- Lighter : lighter version with 70 cl of semi-skimmed milk and only 20 cl of cream. The gratin will be a little less creamy.
- As individual portions : in individual dishes, allow 35 to 40 minutes' baking.
Storage and advance preparation
For Christmas Eve, it's the perfect side: bake it the day before, let it cool, cover it and keep it in the fridge. It keeps like this for 2 to 3 days. Reheat it for 30 minutes at 160 °C. Meanwhile, your poultry rests under foil: the oven is free at just the right moment. Gratin dauphinois doesn't freeze well: the potato turns floury.
On Christmas Day, the oven is taken up by the turkey. So cook the gratin the day before, and reheat it while the bird rests for 20 minutes under foil: everything reaches the table hot at the same time. And choose potatoes of similar size, for even slices that cook at the same rate. To plan the whole menu, read our Christmas menu cooking timetable.
Which appliance?
A gratin needs above all an oven even, one that doesn't heat more strongly on one side than the other, and a good grill to finish.
A multifunction oven with a good grill
Even fan heat and a fan grill for the crust. Examples from our range: Bosch HBA572BW3F (pyrolytic, Air Fry tray included), Siemens HB774G2B1 (iQ700, temperature probe, up to 300 °C), Smeg SFP6401TB (pyrolytic, powerful fan grill), Hisense BI64211EPX (pyrolytic, budget price).
From 449,99 € to 1 229,99 €
A precise induction hob
To bring milk to a simmer without it boiling over or sticking, a responsive induction hob helps a lot. Example: Siemens EH631BJB6E, three zones with booster and 17 power levels.
609,99 €
An induction cooker
The Beko FBE68314MXC combines a three-zone induction hob and a 72-litre multifunction oven.
699,99 €
Public prices noted on 15 October 2026: the product page is definitive, and Nimesclub members often get a reduced price.
Ovens and hobs for your gratins, in store
BOSCH HBA572BW3F Built-in Oven€829.00
SIEMENS HB774G2B1 Built-in Oven€1,229.00
Built-in oven HISENSE BI64211EPX€449.00
Built-in oven SMEG SFP6401TB€699.00
Induction Hob SIEMENS EH631BJB6E€609.00
Cooker BEKO FBE68314MXC€699.00Gratin goes wonderfully with a stuffed turkey with chestnuts or a fillet of roe deer. And to understand every symbol on your oven, read our guide to oven functions.
Frequently asked questions
Should you rinse potatoes after cutting them?
No. It's the starch in the potatoes that thickens the cream. If you rinse them, the sauce stays runny. Peel them, pat them dry, then cut them without rinsing them under the tap.
Gratin dauphinois with or without cheese?
The traditional recipe has no cheese: it's the cream that browns. But a little Gruyère on top never did anyone any harm, especially for the children. It's a matter of taste.
Can it be made the day before Christmas?
Yes, it's even better. Cook it fully, let it cool, cover it and keep it in the fridge. On the day, reheat it for 30 minutes at 160 °C in fan mode, covered with foil for the first 15 minutes.
The right oven makes all the difference
Steam ovens, pyrolytic ovens, induction hobs: come and see them at our Temploux store, or ask our expert salesperson for advice.
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