The best ever potatoes au gratin recipe

DoubleEgger

blasting said:

That was the first time I've seen a recipe written aggressively.

Eff U, you mf-er.  Thanks for posting - it looks delicious.

www.thugkitchen.com

You've been warned @blasting

Biggreenpharmacist

What kinda cheese did you use?

jls9595

Mine is in the oven right now, can't wait

logchief

I love Au gratin potatos and have buttermilk.  The recipe I use calls for heavy cream which is 3X more expensive than buttermilk and I'm a cheap bastard.

Thanks NOLA.

nolaegghead

Less calories too.  I used cheddar mostly and some Italian mix for the cheese.

Skiddymarker

This one works well for a 10" CI skillet and for those so inclined has actual measurements - pretty close to what Nola has posted. 

700 grams (1-1/2 pounds) russet starchy potatoes (about 4 medium)

40ml Salted butter (2-1/2 Tbs), if using unsalted butter add 2.5ml (1/2tsp) salt

45ml Flour (3Tbs)

400ml milk (1-1/2 to 2 cups) good for a 10” skillet

1 garlic clove crushed

250ml (1 cup) American sharp cheddar cheese shredded, if using Canadian cheese, use mild or medium cheddar. 

15ml Parma/Romano finely shredded (1Tbs)

Pepper and any other things you like. 

Arrange peeled and sliced potatoes in well greased pan or cast iron skillet like roof tiles, on an angle. 

In saucepan, melt butter and salt if required, stir in flour (making a roux), slowly add milk to almost boil. Add garlic and cheese. Once melted, pour over potatoes. Sprinkle more Parma/Romano on top.

Bake at 400F for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until top is golden brown. Let rest for five minutes and serve. 

Onion powder can be added to the roux or before adding the flour, sauté fresh finely chopped 1/4 small onion or 2 shallots in the butter or lay some onion 1/8” onion slices in with the taters. Add seasoning that you like. 

piney

Nola, I brought the cedar for you to make Bridget something (or use as you see fit) not to make something for Sandy. I do appreciate the thought.

Legume

I love it - grams and millilitres in a 10" skillet
cooked at Fahrenheit.

DoubleEgger

Skiddy lives close to the border 

SciAggie

Legume said:

I love it - grams and millilitres in a 10" skillet
cooked at Fahrenheit.

We live in a crazy world...Rankine would have been a more appropriate unit for temperature maybe? (I jest)

HendersonTRKing

I will try yours, @nolaegghead , but it's gonna be hard to top this one -- the evil spawn of hassleback and au gratin.  Made it Sunday and was best ever.  May try it with buttermilk in place of some of the cream . . .

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017724-cheesy-hasselback-potato-gratin

YukonRon

@nolaeggheadPotatoes au gratin are always best early in the morning after getting hammered.
I know this because. Just like revenge, best served cold, with your early morning bourbon wake up.

GATraveller

Bookmarked this for later.  Thanks for the entertainment......and recipe.

smbishop

SGH

@nolaegghead - The best potatoes ever my a$$  

HendersonTRKing

There is no try. Only do. Or something. Gruyere and double cream Gouda. 2x onion layer. Because. Assembled in time for football. Yeeeee hawwwwwww!!!

HendersonTRKing

Best ever. Beyond a doubt. Crazy, sick good. I cooked em up hard (that's how I likes em) and no joke -- best au gratin I've ever had. Was it the roux? The Buttermilk?  All that cheese?  Who cares. This is now the Platinum Standard. Thx @nolaegghead

westernbbq

nolaegghead said:

OK.  That time is now.

Peel some Russet potatoes.  Lets say 3 pounds.

Cut those MF-ers up in 1/4 inch slices.  Lay down (like a porn star) a layer on the bottom of a casserole dish.  On top of that, lay down a layer of onions, cut anyway however your heart desires.  Sheet be cooked when done so do burger rounds for all I care. 

Pile up more sliced spuds until your casserole dish is flush with taters.

In a pan, melt some butter and salt (estimate enough for the taters and onions).  Maybe 4 or 5 tablespoons of butter (you're an idiot of you add that much salt).  You can always add more. I don't give a F.  Mix in enough flour to make it almost turn into dough.  Use a whisk, or something.  Let it cook for a few minutes to get the "raw flour" flava outta it.

