Last weekend, in an effort to make use of the many pounds of potatoes gathering on my counter, I made a recipe that had caught my eye about this time of year last fall: The New York Times Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin , a stunning assembly of cascading crispy-tipped, herb-flecked, cheese-encrusted potatoes.
I made the mistake of not reading the recipe before beginning, and halfway through grating the Gruyère, I realized the gratin would need to cook for 90 minutes.
I hadn’t even started on the potatoes, which required peeling and slicing, but I decided to push on anyway, taking some liberties with the instructions, namely one big time-saving step: I would skip peeling the potatoes.
Friends, it was a gamble, but guess what? It didn’t matter! The gratin was just as beautiful visually and tasted heavenly, the earthy flavors of thyme and nutty notes of the cheese permeating the whole dish from the crispy potato tips to their creamy interiors. I served it aside roasted striped bass, and the whole combination filled me with excitement for the many holiday dinners in the months ahead.
I made one other small change to the recipe: in place of 1 cup of the heavy cream, I used one cup of stock, which is what I do in this favorite Alice Waters potato gratin recipe .
With that in mind: I cannot imagine a Thanksgiving without Alice’s potato gratin on the table, which has been a staple for as long as I can remember. That said, isn’t it kind of fun to switch it up? I no doubt will make both to ensure no betrayal is committed.
PS: Thanksgiving Menu 2022
PPS: 25+ Thanksgiving Side Dishes
How to Make This Potato Gratin Ahead of Time + Gear
Planning Thanksgiving dinner is about managing logistics more than anything else, and being able to make things ahead of time is essential. Here are some tips as well as a few notes about gear.
- To make this gratin ahead of time, follow the recipe removing it from the oven after it has baked for 60 minutes. Let it cool, cover it with foil, then chill. When ready to bake, bake it covered for 20 minutes, remove the foil, sprinkle with the reserved cheese, and return to the oven for another 20 minutes or until the mixture is evenly golden and bubbling.
- I would not recommend making this without a mandoline. This one works great and is very safe to use. This one also works great and, if you use the guard, is also safe.
- I can’t recommend enough investing in a very large bowl . At Thanksgiving especially, I find myself using this all the time for making double batches of things, namely stuffing.
Hasselback Potato Gratin, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients: thyme, garlic, Gruyère, parmesan, chicken stock or vegetable stock , and heavy cream.
You’ll also need 4 to 4.5 pounds of potatoes. Red potatoes work well here.
Start by grating the Gruyère and parmesan. Combine them in a bowl, then …
… set aside 2/3 cup of the mixture (bowl on the right).
In your largest bowl, stir together the cream, stock, chopped thyme, and minced garlic. I love using my microplane for garlic.
Add the grated cheese and stir to combine.
Next, you’ll slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. As noted above, I don’t recommend making this recipe without a mandoline. This one works great and is very safe to use. This one also works great and, if you use the guard, is also safe. Add the potatoes to the bowl as you slice.
Season generously with salt and pepper, then toss to coat.
I broke out the big bowl! If you have the storage space, this bowl is wonderful for these sorts of jobs.
Finally, the fun part: assembly! Transfer the potatoes by the handful to the gratin dish arranging them vertically. Pour the remaining liquid from the bowl into the baking dish.
Cover with foil; then bake for 30 minutes at 400ºF.
Uncover; then return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Remove again and …
… sprinkle with the reserved cheese. Return to the oven one last time for another 30 minutes.
Ta-da!
Isn’t she pretty?
Description
Adapted from Serious Eats & The New York Times
Notes:
I would not recommend making this without a mandoline. This one works great and is very safe to use. This one also works great and, if you use the guard, is also safe.
Plan ahead: this recipe takes a total of 90 minutes to bake + 30 minutes to prep.
To make it ahead and reheat, remove the gratin from the oven after it has baked for 60 minutes. Let it cool, cover with foil, then chill. When ready to bake, bake covered for 20 minutes, remove foil, sprinkle with the reserved cheese, and return to the oven for another 20 minutes or until the mixture is evenly golden and bubbling.
I can’t recommend enough investing in a very large bowl . At Thanksgiving especially, I find myself using this all the time for making double batches of things, namely stuffing.
The original recipe calls for using 2 cups of heavy cream, but I find it just as tasty when made with 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of stock.
The original recipe also calls for peeled potatoes, but I don’t think peeling is necessary.
3 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups ) grated Gruyère or comté cheese
2 ounces (about 2/3 cups ) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 to 4½ pounds red potatoes, unpeeled and sliced ⅛-inch thick on a mandoline slicer
softened butter for greasing
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400ºF.
