Cheesy au gratin potatoes with candied bacon and a creamy sauce.
Course Casserole
Cuisine American
Keyword Au Gratin potato, bacon Au Gratin Potatoes, easy Au Gratin Potatoes
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour25 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour35 minutesminutes
Servings 12
Calories 458kcal
Author Plating Pixels
Ingredients
12slicesthick cut bacon
1/3cuppacked brown sugar
1 ½teaspoonsblack pepperdivided
3tablespoonsbutter
1small white onionchopped
3clovesgarlicminced
3tablespoonsall-purpose flouror gluten-free
1cupvegetable stock
1 ½cupsevaporated milk
1teaspoonsalt
4poundsyellow Yukon Gold potatoessliced into 1/8-inch rounds
2cupsshredded cheddar cheese
½cupshredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º F. Cover a large baking sheet with foil. Place bacon, brown sugar and 1-teaspoon pepper. Mix with hands and evenly coat. Arrange bacon in single layer and bake 25–30 minutes until cooked and slightly crispy. Allow to cool and chop into small pieces.
Meanwhile: Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and cook 1–2 minutes more. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in vegetable stock, evaporated milk, salt and ½-teaspoon pepper. Cook 3–4 minutes more just until sauce simmers. Remove from heat and set aside.
Change oven temp to 400º F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of dish. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce, then sprinkle evenly with half of the cheddar cheese and all of Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with all of the candied bacon pieces. Top evenly with remaining sliced potatoes, remaining half of cream sauce, and remaining cup of cheddar cheese.
Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered 20–25 minutes more, until cheese is melted and potatoes are cooked through. Let sit 5–10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Instead of cheddar you could use another good melting cheese such as gruyere or fontina
I recommend using Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe
The au gratin can be made in advance just cover with foil and place in the fridge until you're ready to bake
Leftovers taste great and can be re-heated the next day
I don't recommend freezing this as dairy can curdle and split