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Loaded Au Gratin Potatoes

I received a mandoline slicer for my birthday one year. It was something I’d wanted for a while to prep potatoes, zucchini, and Brussels sprouts. I made a classic au gratin potato recipe for the first time when my husband and I had our first Christmas at home alone together. Before I opened my birthday gift, the idea of slicing all those potatoes was daunting. As soon as I opened the gift, I knew Christmas dinner would be so much easier.

This classic, cheesy recipe turned out great on Christmas day, but since I now had a mandoline and could slice potatoes to my heart’s content, I came up with this loaded au gratin version with bacon, sour cream, and green onions.

You can absolutely skip the extras and this makes a delicious classic, cheesy version. Totally up to you!

Loaded Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe

8 slices bacon – cooked and chopped fine (6 for the potatoes, 2 for topping)
5 russet potatoes – peeled and sliced thin
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 oz. shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
Black pepper
Green onions for garnish

Get your bacon cooked and cooled. I bake mine at 400-degrees for 15-20 minutes until it’s crispy. Chop into little pieces and set aside. Bake it on a wire rack to keep cleanup super easy!

baked-bacon

Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees for the potatoes.

To start, you’ll get your potatoes peeled and sliced. You can use a knife to slice them pretty thin, but they may need to cook a little longer as they’ll likely be thicker than mandoline sliced potatoes.

sliced-potato

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat until it starts to bubble. Add your flour and garlic.

roux-ingredients

roux

Cook until the entire mixture is bubbly and just starts to turn a pale brown.

Pour in your milk while whisking and then stir pretty frequently for about 10 minutes until you have a thick sauce.

Add your cheeses, sour cream, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and stir until the cheese melts and you have a creamy sauce.

cheese-sauce-ingredients

loaded-cheese-sauce

Take half of your sliced potatoes and create a layer on the bottom of your pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, 3 slices of chopped bacon, and then drizzle half of your cheese sauce on top.

potatoes-bacon

au-gratin-potatoes-cheese-sauce

Layer the rest of the potatoes on and then cover with 3 more slices of chopped bacon (reserving 2 slices to chop for the top) and cheese sauce. I set aside a little additional bacon for garnish at the end, but that’s optional.

au-gratin-potatoes-recipe

Bake for 45 minutes at 400-degrees covered with foil. After 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly and you can slide a knife or fork through the potatoes easily.

au-gratin-potatoes

Finish with some thinly sliced green onions and enjoy!

cheesy-loaded-au-gratin-potatoes

loaded-au-gratin-potatoes

Do you prefer the classic au gratin recipe or the loaded version? Let me know in the comments!


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