Learn how to make a delicious and creamy Treasure Cave Blue Cheese potato gratin casserole with these easy step-by-step instructions. This classic French dish is simple to make but will impress your dinner guests with its rich decadent flavor!
I’ve teamed up with Treasure Cave for the next few months!
Treasure Cave got a new makeover! Blue cheese can totally be polarizing, amiright? But over here, we love it!! My dad and Father in law both are obsessed so I’ve learned that I’d better have new and fun recipes to serve just whenever either come into town. You’ll notice there’s new packaging and the flavor is just as wonderful and funky as ever!
Made with thinly sliced potatoes, cream, two kinds of cheese, onions, roasted garlic and fresh herbs. It’s a side dish you won’t be able to get enough of!
I actually used to hate blue cheese. Treasure Cave Cheese is literally the brand that sold me on it. Its flavor was totally different than other blue cheeses and gorgonzola I’d tried. So, when I got an email about partnering together, it was an immediate yes. Not because of all the blue cheese lovers out there, but because I am convinced that I can convert the haters.
Trying Treasure Cave Cheese will literally be a turning point for everyone out there that avoids blue or gorgonzola cheese. With this potato recipe, I’m aiming to take the peculiar flavor of blue cheese and incorporate it into a unique and outrageously flavorful dish. Over the next few months I’m going to give you three recipes that will change any blue cheese hater to a blue cheese lover. Stay tuned.
Utah Cuisine
If you asked anyone outside of Utah what typical Utah cuisine is, my guess is that they wouldn’t have a clue. Heck, if you asked people living in Utah, they might have no clue too, but there are a few dishes Utah is famous for…funeral potatoes, casseroles and Jell-O.
So I thought, let’s make a blue cheese spin on funeral potatoes and make it into a potato casserole! Everyone loves a side of potato casserole! It’s so comforting and indulgent! You won’t believe the extra depth of flavor adding Treasure Cave Blue Cheese gives to this recipe! I went ahead and didn’t include Jell-O…you’re welcome!
Ingredients for Blue Cheese Potato Gratin
I mentioned that I was once a blue cheese hater, but I’ve come to learn that in potatoes, in a dip, or anywhere it’s hidden, I can see that it adds a layer of flavor that wouldn’t be there without it. There’s an acid that adds such balance to recipes.
Cue the salt, fat, acid, heat section of our cookbook. Utilizing these few things (salt, fat, acid, and heat) transforms your cooking to levels you never knew you could cook at! Here is what you will need for this recipe:
- Garlic: We will roast the cloves in the oven for extra delicious flavor.
- Olive Oil: Helps to roast the garlic.
- Unsalted Butter: Helps to sauté the onions.
- Onion: Just a regular yellow onion works great and adds so much flavor!
- Heavy Cream:Â This is the fat in the culinary quartet of salt, fat, acid, heat and it adds all the creamy richness to this recipe. You can also use half and half or a combination of both.
- Salt: Adds flavor.
- Nutmeg: This might seem surprising, but trust me! It adds just a hint of flavor you never knew you were missing!
- Russet Potatoes: Wash, peel and thinly slice using a sharp knife or a mandolin.
- Treasure Cave Crumbled Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola: Make sure it’s Treasure Cave brand! Acts as the acid in our flavor profile.
- Parmesan Cheese: Buy a block of parm and freshly grate it yourself. It will make all the difference!
- Chives: Fresh chives are preferred.
- Thyme: Go with fresh thyme for sure!
Keep scrolling to the recipe card at the end of the post to see the details and measurements for each ingredient.
How to Make Treasure Cave Blue Cheese Potato Gratin
This recipe is so easy you won’t believe it! Here is a step-by-step guide to making cheesy potato gratin:
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roast Garlic: Place the garlic cloves in a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Pinch the foil closed so it’s a tight bundle around the garlic. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Sauté Onions: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat and then add the onions and cook them until they are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Combine: Squeeze the roasted garlic to the saucepan and mash the cloves with a wooden spoon. Increase the heat to medium and add the cream, salt and nutmeg and stir everything together to combine.
- Season: Add the sliced potatoes to a large bowl and toss them with salt.
