When searching for the perfect family meal to prepare, look no further than this recipe for Au Gratin Potatoes & Sausage. It’s a savory, cheesy dish that may quickly become a family favorite in your household. Its the Cozy Casserole That Feeds the Soul (and a Small Crowd) If there’s one thing that gets me excited about dinnertime— it’s something bubbling away in the oven, crispy on top, creamy underneath, and filled with smoky, cheesy goodness. You know what I’m talking about. Comfort food with real staying power.
On busy nights when you’re craving a home cooked meal but don’t have too much time on your hands, try this Au Gratin Potatoes & Sausage recipe. It’s a cheesy, wholesome meal everyone can enjoy, including any picky eaters!
Au Gratin Potatoes & Sausage
Do you want to enjoy a meal that will satisfy you for the rest of the night? Instead of ordering takeout on days when you don’t have much time to prepare a meal from scratch, simply try a recipe like this one for Au Gratin Potatoes & Ham. It’s a meat and potatoes kind of meal – comfort food that you will absolutely love. With ingredients like smoked sausage, russet potatoes, and cheddar cheese, you can make something so delicious from scratch with ease!
Au Gratin Potatoes & Sausage is that dish. The one that gets scraped clean before you even think about leftovers. The kind of casserole that makes you forget you ever considered eating a salad for dinner.
This isn’t your grandma’s au gratin (though, bless her, she was on to something). This is the upgraded version—bold, smoky, a little indulgent, and exactly what your weeknight dinner lineup has been missing.
Why This Recipe Just Hits
It’s hearty without being heavy, cheesy without being greasy, and somehow manages to feel both retro and totally modern. It’s simple enough for a Tuesday night but satisfying enough to make on a Sunday and call it a main event.
What makes this version extra special? Smoked sausage and smoked cheddar. That combo is what takes it from “just potatoes” to “oh wow, what IS this and when are you making it again?”
Let’s Break It Down
You start with thinly sliced russet potatoes—classic, dependable, starchy in all the right ways. Use a mandolin if you’ve got one, not just because it’s faster (though it totally is), but because it gives you those thin, even slices that cook into soft, buttery perfection. No one wants a crunchy bite in the middle of their gratin. We’re going for fork-tender, edge-to-edge.
The sausage is where things get interesting. A good smoked sausage (think kielbasa or andouille if you want a kick) brings in that savory depth and a touch of fat that just melts into everything. You’re not just layering protein here—you’re layering flavor.
And then there’s the sauce. Creamy, garlicky, rich with just enough sharpness from the cheese and a hint of warmth from the smoked paprika and mustard powder. It’s the kind of sauce you could probably drink with a spoon, but I’ll pretend I’ve never done that.
Why You’ll Love the Sausage Au Gratin Recipe
- Preparing the Au Gratin Potatoes & Ham will only take you 20 minutes, with an additional hour of cooking time, meaning you can have this done in NO time.
- You can expect to enjoy this recipe as long as you enjoy the taste of smoked sausage, ham, and cheese.
- Not only does this meal taste good when served fresh, but you can also store the leftovers and reheat them when hungry. The potatoes, ham, and sausage taste just as good when reheated.
Must-Have Ingredients for This Sausage and Potato Bake
- Russet Potatoes – Start with your russet potatoes, peeling and slicing them into the thinnest pieces.
- Smoked Sausage – The flavor of the smoked sausage makes this dish taste even better.
- Cheddar Cheese – Grab a block of cheddar cheese and use a grater to shred plenty of it.
- Heavy Cream – Use cold heavy cream for your au gratin potatoes.
- Shallot – Begin mincing one shallot into small pieces.
- Flour – Use around three tablespoons of flour to thicken your au gratin potato blend.
- Olive Oil – Drizzle a bit of the olive oil over your ingredients.
Additional ingredients needed to prepare the Au Gratin Potatoes & Ham include smoked paprika, bay leaves, minced garlic, sea salt, black ground pepper, mustard powder, butter, and bread crumbs. You can also use parsley and smoke paprika as a garnish for this recipe.
Au Gratin Potatoes with Sausage Recipe Notes
- Use a mandolin to cut your potatoes into the thinnest slices possible. You should also be cutting your sausage into thin pieces, too.
- Layer your sausage over your potato slices. You can start with the potato slices, followed by some sausage slices, and keep going until you’ve filled your baking dish with both ingredients.
- If you don’t have heavy cream, you can prepare it yourself by combining whole milk with melted butter or you can substitute it with half-and-half.
