These potatoes are sooooo good; creamy, cheesy, with a hint of garlic. They are the perfect comfort food!! This recipe is the only way I get potatoes au gratin during the summer. 🙂
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 3-5 hoursIngredients
6 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
8 oz cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (skim is fine)
chopped garlic (optional, but recommended)
salt (not optional)
Directions
1. Wash, peel, and slice your potatoes. You want them about a medium thickness. (I ran them through my food processor.)
2. Grease your slow cooker. I used 2 Tbsp of extra butter, but pan spray would work just fine as long as you really coat the pot.
3. Add one layer of potatoes and salt them. You can use regular table salt, Kosher salt, or even garlic salt, but do not skimp on the salt or your potatoes will be bland, bland, bland.
4. Continue layering and salting until you have used all the potato slices. (You could also add chopped onions to each layer, but my kids don’t like them. Don’t add too many, though, because they can overpower the potato flavor.)
5. When all the potatoes are in the pot, melt the 3 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan.
6. Add the flour and whisk.
7. Cook over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble up, then cook for 2 minutes whisking constantly.
8. Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until thickened. (Add 2 Tbsp chopped garlic now if you like. It’s good!!)
9. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
10. Pour over the top of the potatoes. Don’t stir the potatoes, but give them a jiggle to get some of the sauce down into the bottom of the pot.
11. Place 2 paper towels across the top of the slow cooker and put on the top.
12. Turn the pot on high and leave it for an hour. You can leave it on high for two more hours or turn it to low for 3-4 hours.
Categories: Budget, Cheese, Crock Pot, Crowd-Size, Entertaining, Kid-Friendly, Main Dish, One Dish Meal, Potatoes
Submitted by: sunshinemom on June 11, 2010
Pete says:
Tried this today and it was delish!! The high on this crockpot (used the huge one because it was handy) produced a crispy crust and edges. Part of that may have been because it was pretty spread out. Looked just like the pic, with crispy bits of gratin. Yum!! We WILL be doing this again!
On June 12, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Billie says:
Made this tonight. Was outstanding. Easy cleanup because I sprayed the crock with spray oil. Also easy clean up because I ate every living bit of gratin clinging to the sides. Will I make this again? Darn tootin’ I will. I am headed to Charleston to work tomorrow, or I’d make it again tomorrow.
On June 27, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Dede ~ wvhomecanner says:
Can one of you give me some idea of the volume of this in the Crockpot? I want to make these for my family reunion tomorrow. I have a new 5 quart pot and lots of milk to use up LOL. Wondering if tripling would work?
On July 2, 2010 at 9:25 am
Helen says:
I made this for my husband the other night and it was a total hit. I used a 3 quart…you know, “regular size”…crock pot. It got almost burned on the outside near the bottom, but that carmelized stuff was really yummy and in no way hurt the flavor or texture of the recipe. I made it for my husband, but although I have to eat low-carb, I still sneaked a spoonful…just to see how it came out 😉 and it was wonderful.
p.s. I used pre-shredded cheese and it worked fine.
On November 8, 2010 at 4:37 pm
rcatwill says:
what kind of cheese is best for this? would this go with garlicky chicken marbella? or are these potatoes too rich? they look really delicious…
On October 6, 2011 at 5:05 pm
pdbagwell says:
Well 3-1/2 years after this recipe was posted, I found it through a Google search! Boy are we ever glad I did!!!
Have already made them twice!… WITH the Yukon Gold potatoes, pre-shredded cheddar cheese, garlic powder (instead of chopped garlic), a little chopped onion, whole milk and real butter… YUM!! Cooked them using the ‘high’ for an hour, then 3 hours on ‘low’.
These are hands-down, without a doubt THE BEST au gratin’s we’ve ever had. My hubby did all the work and we had my sister to dinner… she concurs… delish!
The buttery flavor of the Yukon Gold potatoes makes all the difference! (although a friend made this recipe with regular baking potatoes, and said they were good, too.
You can’t go wrong using this recipe…. a fantastic side dish! (We’ve had them now with BBQ grilled chicken and a smoked ham)
On December 16, 2013 at 4:43 pm
grubbmichael says:
Can you double or triple this recipe?
On November 22, 2015 at 11:22 am