This holiday season, indulge in this Triple Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe. Adding three elements of smoke flavor to a rich, creamy cheese sauce makes this recipe extraordinary. It is a delicious alternative to boring potatoes that your whole family is sure to devour.
This is a sponsored post for Snowville Creamery.
Triple Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe
Surprise your family and friends with this easy to make, yet unbelievably amazing Triple Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe this Thanksgiving and Christmas. This recipe is easy to make and a cinch to take with you to potlucks. This recipe was created by Joy Lloyd and Snowville Creamery.
| Servings |
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes scrubbed, peeled, and sliced 1/8” thick
- 1 c c. Snowville Creamery whole milk or half and half
- 12 oz carton Snowville Creamery crème fraiche
- 2 cups shredded smoked gouda cheese about 8 ounces
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp Herbs de providence
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp Smoked salt
- Topping:
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
- smoked paprika
Ingredients
| |
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a saucepan, heat up the cream with the crème fraiche, herbs de providence, smoked salt, smoked paprika, smoked gouda and garlic.
- While the cream is heating up, butter a 9x13” casserole dish.
- Pour the heated cream and cheese mixture into a large bowl with the potato slices.
- Mix gently to coat the potatoes.
- Season the mix with a little bit of salt and pepper. Mix to gently incorporate.
- Spoon a little bit of the cream into the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Then spoon the potatoes in. Level out the potatoes for uniform cooking time.
- Pour the remaining cream at the bottom of the bowl over the top.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil, but pull back one corner for the steam to escape.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Remove from the oven and top with Parmesan and panko crumbs; dust lightly with smoked paprika.
- Return to the oven, uncovered, and continue baking 15 minutes to allow the topping to crisp and lightly brown.
Like I said, the star of this Triple Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe is the cream sauce. It will leave your entire home smelling amazing, everyone will ask what that delicious smell is – guaranteed. Move over turkey, this Thanksgiving the potatoes will be getting people to rush to the dinner table!
This recipe is so easy to make. Start with 3 lbs of gold potatoes. Scrub, peel, and slice them thin. I slice mine about 1/8″ thick but some people prefer them even thinner.
What makes the cream sauce so rich and creamy is the Snowville Creamery crème fraiche. It is a naturally-fermented raw cream made with heavy cream, butterfat, and concentrated milk. It is a rich cream that can be used like sour cream in cooking, baking, and as toppings. What makes crème fraiche perfect for this recipe is that it doesn’t curdle when heated, lending this recipe a silky smooth, creamy texture. In fact, you can use crème fraiche in place of sour cream in any recipe for a richer, creamier texture. 
Snowville Creamery is the only Ohio dairy to carry crème fraiche, look for it at Market District and Krieger’s Market locally. I also used Snowville Creamery’s Whole Milk for this recipe, you can also use half and half. I like Snowville Creamery’s milk because exclusively from 100 percent tested A2/A2 grass-grazed cows. It is “milk the way it used to be” without BCM-7, an exogenous opioid found in other milk that interacts with our digestive system, internal organs, and brain-stem.
Heat the milk and crème fraiche with the smoked gouda cheese, fresh garlic, Herbs de providence, smoked paprika, and smoked salt. 
Let’s talk about these amazing ingredients that add the unique smokiness to this recipe.
Smoked gouda adds both smokiness and richness to this recipe. This hard cheese comes with an edible, brown rind but for this recipe, I peel it away. I’ve never found a shredded smoked gouda before, so I hand shred it. It melts easily in this dish, creating a really creamy sauce.
You may be familiar with paprika and use it to garnish food like deviled eggs. That is not the same as smoked paprika, so be sure to pick up a small bottle. Smoked paprika adds a unique deep, woodsy flavor to this recipe.
Finally, the smoked salt will soon become a favorite spice if you’ve never tried it before. Smoked salt is a natural way to add a smoky flavor to any recipe. Many vegetarians add smoked salt to recipes that call for bacon because it adds that essence.
Once the cream mixture is combined, spoon a little into the bottom of a buttered dish, then layer potatoes as you wish. 
Pour remaining sauce over potatoes, cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes at 350°. Next, add the panko, Parmesan cheese, and smoked paprika topping and bake, uncovered for 15 minutes.
The aroma of this recipe will float through your kitchen and home, bringing everyone eagerly to the dinner table. This hot, bubbly dish is delicious right out of the oven or cooled. It is easily re-heated if you prepare it at home and take it as a potluck dish too.
I encourage you to try this amazing recipe this holiday season. Adding a triple dose of smoked flavor to this traditional comfort food adds a new dimension of flavor and aroma that makes this recipe unbelievable.
I’ve enjoyed really good Au Gratin potatoes only a few times, and always at fancy restaurants. I’ve never had Au Gratin potatoes this tasty with any home made recipe that I’ve made or others OR at those fancy restaurants. This recipe is a keeper! I will be trying more of Snowville Creamery’s recipes along with their premium milk and yogurt products.
My husband and kids are big fans of this recipe too, especially the cheese sauce. My husband especially liked the smokey flavor and commented on how it would be amazing with a baked macaroni and cheese. I completely agree and plan to alter this recipe to make a Triple Smoked Macaroni and Cheese recipe soon – stay tuned!
Let us know if you plan to upgrade your boring potato recipe with this Triple Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes recipe this holiday season!