- Combine the cheeses in your largest bowl, see notes above. Transfer ⅓ of the cheese mixture (roughly 2/3 cup) to a separate bowl and set aside. Add the cream, stock, garlic, and thyme to the large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper — I season with 4 to 4.5 teaspoons of kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand): I find a good rule of thumb to be 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of potatoes. If you are using Morton Kosher salt or fine sea salt use half as much salt.
- Add potato slices and toss with your hands until every slice is coated with the cream mixture, making sure to separate any slices that are sticking together to get the cream mixture in between them.
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with the softened butter. Pick up a handful of potatoes, then transfer them to the baking dish with their edges aligned vertically. Continue placing potatoes in the dish, until all the potatoes have been added. The potatoes should be tightly packed. If necessary, slice an additional potato, coat with the cream mixture, and add to the baking dish. Pour the excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over the potatoes.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is pale golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and return to oven. Bake until deep golden brown and crisp on top, about 30 minutes longer.
- Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Adapted from Serious Eats & The New York Times
Notes:
I would not recommend making this without a mandoline. This one works great and is very safe to use. This one also works great and, if you use the guard, is also safe.
Plan ahead: this recipe takes a total of 90 minutes to bake + 30 minutes to prep.
To make it ahead and reheat, remove the gratin from the oven after it has baked for 60 minutes. Let it cool, cover with foil, then chill. When ready to bake, bake covered for 20 minutes, remove foil, sprinkle with the reserved cheese, and return to the oven for another 20 minutes or until the mixture is evenly golden and bubbling.
I can’t recommend enough investing in a very large bowl . At Thanksgiving especially, I find myself using this all the time for making double batches of things, namely stuffing.
The original recipe calls for using 2 cups of heavy cream, but I find it just as tasty when made with 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of stock.
The original recipe also calls for peeled potatoes, but I don’t think peeling is necessary.
3 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups ) grated Gruyère or comté cheese
2 ounces (about 2/3 cups ) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 to 4½ pounds red potatoes, unpeeled and sliced ⅛-inch thick on a mandoline slicer
softened butter for greasing
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400ºF.
- Combine the cheeses in your largest bowl, see notes above. Transfer ⅓ of the cheese mixture (roughly 2/3 cup) to a separate bowl and set aside. Add the cream, stock, garlic, and thyme to the large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper — I season with 4 to 4.5 teaspoons of kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand): I find a good rule of thumb to be 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of potatoes. If you are using Morton Kosher salt or fine sea salt use half as much salt.
- Add potato slices and toss with your hands until every slice is coated with the cream mixture, making sure to separate any slices that are sticking together to get the cream mixture in between them.
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with the softened butter. Pick up a handful of potatoes, then transfer them to the baking dish with their edges aligned vertically. Continue placing potatoes in the dish, until all the potatoes have been added. The potatoes should be tightly packed. If necessary, slice an additional potato, coat with the cream mixture, and add to the baking dish. Pour the excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over the potatoes.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is pale golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and return to oven. Bake until deep golden brown and crisp on top, about 30 minutes longer.
- Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2022/11/11/hasselback-potato-gratin-no-peel-make-ahead/
If you’re like me, Thanksgiving is ALL about the sides: crispy, custardy stuffing rubbing elbows with creamy, thyme-scented, Gruyère-crusted scalloped potatoes, the happiest union under a blanket of gravy, punctuated by tart dollops of cranberry sauce.
Below you will find a recipe for a very classic bread stuffing from my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs . It’s seasoned with Bell’s Seasoning, which, if you are unfamiliar, is a finely ground mix of rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. Just pulling out the box every year fills me with nostalgia for Thanksgivings past.
The below selection of Thanksgiving side dishes is organized as follows:
- Vegetable Side Dishes
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Soups
- Salads
- Biscuits & Bread
- Stuffing Two Ways
PS: Thanksgiving Menu 2022
Vegetable Side Dishes
This year I’m going to welcome a second potato dish to the Thanksgiving table: this cheesy hasselback potato gratin , a recipe I’ve been eyeing for about a year now, one that did not disappoint when I gave it a spin last weekend. Find a few more favorite vegetable side dishes below:
Alice Waters’s Potato Gratin
Hasselback Potato Gratin (No-Peel, Make Ahead)
Creamy (No-Cream) Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Crispy Pan-Seared Fingerling Potatoes
Blistered Green Beans
5-Ingredient, 8-Minute Glazed Green Beans
Ina Garten’s Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Easy Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower Florets Recipe
Roasted Parsnips with Chili-Honey Butter
Twice-Roasted Carrots with Honey and Almonds
Roasted Kabocha Squash with Garlic, Capers & Chilies
Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Butter
Winter Tabbouleh with Roasted Delicata Squash
Sweet Potato Casserole
Last Thanksgiving, I brought back my Great Aunt Phyllis’s candied yams. Here they are in all their glory, creamy, orange-scented, brandy-spiked sweet potatoes buried under a blanket of brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon-spiced pecans. This is a very classic recipe, unapologetic in its use of butter and sugar, and I have not altered the recipe a hair, but for adding salt to the purée.