- Layer: Butter a cast iron skillet or a square casserole dish and add a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses and herbs then repeat the layers 2 more times.
- Pour: Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle some black pepper over the top.
- Bake: Stick the skillet into the oven and bake for 1 hour.
- Garnish: Pull the skillet from the oven and garnish with more chives and thyme.
See! I promised it was easy, and now I’ve shown you! The complete recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can also save or print the recipe there.
What is the Difference Between Scalloped Potatoes and Au Gratin Potatoes?
This is a totally reasonable question! I mean, they look the same essentially. Thinly sliced potatoes in a creamy, cheesy sauce. The difference is in the creamy…scalloped potatoes use a roux of milk, flour and butter to make the creamy sauce. Au gratin potatoes use just cream (or half and half), butter and cheese for the sauce. Plain and simple and totally indulgent!
What Potatoes are Best?
You really want a potato that is high in starch and low in starch for this recipe. Russet potatoes are always my go-to. Try to avoid a waxy potato that is higher in moisture and lower in starch like a Yukon gold.
Tips for the Best Potatoes Au Gratin
Be sure to use Treasure Cave for your blue cheese! They are the oldest blue cheese producing company in the United States. America’s original cave-aged blue cheese was born in caves, but today, Treasure Cave’s cheeses are aged in a state-of-the-art facility in Wisconsin. I’m telling you…they just do it perfectly.
The acid from blue cheese can cause a little separation in the cream. This is expected and will still taste wonderful. Just so you don’t think something has gone wrong.
I like to reserve a little more blue cheese and parmesan for the last 15 minutes of baking. This is optional and is only for looks but it gets all golden brown and delicious on top.
Make sure the potatoes are cut to the same thickness so that they cook evenly. The easiest and quickest way to do this is to use a mandolin. It’s not necessary, but it sure will make life easier.
What to Eat with Potato Gratin
I’ve never come across a potato dish I didn’t love. Potatoes are so versatile and complimentary. You can eat them hot or cold, mashed or crispy, I just love them! They also go with just about any main dish. Here are a few of our favorites recipe to eat with these Treasure Cave blue cheese potatoes:
Storing and Reheating
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 5 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or in the oven. To use the oven, heat it to 350 degrees F and place it in the oven until bubbling in the middle. It will take about 20 minutes.
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. The texture ends up all wrong as it thaws. You also can’t really make this recipe ahead unless you can ensure that the potatoes will stay fully submerged in the cream. If they are exposed to air, they will start to oxidize and turn brown which is less than appetizing. I recommend making and baking all at the same time.
Impress your friends and family with this simple and tasty blue cheese potato gratin recipe. With just a few ingredients (emphasis on the Treasure Cave Blue Cheese!!) and easy-to-follow instructions, you’ll have a delicious side dish in no time.
More Potato Side Dishes:
Watch How to Make Blue Cheese Potato Gratin Casserole Video
Description
Learn how to make a delicious and creamy blue cheese potato gratin casserole with these easy step-by-step instructions. This classic French dish is simple to make but will impress your dinner guests with is rich decadent flavor!
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
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Place the garlic in a piece of tin foil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Pinch into a tight bundle and place in the oven for 40 minutes or until browning and soft. Remove from the oven.
10 Cloves Garlic, Olive Oil
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Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter, 1/3 Cup Onion
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Squeeze the garlic into the saucepan and mash with a wooden spoon.
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Over medium heat, add the cream and salt (1/2 teaspoon) and nutmeg. Stirring to combine for about 5 minutes.
3 Cups Heavy Cream, 1 ½ teaspoon Salt, 1 Dash Nutmeg
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In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with about 1 teaspoon salt.
3 Russet Potatoes
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Butter a cast iron pan or 8×8 baking dish and layer the potatoes on the bottom.
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Add 1/3 of the cheeses along with 1/3 of the chives and thyme. Repeat layers.Â
1/4 Cup Fresh Chives, 2 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme, 1 1/2 Cups Treasure Cave Crumbled Blue Cheese or Treasure Cave Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese, 3/4 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
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Pour the cream mixture gently over the potatoes and sprinkle a little more pepper on top. Bake for 1 hour.
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Remove from the oven and garnish with additional chives and thyme if desired.Â
Calories: 653kcal