This potato bake recipe is the side that disappears first. Thin slices of potato baked in garlicky cream until they’re soft all the way through, with a cheesy golden crust on top. With roast chicken, a Sunday lamb or the Christmas ham, it just works.
It feeds 6 to 8 as a side. The only real job is slicing the potatoes, and a mandoline makes that quick if you’ve got one.
Table of Contents
Which potatoes to use
| Potato | Result |
|---|---|
| Dutch cream | The best. Buttery, creamy, holds its layers |
| Desiree | Great all-rounder, easy to find |
| Sebago (brushed) | Softer and fluffier, a bit more likely to fall apart |
| Kipfler or new potatoes | Too waxy and fiddly to slice. Skip them |
Thin slices, no rinsing
Slice the potatoes about 3 mm thick, roughly the thickness of a $1 coin. Thicker than that and the middle stays hard while the top burns.
Don’t rinse them after slicing. The starch on the outside is what thickens the cream as it bakes. Rinse it off and you end up with a watery bake.
It’s basically an Aussie take on a French gratin. Covered with foil first so the potatoes steam soft, then uncovered so the cheese goes crisp and golden.
Creamy Potato Bake
Course: Side, DinnerCuisine: AustralianDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcal1
hour10
minutesThinly sliced potatoes and onion baked in garlic cream and topped with cheddar and parmesan until soft inside and golden on top. Serves 6 to 8 as a side.
Ingredients
1.5 kg Dutch cream or desiree potatoes, peeled
1 brown onion, very thinly sliced
300 ml thickened cream
1/2 cup full-cream milk
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper
1 cup grated cheddar
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
20 g butter, for greasing
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius fan-forced. Butter a 2.5 litre baking dish, about 20 x 30 cm.
- Warm the cream, milk, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper in a small saucepan until just steaming. Take it off the heat.
- Slice the potatoes about 3 mm thick. Don’t rinse them.
- Layer a third of the potatoes in the dish, overlapping them slightly. Scatter over half the onion and a third of the cheddar. Repeat, then finish with a final layer of potato.
- Pour the warm cream over the top, pressing the potatoes down so they’re mostly covered.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil, scatter over the rest of the cheddar and the parmesan, and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and a knife slides through easily.
- Rest for 10 minutes before serving so the cream sets a little.
Notes
- Slice thin and even: about 3 mm, so every layer cooks at the same rate.
- Don’t rinse: the potato starch helps thicken the sauce.
- Warm the cream: it gets the bake going faster and cooks more evenly.
- Rest it: 10 minutes out of the oven makes it much easier to serve.
Potato bake troubleshooting
Still hard in the middle.
The slices were too thick, or the foil wasn’t tight. Cover it again and give it another 15 minutes.
Watery.
The potatoes were rinsed, or it was cut too soon. Don’t rinse, and let it rest 10 minutes.
The cream split and looks curdled.
Milk on its own or light cream can split in the oven. Thickened cream is much more forgiving.
Top’s too dark but the inside isn’t done.
Put the foil back on. You can always uncover it for the last 10 minutes.
Easy add-ins
- Bacon: fry 4 diced rashers and scatter between the layers.
- Sweet potato: swap half the potatoes for sweet potato. It cooks a little quicker.
- French onion style: stir a packet of French onion soup mix into the cream instead of the salt. Old school, and people love it.
- Extra cheesy: use gruyere instead of some of the cheddar.
Make ahead and leftovers
Bake it fully the day before, cool it, cover and keep it in the fridge. On the day, reheat it covered at 170°C for about 30 minutes, then uncover for 10 to crisp the top up again. It actually slices more neatly this way.
Leftovers keep for 3 days in the fridge. You can freeze portions for up to 2 months, but the texture goes a little softer.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best potatoes for a potato bake recipe?
Dutch cream or desiree. They’re creamy and hold their shape. Sebago works but goes softer.
Do I need to boil the potatoes first?
No. Thin raw slices cook through in the cream as long as they’re covered with foil for the first 45 minutes.
Can I make potato bake the day before?
Yes. Bake it fully, cool and refrigerate. Reheat covered at 170 degrees for about 30 minutes, then uncover for 10.
Can I use milk instead of cream?
You can use half milk and half cream, but all milk tends to split and go watery in the oven.
How do I know when it’s done?
A knife should slide through the middle with no resistance, and the top should be golden and bubbling.
Slice thin, don’t rinse, cover then uncover. That’s this potato bake recipe in a nutshell, and it never lets you down.
Happy cooking,
Ella x