Soups
There was a stretch of years during which my mother commenced each of her Thanksgiving dinners with butternut squash soup. Just before serving, she drizzled over top a cranberry coulis and a little crème fraîche. The contrast of colors made for a beautiful presentation, but those festive swirls tasted good, too, offering complementary pops of sweetness and tang. I keep meaning to get the recipe… stay tuned.
If you like starting Thanksgiving with a small bowl of soup, any of these would be nice.
Slow-Cooker Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Soup
Simple Homemade Potato Leek Soup
Cauliflower and Apple Soup with Olive Oil-Fried Bread
Cream of Celery Soup with Walnut-Currant Salsa
Creamy Parsnip and Pear Soup
Salads
Do yourself a favor and, as soon as you can, make a batch of homemade salad dressing. Here are three favorite salad dressings, all of which keep for weeks in the fridge.
- Apple Cider Vinaigrette (I have been loving this one for its simplicity.)
- Classic Shallot Vinaigrette (I make this in large batches, and it’s so nice to have on hand.)
- Lemon Vinaigrette (Light and bright! Very refreshing.)
On holidays such as Thanksgiving, when there is such a wide variety of dishes on the table, I am inclined to simply toss good greens with a good homemade vinaigrette and call the salad done. I do, however, love the two salads below, both of which are substantial and festive. If your gathering is shaping up to be a small one, and you’re thinking about paring down your menu, a heartier salad in the mix might be a nice option.
Biscuits & Bread
There is something really nice about a roll on the Thanksgiving table. Here are two favorites:
That said, if you don’t feel like messing around with portioning and shaping dough, or you find yourself more pressed for time, you could always make focaccia ( this one or this one ):
Or my mother’s peasant bread . No one will be disappointed.
My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
Here’s the gluten-free variation of my mother’s peasant bread :
And if you are altogether yeast averse, biscuits are a great alternative, wonderful to have on hand for leftovers as well. Here are two favorites:
Cheddar Biscuits
Stuffing Two Ways
Below you will find a recipe for a no-frills stuffing: olive oil-toasted bread tossed with sautéed onions and celery, Bell’s seasonings, and copious amounts of butter. It, along with the kale version , hands down every year is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal.
Know you can customize the seasonings and add-ins of this recipe to your liking. Also: you can make it ahead and freeze it. See instructions in the post for how to freeze it .
Freezable Stuffing with Kale and Caramelized Onions
Description
Below you will find a recipe for a no-frills stuffing: olive oil-toasted bread tossed with sautéed onions and celery, Bell’s seasonings, and copious amounts of butter. Hands down, it is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal every year.
Notes:
If you’re using my mother’s peasant bread for the stuffing, you don’t need to remove the crust. And 1.5 lbs of bread is roughly 1.5 loaves of peasant bread. If you are using crusty bread, remove the crust.
Making Ahead/Freezing/Baking Instructions: You can make this recipe through the covering-the-pan-with-foil step in step 4; then transfer to the fridge for 24 hours. To Freeze: After you transfer the stuffing to the 9×13-inch pan, cover it with foil, then transfer to the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing covered directly from the freezer for 1 hour. Increase the temperature to 400°F and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
Bell’s Seasoning is readily available at most grocery stores. It’s a mix of finely ground rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. If you can’t find it, I would imagine using some combination of the noted dried herbs would work. A smaller amount of chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano would also be nice.
1½ pounds peasant bread or other French/Italian bread, torn into 1 – to 2-inch pieces (about 12 cups ), see notes above
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
4 tablespoons ( ½ stick) unsalted butter
2 cups finely diced onions ( 1 to 2 onions)
1 cup finely diced celery
1 tablespoon Bell’s Seasoning , see notes above
1½ cups homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 egg
Softened unsalted butter, for greasing
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss the bread with ¼ cup oil; it will feel saturated. Season the bread with salt and pepper to taste. Spread it onto a sheet pan in a single layer, reserving the bowl. Transfer the pan to the oven and toast the bread for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Set it aside to cool briefly.
- Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter with the remaining ¼ cup oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, season with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and beginning to color.
- Return the toasted bread to the reserved bowl. When the onions and celery have finished cooking, scrape them into the bowl over the bread. Sprinkle with the Bell’s. Add 1 cup stock, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed — this is your chance to get the seasoning right before you add the egg. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ½ cup stock with the egg and add it to the bowl. Toss them to combine.
- Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with the softened butter and spread the mixture into it. Cover the pan with foil (see notes above for making in advance and freezing), transfer it to the center rack of the oven, and bake the stuffing for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and bake the stuffing for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the bread is golden. Remove the stuffing and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving it.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
