This French Onion Potato Bake is absolutely delicious! Think French Onion Soup meets Scalloped Potatoes. It's creamy, cheesy with a caramelized onion topping, and it's serious comfort food! A must make Side Dish for Holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It's almost Thanksgiving and I've been testing this idea for a while and finally got it right. As soon as it came out of the oven, I knew it was the perfect recipe.
The Russet Potatoes are key to making the best version because they soak up the creamy sauce. I tested it with Yukon Golds first and it was too soupy.
For more holiday side dish ideas, try these Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots, Green Bean Casserole with Cream Cheese, Cheesy Creamed Corn, Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole, and Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Unique. Everyone will love this spin on scalloped potatoes and I'm pretty certain no one will bring the same dish to holiday dinners.
- Big on Flavor. The creamy cheesy potatoes taste amazing paired with the rich, jammy caramelized onions.
- Easy to Follow Instructions. This isn't a super simple recipe and does involve a bit of time, but there's step by step photos to help you through it.
- A Holiday Favorite. Guests will beg you to make this every year, so be ready for the requests.
For more Cheesy Potato Recipes check out this Boursin Mashed Potato Recipe, Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole, and Smashed Potatoes with Cheese.
Ingredients:
Onions: A combination of red and yellow onions are used for this recipe, just like I use in my French Onion Soup. This brings in different flavors and textures!
Heavy Cream and Whole Milk: Higher fat content is needed for this recipe and I don't recommend substituting these.
Potatoes: Russets are a must for this recipe. I tested it with Yukon Golds originally, but the sauce doesn't soak in and it got too much like soup.
*Find the full recipe ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- The Cabernet Sauvignon can be substituted with Merlot or you can use a tablespoon of beef broth instead.
- If you only want to choose one color of onion, that's fine too.
How to Make French Onion Potatoes:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel, then slice the potatoes with a mandoline. I like to use a low setting to keep them really thin. Once you're done slicing, set the potatoes aside, but do NOT soak them in water.
Step 2: (1) Prepare a large dutch oven (or pot) on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add in 2 tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. Allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. (2) Pour in the milk and heavy cream, plus 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and allow it to warm up, but not boil. Stir every minute until you start seeing some steam coming off the mixture. Reduce the heat to low and add in the ⅔ of the cheese (I just do about ⅔ of each: parmesan, gruyere and cheddar, and save the rest for topping) and stir until melted. Note: The cream mixture should be hot, so the cheese should melt in a minute or two. (3) Add in the potatoes and stir to combine. (4) Transfer the potatoes with creamy sauce to a 9x13 casserole dish. Cover and wrap tightly with foil and place in the 400 degree oven for 40 minutes.
Step 3: When the potatoes are cooking, we'll make the caramelized onion topping. I use the same dutch oven and just wash it out. Place it back on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss in the onions with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and ¼ teaspoon dried thyme. Stir well, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once 7-8 minutes into cooking. Uncover and stir well. Cover for another 5 minutes. Pour in the garlic and wine and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes. Note: If at anytime the onions start to look burnt on the edges, drop the heat to low. Set aside off the burner until the potatoes are finished.
Step 4: After 40 minutes of baking, remove the potatoes from the oven and unwrap the foil. Sprinkle the onions all over the top of the potatoes, then cover with the leftover cheese. Return to the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Step 5: Tent the french onion potato bake with foil and allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing. This will allow the dish to set and firm up for easier slicing. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Slice the potatoes really thin on the mandoline so that they cook fully.
- Shred the cheese fresh from the block. Bagged pre-shredded cheese won't melt correctly in the sauce because of the anti-caking agents added.
Pair these potatoes with my Double Smoked Spiral Ham, Oven Roasted Turkey Drumsticks, or Smoked Turkey Breast.
More Holiday Side Dishes To Try:
If you tried this French Onion Potato Bake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
French Onion Potato Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 squares 1x
Description
This French Onion Potato Bake is absolutely delicious! Think French Onion Soup meets Scalloped Potatoes. It's creamy, cheesy with a caramelized onion topping, and it's serious comfort food!
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs of Russet Potatoes (About 3 large russets or 5-6 small ones), washed
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 and ½ cup gruyere cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large red onion, peeled and sliced into ¼ in. slices
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced into ¼ in. slices
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon red wine (I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon)
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel, then slice the potatoes with a mandoline. I like to use a low setting to keep them really thin. Once you're done slicing, set the potatoes aside, but do NOT soak them in water
- Prepare a large dutch oven (or pot) on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add in 2 tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. Allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in the milk and heavy cream, plus 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and allow it to warm up, but not boil. Stir every minute until you start seeing some steam coming off the mixture. Reduce the heat to low and add in the ⅔ of the cheese (I just do about ⅔ of each: parmesan, gruyere and cheddar, and save the rest for topping) and stir until melted. Note: The cream mixture should be hot, so the cheese should melt in a minute or two.
- Add in the potatoes and stir to combine. Transfer the potatoes and creamy sauce to a 9x13 casserole dish. Cover and wrap tightly with foil and place in the 400 degree oven for 40 minutes.
- When the potatoes are cooking, we'll make the caramelized onion topping. I use the same dutch oven and just wash it out. Place it back on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss in the onions with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and ¼ teaspoon dried thyme. Stir well, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once 7-8 minutes into cooking.
- Uncover and stir well. Cover for another 5 minutes. Pour in the garlic and wine and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes. Note: If at anytime the onions start to look burnt on the edges, drop the heat to low. Set aside off the burner until the potatoes are finished.
- After 40 minutes of baking, remove the potatoes from the oven and unwrap the foil. Sprinkle the onions all over the top of the potatoes, then cover with the leftover cheese. Return to the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered.
- Tent the french onion potato bake with foil and allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing. This will allow the dish to set and firm up for easier slicing. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Slice the potatoes really thin on the mandoline so that they cook fully.
- Shred the cheese fresh from the block. Bagged pre-shredded cheese won't melt correctly in the sauce because of the anti-caking agents added.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: bake & stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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