Potatoes Au Gratin with Smoked Sausage are russet potato rounds with smoked sausage nestled in between the potatoes, topped with a creamy cheese sauce. If you love cheesy potatoes, be sure to check out my Scalloped Potatoes too!
POTATOES AU GRATIN WITH SMOKED SAUSAGE
Potatoes Au Gratin are similar to scalloped potatoes as they both are potato rounds covered in a cream sauce. The main difference is the addition of cheese to the cream sauce and oftentimes a breadcrumb crust in au gratin potatoes. In fact, au gratin means ‘by grating’, which refers to the added cheese and breadcrumbs.
This recipe was a suggestion from one of my readers and has Velveeta cheese added to the cream sauce as well as smoked sausage in between the potato slices. And, I am so glad I took the suggestion; it is cheesy and delicious!
POTATOES AU GRATIN INGREDIENTS
Potatoes: I used russet potatoes for this recipe; starchy potatoes help thicken the sauce and will bake fork-tender. Yukon gold potatoes would also work well. Be sure to wash the potatoes before peeling and slicing them. I will give you some tips on how to make the potato rounds uniform for best results when cooking.
Sausage: I chose a ring of pre-cooked smoked sausage (andouille) in this recipe. You could also use turkey sausage, chorizo, or Polish kielbasa.
Onions: Yellow onions were my choice for onions; they add the most flavor to the dish.
Milk: I recommend using whole milk in this recipe. If you use milk with a lower fat content (1% or skim), there is a possibility that the sauce will curdle. Also, make sure the milk is at room temperature before adding it to the sauce.
Cheese: I used Velveeta cheese in this recipe. Velveeta cheese is processed cheese, but it keeps its smooth consistency when melted, which is perfect for the sauce on these potatoes!
SLICING THE POTATOES {TIPS FOR UNIFORM POTATO ROUNDS}
The first thing to do for this Potatoes Au Gratin with Smoked Sausage recipe is to rinse, peel, and slice the potatoes. One of the signature traits of this dish is its uniform potato size. We don’t just scatter the potatoes around and hope for the best, we lay them out perfectly straight, which makes it look beautiful and helps the dish cook evenly.
HOW TO MAKE POTATOES AU GRATIN
Once the potatoes have been sliced, place them in an oven-safe skillet. I used a 15-inch skillet. Place the potatoes in the skillet, trying to keep the potatoes together as much as possible. Stagger the sliced smoked sausage in between the potato rounds. Set the skillet aside as you prepare the sauce.
To make the cheesy cream sauce, first, melt the butter and add the onion over low heat. Cook the onion for a few minutes, or until it softens. Next, add the flour, salt, and pepper and cook for a minute. Then, slowly drizzle in the milk, whisking constantly. Once the milk has been added, continue cooking for about minutes, whisking frequently.
After the sauce has thickened, stir in the cubes of Velveeta cheese, leaving the pan over the heat. Once the cheese has melted and is smooth, pour the sauce over the potatoes and sausage in the skillet. Cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake for 60 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
After 60 minutes, carefully remove the foil and broil the potatoes for 4-5 minutes, watching carefully, to brown the top. Serve garnished with parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AU GRATIN AND SCALLOPED POTATOES?
As I stated above, there is a difference between au gratin and scalloped potatoes. Traditionally, scalloped potatoes do not have cheese; they have a heavy cream sauce and are much simpler. Au Gratin potatoes, on the other hand, are made with cheese and sometimes sprinkled with breadcrumbs on top.
Another difference between the two recipes is the size of the slices of potatoes. In both cases, the potatoes are cut into rounds; however, scalloped potatoes are generally thicker cut than au gratin.
CAN I FREEZE POTATOES AU GRATIN?
Yes! Once the dish has been baked, let it come to room temperature. (But, don’t let them sit out for more than 2 hours before storing them.) Then, store them in a freezer-safe container that is labeled and dated. They will be good for up to 2 weeks in the freezer.
Ingredients
- 1 ring (13 ounces) smoked sausage, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
- 3 pounds Russet potatoes, rinsed, peeled, and thinly sliced with a mandoline
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups whole milk, room temperature
- 8 ounces velveeta cheese cubed
- parsley, for garnish
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F and set out a 15-inch oven-safe skillet.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and diced onion over low heat until the onion is softened (3-5 minutes). Then, add the flour, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Slowly drizzle in milk, whisking constantly. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens (about 5 minutes), whisking frequently.
Stir in the cheese, and continue stirring until melted and smooth. Set aside.
To the skillet, add the potatoes, fanning them out into a single layer. Stagger the slices of sausage in between the potato rounds.
Pour the cheese sauce over the top of the potatoes and sausage.
Cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake for 60 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.
After 60 minutes, remove the foil and broil for 4-5 minutes, watching carefully, to brown the top.
Serve hot, garnished with parsley. Salt and pepper to taste.
