Get the Recipe: Potatoes au Gratin with Brie and Caramelized Onions
Almost every year during the holidays, my Mom would loooove to make her Potatoes au Gratin. And with the holidays quickly approaching, I can’t help thinking of her. Now my Potatoes au Gratin with Brie and Caramelized Onions are certainly not her version, but there’s a part of me that thinks she would have truly loved these, if she were still here. This is comfort food at its best. They are creamy, and cheesy, and brie-y!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- a few sprigs of thyme
- fine sea salt, a sprinkle on the onions while cooking and ½ teaspoon in the milk mixture
- 8 oz. brie, I used Président® Brie for this recipe. Sliced in half on the diagonal and then thinly sliced like a pie
- 3 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk, you can also use 1 cup of half and half milk instead of 2 different types of milk, if you prefer.
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese, lightly packed and freshly grated
Equipment
- 2.5 to 3-quart Baking Dish
- Large Pot
- Medium Mix Bowl
- Cutting Board
- Chef's Knife
- Large Skillet
Instructions
Prepare the onions:
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the yellow onions and sauté until the onions become slightly golden in color, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, some leaves from one of your sprigs of thyme, and season lightly with salt. Continue sautéing (stirring often) until the onions have shrunk considerably in size and have caramelized evenly, another 20 minutes or so. The key to this is low and slow. If they begin to cook too fast, turn the heat down a bit more or get too dry, then add in a tablespoon of water. Once done, set to the side.
Prepare the potatoes:
- While the onions are cooking, peel the potatoes and add them into a large pot. Fill the pot with salted water, at least 2 inches above potatoes. Boil just until they are fork tender, about 20 minutes or so depending on their size. You don't want them real soft here because they will cook some more in the oven. Once done, drain and allow them to cool to the touch. Once they have cooled, thinly slice them, roughly ¼ inch thick.
- Arrange a rack in the center of the oven. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the heavy cream, whole milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and nutmeg together.
- Lightly grease or butter a 2.5 to 3-quart baking dish. You will need to form 4 layers of potatoes, so use what will work best for that. Transfer the first 2 layers of the sliced potatoes in the baking dish. Pour half of the milk mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle with half of the Gruyere cheese, a few slices of brie (leave most of it for the top) and half of the caramelized onions. Now, repeat this step placing the rest of the ingredients on the top layer with a little fresh thyme sprinkled on top (see the picture above).
- Place the baking dish on the center rack of oven and bake until the brie is bubbly and slightly golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool just for a few minutes. If the onions begin to crisp too quickly or too much, cover the dish lightly with aluminum foil because you don't want them to burn.
- Serve with whatever you're serving this with and enjoy!
Calories: 523kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 424mg, Potassium: 1141mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 879IU, Vitamin C: 48mg, Calcium: 370mg, Iron: 2mg