Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin

A couple of things...
1. Since Hasselback is called out here, acknowledgement to our friends in Sweden @ the Hasselback Hotel are in order. Legend has it this dish was invented there.
2. A lot of time can be saved arranging potatoes on their ends by taking a nice Yukon Gold, placing it in a wooden spoon (the spoony-end) and slicing till your knife hits the spoon. The tater stays together nicely at the bottom and it's very easy to handle. You can google this.

It’s fine you don’t like this kind of recipe but it’s not necessary to tell us what you made instead. These notes are to help people with the recipe. We don’t need to know about you. Go ahead and have a peanut butter sandwich. Or a slice of pizza. Just don’t write us notes about it please.

Excellent! Added a grated onion to the liquid/cheese mix for flavor. Made it through first 2 thirty minute bakings in advance. Then covered and chilled. Brought to the dinner, sprinkled cheese on top and did final baking of about 40 minutes at the meal (removed foil half way through.) Texture was great! I was worried because initially liquid barely covered bottom of pan, but juices came out with baking and it was perfect! Good crusty bits on bottom too. A real keeper of a recipe.

I've read reference here to soaking the potatoes in water before making the dish- as a shortcut or "timesaver" I suppose- even from a food editor at the Times. Big mistake. Any of these gratin Dauphinois kind of potato dishes (sliced potatoes baked in cream) need the natural starch of the potato mixed with the cream to thicken it, not to mention the flavor of the potato. Soaking the sliced potatoes washes starch & flavor away and reduces the quality of the finished dish.

I made this dish for Thanksgiving with sweet potatoes (not yams) to wild success. My family practically hoisted me upon their shoulders. When I called my mother a week later, she answered the phone without a hello: "Those sweet potatoes were the best thing I've ever eaten." I said, "Hi, Mom. How's everything?" She said, "God, those sweet potatoes were good." I give my full throated endorsement for this recipe. It can make you feel like a conquering hero.

We made this with sweet potatoes instead of russets, and it was absolutely amazing. Very delicious (both savory and sweet), and exactly as you promised: creamy potato and crusty cheesy edge in every bite. It was transcendent.

I would say it serves 6, but it depends on what else you are serving. I made a double batch in an 11x13 pan and it was about 12 one-cup servings. My guests fell on it like starving wolves and ate every scrap, so you should probably err on the side of too much rather than too little. It is THAT delicious.

Since my dish was rectangular I put the slices in rows. There was a gap along the edge of the pan, so I pushed the rows together more tightly to make room for another full row.

OK. Russets? Really? The best potato for a recipe like this is an Eastern white like Long Island White or Maine Katahdin. Sorry. A potato snob since we grow them and are knowledgeable about the characteristics of the MANY different varieties.

I made these in cupcake tins. Extra crispy and a nice serving size.

Great recipe! I've made it twice with great success. I used somewhat more cheese than called for because I like rich, creamy dishes. I didn't peel the potatoes on the second try because my daughter insisted that the peel has all the nutrients. It was just as good. It's helpful to choose potatoes of equal size.

I agree. No Russets but Yukon Gold Potatoes are the Best for this

I made this for Christmas, and it was amazing! Came out looking just like the photo. Potatoes were cheesy and soft on the bottom and crusty brown on top. I used 6 ounces of Gruyere cheese, and half and half instead of the heavy cream. It was so good, and got such rave reviews, that it will be a permanent part of our holiday fare from now on, and I'll definitely make it for guests throughout the year too!

Oops. Did not read carefully...now I see there are three 30 minute segments. I did have to give it 'extra' time to brown it but the potatoes were still a bit too firm. Great flavor and I will make it correctly next time. I was glad to have help in the kitchen-it's a lot of prep work and the cream was flying when I was placing the creamy potato stacks in the dish. Also, recommend placing the casserole on a baking sheet in the oven.

Soaked cut potatoes for 1 hour in cold water. Doubled cheese (which I grated fresh), Added 1t dried mustard, 1/2 cup diced onions sautéed brown in butter, 1T black pepper and 1T salt to mix before tossing potatoes and putting in dish. Baking takes 50 minutes (done at 400 covered/420 uncovered). Excellent!

Delicious - and very very rich. I made a half recipe in an 8x8 Pyrex baking dish; I had very little excess liquid, but the dish is still moist. Pay attention to the note to season generously - I used maybe a teaspoon of salt, and it's definitely not enough.