Potato Gratin (German Kartoffelgratin)

By
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.
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Updated on 12/3/21
Potato Gratin (German Kartoffelgratin)

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 90 mins
Total: 110 mins
Servings: 8 servings

If you have ever eagerly anticipated the potato gratin at a restaurant or a friend's house only to be confronted with an angry mass of gray, underdone potatoes, this is a recipe for you. We potato gratin lovers have to band together to teach the world about the true meaning of potatoes cooked in cream and salt. They have to bake for over an hour, the cream must be abundant, the potatoes must be layered semi-vertically and staggered, and fresh herbs and pepper only, please.

This recipe can be scaled up or down if needed.

Ingredients

  • 6 pounds potatoes, Russet or Yukon Gold 

  • 2 to 3 cups heavy cream

  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

  • 1 to 2 cups (4 to 8 ounces) grated cheese, such as Emmentaler or Gruyère

  • Marjoram, or other herbs, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Potato Gratin (German Kartoffelgratin) ingredients

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan.

    buttered baking pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  3. Peel the potatoes and slice by hand 1/8-inch thick. (Do not do this in the food processor, since they slice too thin.)

    peeled and sliced potatoes on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  4. Line up the potatoes in rows across the back of the pan, not flat in the bottom. They should sit reclining and the rows should be staggered, like at a movie theater. Alternate slices of different potatoes in the same row, and make sure each slice has been separated from its sister slice (make sure all slices have broken contact with each other, otherwise they cannot absorb the cream).

    potatoes in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  5. When the pan is getting full, you can push the rows back to a vertical position and fit more potatoes into the pan.

    potatoes in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  6. Fill the pan one-half to two-thirds with cream, pouring over the potatoes. Salt (I start with 1 teaspoon) and pepper. You might want to sprinkle a little marjoram on it, fresh or dried, too.

    cream and spices added to the potatoes in the baking pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  7. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour, then sprinkle the cheese on top and bake until the potatoes are very tender when poked with a fork.

    Potato Gratin (German Kartoffelgratin) in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Tips

  • The baking time varies with the type of potato, the elevation where you live and how hot your oven really is. It has always taken about 90 minutes for me, yet so many cookbooks say 45 minutes, it burns me up.
  • ​This is not a low-fat food, but it does not work very well with milk, so maybe you will make it once or twice a year as a special treat. You may also leave off the cheese if you want.
  • You may cover the casserole with foil in the middle of the baking time if it is becoming too brown. Remove it before you add the cheese.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
452 Calories
41g Fat
11g Carbs
11g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 452
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 41g 53%
Saturated Fat 26g 129%
Cholesterol 128mg 43%
Sodium 372mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 4mg 21%
Calcium 317mg 24%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 314mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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