Secret ingredient:  Slowly add two or three cups of full-blown, non-low-fat buttermilk.  If you can't find this, just don't attempt this recipe.  Or use whole milk.

Using the whisk (or garden hoe), you should have a smooth sauce.  Don't burn it fool!

Next add about 8 to 12 ounces of delicious grated cheese.  Stir that stuff up until it's creamy and add some pepper.  You are done with the spices.  This is a simple recipe.  But you will be rewarded in the end.

Pour the thick gelatanous mixture over the taters.  Be prepared for copious amounts of smoke from your egg/oven if you have an overflow.

Cook at 400F for 1.5 hours. 

Serve.  And be a god.

I made this last nite and it was amazing

bgebrent

Cary, this the next iteration of Car Wash Mikes Ribs, rest his soul.  Love it!

Spring Chicken

Works for me because I trust your judgement in these matters.  It's on the list.

Thanks

Spring "The List Grows Faster Than My Need For Food" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

northGAcock

nolaegghead said:

@Legume - Buttermilk is stocked at my home.  I kinda "rediscovered" it a while back.  Hard to find....well, not in every grocery around here.  I like to drink a glass of it now and then.

Ranch dressing:  Use buttermilk and mayo as the base and it's INSANE.  Trust me on this.  If you want to go reduced fat, still get the whole milk buttermilk and cut down on the mayo recipe.

One of my vivid memories of my grandparents (who lived to be (92 and 93) was always having buttermilk in their fridge. I am talking the old timy glass bottle kind. Not sure if they cooked with it....but we always had a glass with each meal. For me....if you put that and bleu cheese together....for dressing....you have about hit the top. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I look forward to coming in last place....but will def make a batch of this **** soon.

Gunnar

Looks to be a new Thug Kitchen 101 released recently....but still need to try this buttermilk version.....glad to see this older post resurrected...

Spring Chicken

northGAcock said:

One of my vivid memories of my grandparents (who lived to be (92 and 93) was always having buttermilk in their fridge. I am talking the old timy glass bottle kind. Not sure if they cooked with it....but we always had a glass with each meal. For me....if you put that and bleu cheese together....for dressing....you have about hit the top. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I look forward to coming in last place....but will def make a batch of this **** soon.

Your grandparents probably made their own buttermilk and butter, possibly from their own cow.  Mine did, and that was REAL buttermilk and butter.  I noticed the difference in store-bought buttermilk later on in life.  It was a significant difference and made me wonder if the store-bought buttermilk had gone bad or something.  That's when I discovered that it was "Cultured" buttermilk.  To me, that meant deliberately soured.  So I pretty much stopped using buttermilk altogether.

Not long ago I became curious enough to research buttermilk and discovered that I could not only make my own buttermilk, but also my own butter in the process.  And I could do it easily.  And that set into motion a whole new adventure.  I even made a video of it:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e76qYYLKoMY&feature=youtu.be

And if you are interested, here's a link to how cultured buttermilk came to be.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/05/history_of_buttermilk_what_s_the_difference_between_cultured_buttermilk_and_traditional_buttermilk_.html

I doesn't cost much to try this, and I think you will come to appreciate the difference in homemade buttermilk and cultured buttermilk.

Spring "Butter And Buttermilk, Sits Together In A Pan-Just Stir It Up And You've Got Butter And Buttermilk In Your Hand" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Eggcelsior

Bump for documentation purposes

TideEggHead

 A lot of good looking pictures! I'll be subbing this in for my normal au gratin recipe (which always gets good reviews). The buttermilk is an interesting strategy the finished pics look amazing!

thetrim

nolaegghead said:

Thanks for all the kind comments.  This is from yesterday.

Not sure if I can agree with the potatoes but that rib looks straight up Bad A$$.  Nice job.  Maybe you can start a potatoes au gratin camp to make us all better! 

tikigriller

Sides are always a challenge for me.....can't wait to try this one!

SGH

@nolaegghead
Hippy, here is my version of your stolen potato recipe  
2 cups milk. 
1 cup bacon grease.
2 cups melted butter. 
Grated cheddar. 
Grated Romano. 
A whisp of Parmesan and Mozzarella. 
A single sprig of hair from a filty hippies head
Going in the oven now. 

SGH

I did some Mac & cheese similar to the above recipe as well. Turned out pretty good. 

Skrullb

Man, these look good, and much easier than my old standby twice smoked potatoes. I will be making them soon!