Low FODMAP Potato Gratin
What do I crave alongside my roast beef, leg of lamb or baked ham? Potato Gratin, which is why we figured it was about time that we added one to our line-up.
And it goes great alongside a roast chicken or turkey, as well.
Here it is in all of its dairy-rich, starchy glory. Potato gratin often includes garlic; ours does not, but you won’t miss it, especially if you include the optional thyme and nutmeg, which we think add a very nice touch.
If you are a purist, leave them out.
We Love Lactose-Free Half-and-Half
Many potato gratin recipes use heavy cream. We opted for lactose-free half-and-half for a lighter version, but don’t get us wrong, this is still quite rich and small servings are recommended.
Please read our article, All About Cream & FODMAPs to learn what “half-and-half” might be called in your part of the world.
One Potato, Two Potato – MANY Potatoes
You will be using a full 2 pounds (910 g) of potatoes for this dish, the starchier the better.
You could use Yukon Golds, which lend a golden color and keep their shape better, but we like the texture of the meltingly starchy russet-type baking potatoes.
Also, you can slice the potatoes by hand, but if you have a mandoline, it works wonders here for nice, even, thin slices (see Tips).
Techniques vary for this dish. Some recipes have you gently boil the cream first to reduce it a little, but the danger here is that it can break.
Other recipes have you layer raw potatoes right in the casserole dish and top with hot cream. I like to simmer the potatoes briefly in the half-and-half on top of the stove.
It just seems to bring the potatoes and dairy together in a fantastic way that ultimately gives you a super creamy, silky potato gratin.
Note from Robin: Make sure you make a large casserole dish of these. They are AMAZING as leftovers. I put mine into a cast iron pan in a 350°F/180°C oven for 20 minutes and they came out crispy, and creamy and seriously yummy.
So easy to add alongside eggs and bacon, or a salad and you have a meal.
Check out our version with mushrooms as well. Oyster mushrooms are low FODMAP and we put them to great use in our Low FODMAP Potato Cheese Gratin with Mushrooms.
Classic Potato Gratin
Our Classic Potato Gratin is low FODMAP and features lactose-free half-and-half.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 pounds (910 g) russet potatoes, peeled
- 3 cups (720 ml) lactose-free half-and-half, such as Organic Valley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, optional
- Pinch freshly ground nutmeg, optional
- 1/4 pound (115 g) Gruyere cheese, grated (see Tips)
Preparation:
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Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Use butter to coat the inside of a 3-quart (2.8 L) shallow casserole dish and set aside.
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Cut the potatoes into very thin 1/8-inch (3 mm) slices using a very sharp knife or a mandoline (see Tips). Keep them in rounds, if possible.
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Place the potatoes in a wide heavy saucepan (I use a 3-quart/2.8 L) and add the half-and-half, salt, a generous amount of pepper and thyme and/or nutmeg, if using. Bring to a vigorous simmer over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, and simmer for 3 minutes.
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Carefully pour the mixture into prepared casserole dish. Use a silicone spatula to gently coax the potatoes and liquid into an even layer. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.
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Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and the top is golden and bubbling. The mixture might look a little loose, but don’t worry, it will firm up upon cooling. Place casserole on a rack and cool for at least 15 minutes to allow the gratin to achieve its maximum potato perfection. Serve warm or even at room temperature.
Notes:
Tips
- Cutting the potatoes as thin as recommended is a very important step. Pull out a ruler if you have to, to make sure they are thin enough or they will not cook properly. The beauty of a mandoline is that you can set it to the desired thickness and just got to town, knowing that all of your potatoes will be perfectly cut. You could also use a food processor fitted with the appropriate sized slicing disc.
- You could play around with other types of cheese. Emmental or Comté would be good alternative choices. Plain Swiss doesn’t have enough sharpness, in my opinion, but use your own palate as a guide.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
How much potato’s in a single serving?
Potatoes range hugely in size, which is why there is weight given for the potatoes and not a number of potatoes. The entire recipe contains 2 pounds or 910 grams of potatoes. The recipe is recommended to serve 14. That would be 65 grams of potato per serving which is about 2 1/4 ounces. Potatoes have no discernible FODMAPs per serving, so in reference to potatoes, you can eat more potatoes thank that, but this dish is very rich with dairy and we assume it is part of a larger meal, so the servings are conservative.
Dear Dede and Team,
Is there any substitute for the lactose free half and half for those of us who don’t have access to a lactose free version? Or is there a way to make it with lactose free milk (which I can find). I would really love to try this recipe!
Definitely double check your stores, as we have found it fairly easy to find. If you cannot, I would use 1 1/2 cups whole LF milk and 1 1/2 cups conventional heavy cream (per Monash recs). The recipe would still be low FODMAP, albeit rich, which it is anyway. Portion control counts!
This turned out amazing. Adjusted the recipe to reflect less potatoes but otherwise followed to a T.
Thank you for writing and so glad it worked out well! Love creamy potatoes!
HI, I know America is your universe but there are millions of others around the world that don’t actually know what ‘half and half’ is…. I’ve googled it now.. . not that we have any equivalent. Perhaps you could actually do a little more research so that it’s meaningful to everyone else…. thank you
Hi Nat, we have! We have a chart in our article, All About Cream & FODMAPs. It shows you what these rich dairy products are called in various parts of the world and their butterfat content and name equivalents.