If you’re looking for a delicious potato side dish to impress guests with this holiday season, look no further. These creamy garlic parmesan potatoes are it. They’re quick and easy to prepare (see the video at the end of the post), but ‘oh so posh’!
A part of me wasn’t sure whether or not to recommend these potatoes to you or not. Because to be honest once you’ve made them for the first time, you’ll want to have them ALL THE TIME.
And I wasn’t sure I wanted to be responsible for that.
Just don’t say I didn’t warn you!
The problem is, these have got to be just about the tastiest potatoes you could ever make. And no wonder – potatoes, garlic, cream, and cheese. How could that combo of ingredients NOT taste sublime?
The other ‘problem’ (imagine air quotes) is that they are just so darn easy to make. Simmer sliced potatoes in a mixture of milk, cream, garlic and thyme, then pour into a baking dish and bake.
Finito. Heaven on a plate.
And as a big added bonus, these potatoes are just so classy. I’ve had them multiple times at restaurants, as a side dish, and they always seem posh. They go particularly well with a slow-cooked meat with a rich gravy, like lamb shanks. Or even just with a plain old roast chicken and gravy, which is what I served them with this past weekend.
Throw on a vegetable (sautéed green beans work well) and you’ve got yourself a perfect posh meal… and without too much effort at all.
I reckon these potatoes would go down a treat at your next Thanksgiving or Christmas table. Or for any special occasion, really. Even for your next ‘regular’ family Sunday lunch.
Just to prove to you how easy they are to make, I made you a little video. Hope you like it!
Creamy garlic parmesan potatoes (dauphinoise potatoes)
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup double cream
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- a good grating of nutmeg optional
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme plus a bit more for sprinkling
- 1 pound potatoes thinly sliced (about 3mm thick)
- 1/2 a large onion or 1 smaller one, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
- 4 ounces grated cheese
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180C / 355F and butter a medium-sized baking dish.
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Place the cream, milk, garlic, nutmeg (if using) and thyme in a medium saucepan and heat to a simmer. Add the potato and onion slices, put a lid on the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender. Give them a good stir after half the cooking time.
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Remove the thyme sprigs, then tip half of the potato mixture into the baking dish. Grind over plenty of salt and pepper and sprinkle over about a third of the cheese.
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Tip the rest of the potato mixture and cream/milk into the dish, smoothing out the top a little, then sprinkle over the rest of the cheese. Grind over a bit more pepper (if you like), then sprinkle over a little more fresh thyme.
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Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Recipe Notes
You can assemble this dish ahead of time, and cook later. Just assemble to the end of step 4, then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Leftovers reheat pretty well, either in the oven or microwave.
I”m one of those people that can eat a side of potatoes as a meal and this is one of those dishes. Perfect comfort food.
Poor Mr. Scrummy thought this was all we were having for dinner when I made it for the blog! His face fell, but to be honest I could easily have eaten it by itself!
Helen, you sure are spot on – after watching that video and reading your post, I want to have these potatoes ALL THE TIME too! This is such a posh recipe indeed and so so scrumptious! By the way – AWESOME video!!!
Thanks, Shashi… working on the video skills. The next one will be better!
Lol! You crack me up – thanks for the warning 😛 Just the pictures alone, I can tell these potatoes are just ridiculous! Throw in the smell and taste and I know I would be in danger of eating the entire dish! This is so perfect for Thanksgiving!
It’s a pleasure, Kathleen 😉
Tu as raison, ce plat est un piégè, une fois qu’on la testé on ne peut pas s’arrête de le faire. D’ailleurs, je le fais souvent, ta version est très gourmande !
Tu as raison, Eva… ce plat est un vrai piege!
I live in Greece & we don’t have Double Cream here…..just that awful UHT stuff in a carton!
There are two different kinds though, Cream or Whipping Cream.
Which do you think would be better?
Oh hi Linda! Guess what?! I used to live in Greece, too! In Athens… For many years… I really miss it, especially the food of course!
So I remember the horrible cream situation. I’m trying really hard to remember what kind of cream I used to buy instead of double cream, and I think it was the whipping cream. Just as long as it isn’t a low fat cream, I think you’ll be fine. It’s mostly the starch in the potatoes and the cheese that thickens the sauce anyway!
Would love to hear how you get on. Good luck!
Thanks for the quick reply Helen. Will try it with the whipping cream when the weather gets cooler & let you know the result.
Still cooking summery stuff at the moment!
I used to love how long the Greek summer lasted. Generally I found though that the weather had turned by the beginning of November. So maybe the potatoes aren’t too far in your future!!!