Smoked Potatoes Au Gratin
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Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes will be your families new favorite side dish! Rich, creamy cheesy sauce slathered all over soft slices of Yukon gold potatoes. So good – you’ll curse your mother for feeding you that boxed stuff as a kid!
What You Will ❤️ About Au Gratin Potatoes
- Cheesy – I love the homemade cheese sauce – with a lot of cheese in the sauce and then some on top – every bite is full of flavor and happiness!
- Easy to Make – making your own sauce is surprisingly easy and the mandolin made slicing this bag of potatoes super quick!
- Holiday Side – if you’re already cranking up the Traeger for holiday ham – you might as well add these potatoes at the same time!
Ingredients for Au Gratin Potatoes
Simple ingredients – why did we ever eat the stuff out of a box?! This is so easy to make! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Yukon gold potatoes – you can use red or russet potatoes but I like Yukon the best. You’ll want to use a mandolin for slicing these as it’s a LOT of potatoes!!!
- Butter – salted butter is fine for this one
- Flour – all purpose flour – we’re making our own cheese sauce!
- Half and half – you could also substitute heavy cream if you like
- Garlic – use fresh cloves if you can
- Cream cheese – 1 block is what you’ll need, you could use the lowfat if you like – but why? hahaha – JK
- Cheddar cheese – I like to use medium cheddar for this but use what you have and/or like! Gruyere cheese or gouda cheese would also be delicious!
Recipe Variations
You can change up your potatoes with just a couple of steps! Here are a few ideas:
- Scalloped – leave the cheese out of the sauce and just put it on top during the last 30 minutes
- Ham – sprinkle diced ham or layer in some thin sliced ham for a cheesy ham & potato casserole
- Onions – layer thinly sliced onions in with potato slices
- Fresh Herbs – laying fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary on top while the potatoes smoke adds flavor and fragrance and you can remove before serving
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How to make Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes
I’ve made a few cheese sauces and this one is just as simple – and really that’s the main work involved with making this. Your whole family will love these cheesy potatoes! Let’s get started:
- Preheat Traeger to 400°F.
- Wash potatoes and slice into ⅛” thin slices.
- Layer potatoes in stacks around a greased casserole 2.5qt to 3qt dish. You could also use a cast-iron pan but it would need to be larger than a regular skillet.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add flour and whisk. Cook for 1 minutes. Add garlic, salt and pepper and whisk for 30 sec.
- Add half and half and cover. Whisk every 1-2 min until starts to bubble around sides. Then keep lid off and Whisk over medium low heat until thick and bubbly.
- Remove from heat and stir in all cream cheese and 1.5 cups cheddar cheese until melted into sauce.
- Spoon cheese sauce mixture over potatoes. Cover with foil (sprayed with cooking spray) and place on Traeger for 50 minutes. Your potatoes will be fork tender.
- Remove foil and add remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Smoke an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are cooked. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or for a larger batch for 20-30 min in the oven at 350º.
I would not. The first time I made this recipe in a disposable pan they burned on the bottom so I would recommend using something thicker. I have a LeCreuset casserole dish that I use and never have that issue.
Scalloped potatoes don’t traditionally have any cheese in them but often times people put a little on top. Au Gratin have a cheesy sauce.
Yes – you can bake in the oven at the same time & temperature as listed in the recipe.
20 Must-Have Traeger Accessories
I absolutely love my Traeger Pellet Grill and you can pretty much use it right out of the box! But over the years I’ve definitely found that there are some Traeger smoker accessories that make everything a lot easier!
What to serve with Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes
More Holiday Side Dish Recipes
Smoked Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb Yukon gold potatoes sliced 1/8" thick
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 cups half and half
- 2 cloves garlic mashed & diced
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 8 oz cream cheese cubed
- 8 oz cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat Traeger to 400°F.
- Wash potatoes and slice into ⅛” thin slices.2.5 lb Yukon gold potatoes
- Layer potatoes in stacks around a greased casserole 2.5qt to 3qt dish. You could also use a cast-iron pan but it would need to be larger than a regular skillet.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add flour and whisk. Cook for 1 minutes. Add garlic, salt and pepper and whisk for 30 sec.3 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp flour, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Add half and half and cover. Whisk every 1-2 min until starts to bubble around sides. Then keep lid off and Whisk over medium low heat until thick and bubbly.3 cups half and half
- Remove from heat and stir in all cream cheese and 1.5 cups cheddar cheese until melted into sauce.8 oz cream cheese, 8 oz cheddar cheese
- Spoon cheese sauce mixture over potatoes. Cover with foil (sprayed with cooking spray) and place on Traeger for 50 minutes. Your potatoes will be fork tender.
- Remove foil and add remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Smoke an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are cooked. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
