Creamy, cheesy, gooey, and delicious is the best description of this recipe. With only five main ingredients, it’s effortless to make this potato artichoke gratin recipe. It works great as a side dish, but add a little diced ham, and you could easily have a main course in one baking dish. The addition of artichokes adds excellent flavor.

So, what is the difference between scalloped, au gratin, and gratin potatoes? Scalloped is much more straightforward; it’s a potato cooked in a cream sauce, and that’s it. Au gratin potatoes are more decadent; they are made with lots of cheese in layers between the potatoes. A gratin is made with a cream sauce but topped with cheese and sometimes bread crumbs.

What You Need For The Potato Artichoke Gratin Recipe

The Potato Artichoke Gratin recipe only has five main ingredients, so it’s simple to make. A few kitchen tools come in handy; a food processor works great for creating thin slices of potatoes, but a mandolin or a sharp knife works just as well.

The ingredient list:

Half & Half — this forms the base of the gratin. You could use heavy cream for a creamier, more decadent dish (or a whole milk and cream mixture).
Potatoes: The best potato for this recipe is Yukon gold. Make sure you make your potato slices thin, around 1/8 inch slices.
Artichoke Hearts: Here, you can use a package of frozen artichoke hearts or canned, whichever is easiest. Fresh artichokes could be used, but it will be more work to remove the outer leaves, and you will need to cook them longer.
Thyme Leaves — Either fresh or dried works well in the recipe. If you use dried, remember the ratio is 1:3. So if you use dried, add one teaspoon of thyme in place of the one tablespoon fresh.
Cheese: Gruyere is the cheese of choice for this recipe. Cheese is what makes a gratin a gratin. Gruyere cheese is a wonderful melting cheese with a subtle sweetness and pleasant flavor.

Step-By-Step How-To Guide

Step 1: Bring the half and half, thyme, kosher salt, and black pepper to a simmer in a large pan over medium heat.
Step 2: Using a food processor, thinly slice the potatoes. Immediately place the sliced potatoes into the simmering milk mixture. The potatoes should have enough milk to cook them but not swim in the liquid. Cook for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Add the artichokes to the pan and return to a simmer. Pour the entire potato mixture into a 9×13 prepared baking dish. Top with an even layer of shredded cheese.
Step 4: Bake at 375° until the top is golden brown and the cheese is melted. About 45-55 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Tips For Success

Tip 1 — If you don’t love artichokes, this recipe is just as delicious without them.

Tip 2 — Test your potatoes before adding the artichokes; they should be starting to soften. With any gratin, the hardest part is getting the potatoes to cook thoroughly. So, if that process has started on the stovetop, it will ensure a properly cooked potato in the end.

Tip 3 — Put a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil under the baking dish in the oven. These sometimes tend to run over, and that keeps the oven clean.

Tip 4 — Get adventurous with this recipe. Try a little parmesan cheese in the mixture.

Tip 5 — If you slice the potatoes but aren’t ready to add to the milk mixture, be sure to put the slices into cold water to prevent them from turning black.

For more casserole recipes, check out my A New Take On Top Classic Winter Casserole Recipe s.