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An easy potato gratin made with vegetable stock and sharp cheese makes the perfect comfort food.
By Erin Mahoney
There’s just not much better than this. Warm, gooey potatoes, oozing with cheese? You guys, come on. This is the ultimate comfort food.
You can make a Potato Gratin with pretty much any variety of cheese, but I love a dry, crumbly cheese like Hirten to offset the mild potato flavor. It’s sharp, with a nice little bite that just works.
So, so good.
A traditional Gratin might be made with a cream base, but I love this recipes use of vegetable stock. It just takes the flavor to a new level, which is completely unexpected and really quite pleasant.
And, apparently cooking with delicious Swedish cheese makes me say things like “quite pleasant.”
Now, don’t be intimidated by this dish, it’s a very easy recipe. After peeling and slicing the potatoes, it’s just a matter of layering the ingredients. While it’s baking, the potatoes absorb all of the flavors, the cheese melts and the top kind of bubbles and forms a crispy crust.
When it comes out of the oven, don’t burn your fingers trying to sneak a taste of that crispy crust. Don’t be like me.
This makes the perfect side dish for chicken and fish dishes. On a day like today, an unseasonably cool and rainy July day, it’s sure to warm you up.
Potato Gratin with Hirten Cheese
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 12
Description
An easy potato gratin made with vegetable stock and sharp cheese makes the perfect comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic, halved
- 1 and 1/4 cups (300 mL) grated, hard cheese (such as Hirten)
- 3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) white pepper
- 7 medium/large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups (375 mL) vegetable stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
- Rub the sides and bottom of 9 x 9-inch baking dish with cut side of garlic; discard garlic.
- Spray dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In small bowl, combine cheese, salt, nutmeg and pepper.
- Using mandolin or slicer attachment on food processor, very thinly slice potatoes.
- Arrange one-third in overlapping layers in dish.
- Dot with one-third of the butter; sprinkle with one-third of the cheese mixture.
- Repeat layers once.
- Arrange remaining potatoes over top, pressing lightly.
- In microwaveable liquid measure, microwave stock at high for 2 minutes or until hot; pour evenly over potatoes.
- Dot with remaining butter; sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.
- Cover with foil; bake for 1 hour.
- Uncover and continue to bake until tender and knife inserted in bottom pierces potatoes easily, about 45 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Category: Side dish
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 230
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Raclette Potatoes au Gratin
- Fennel and Sweet Potato Gratin
- Provolone Potatoes au Gratin
- Tartiflette au Reblochon: The French Alpine Potato Gratin
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hirten cheese, and what can I use if I can’t find it?
Hirten is a dry, crumbly, sharp Swedish cheese — it has “a nice little bite that just works” against the mild potato. Any dry, sharp hard cheese such as aged Gruyère, sharp cheddar, or Pecorino Romano makes a good substitute in the same 1¼-cup quantity.
Why does this recipe use vegetable stock instead of cream?
I know a traditional Gratin might be made with a cream base, but I love using vegetable stock here. It just takes the flavor to a new level — completely unexpected and really quite pleasant. Pour the 1½ cups of stock hot over the layers before baking.
How do I get even, paper-thin potato slices?
Use a mandolin or the slicer attachment on a food processor to slice the 7 Yukon Gold potatoes “very thinly.” Uniform slices are important so all layers cook evenly through the 1-hour covered bake plus the subsequent 45-minute uncovered bake.