Potatoes and Ham with Sausage Variations
- Add a bit of heat to this dish by using a spicy sausage. You can use any type of sausage you’d like in this recipe.
- If you want to add extra flavor and a bit of crunchiness to your Au Gratin Potatoes & Ham, consider frying up some bacon, chopping it into small pieces or crumbling it into pieces, and then spreading it over your mixture.
- Consider adding a bit of cream cheese into the mixture for Au Gratin Potatoes & Ham to make it even cheesier and creamier. Of course, this step is optional.
Au Gratin Potatoes & Ham FAQs
What else can I use in this recipe besides bread crumbs?
Instead of using bread crumbs, you can crush some Ritz crackers into crumbled pieces and add them on top for an extra crunch. These crackers have such a salty, buttery taste that will go great with the potatoes, cheese, and sausage.
How will I know when the food is ready to remove from the oven?
Use a knife and poke it through the potatoes. If it glides into the potatoes with ease, they’re ready to enjoy.
Can I use a shredded cheese blend instead of just cheddar cheese?
Yes, feel free to use a cheese blend in this recipe. You can use your favorite types of cheese to give this dish such a great taste.
The Au Gratin Potatoes & Ham is the perfect family meal to enjoy together. It takes 20 minutes to assemble and an hour to cook, leaving you with a homemade meal to enjoy.
The Cheese Sauce: Your New Best Friend
Making a béchamel might sound intimidating if you’ve never done it, but it’s basically just whisking butter, flour, and milk until it turns into something magic. Once you melt in the cheese—especially that smoky cheddar—you’re going to want to slather it on everything. And I support that.
The bay leaves steep in the cream as it simmers, giving this subtle earthiness that balances the richness. They get fished out before the cheese goes in (don’t forget that step), and then everything gets poured over those layers of potatoes and sausage like a warm, velvety blanket.
Don’t Skip the Breadcrumbs
Now, listen—if you’re anything like me, you might be tempted to skip the breadcrumb topping and just go straight for the cheese. But don’t do it. The buttery garlic breadcrumbs on top add the crunch that makes every bite more interesting. It’s that contrast between soft and crispy that keeps you going back for “just one more bite” until the pan’s empty and everyone’s staring at each other like, “Wait…is it gone?”
You bake it covered to let everything get tender and melty, then finish it uncovered so the top gets all golden and crunchy. Throw on a little parsley and a dusting of smoked paprika to make it feel fancy (or just to trick yourself into thinking this wasn’t made in your comfiest sweatpants).
When to Make This
This is the dish for when you want something that sticks to your ribs in the best possible way. It’s great for family dinners, feeding a crowd, or meal prep if you’re into that sort of thing. (Though good luck not eating half the pan by Day 2.)
It’s the casserole version of that one hoodie you never want to take off—cozy, comforting, and somehow always exactly what you need.
Why This Might Be My New Favorite Dinner
If you’re looking for a dish that’s easy to throw together, doesn’t require anything too fancy, and tastes like you put way more effort into it than you actually did—this is it.
Au Gratin Potatoes & Sausage isn’t trying to be trendy or reinvent the wheel. It’s just really, really good food. Simple, crave-worthy, and absolutely the kind of thing that makes you wish you had leftovers (even though you probably won’t).
Serve it up with a crisp green salad if you’re feeling virtuous, or just dive in and call it a meal on its own. Either way, this one’s going into the permanent rotation.
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Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Au Gratin
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Southern Sausage Potatoes & Green Beans
Au Gratin Potatoes & Sausage
Ingredients
- Russet potatoes
- Smoked sausage
- olive oil to drizzle
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- 1 shallot minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk cold
- 1 cup heavy cream cold
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 6 oz smoked Cheddar cheese block grated
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- Chopped parsley as garnish
- Smoked paprika as garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*
- Peel and finely slice the potatoes, using a mandolin to a thin uniform size. Slice the sausage thin.
- Heat a saucepan over medium high heat
- Add butter and melt. Once melted, add minced garlic and shallot. Cook for 2 minutes, then add flour and whisk. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly incorporate the milk and cream, ¼ cup at a time, whisking continuously until completely added.
- Next add the bay leaf and heat until simmering. Whisk often as the sauce cooks.
- Once simmering, cook for 4 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. stir in the cheese until melted.
- Pour a ladle full of cream sauce over the bottom of a ceramic baking dish and cover with a layer of the potato slices and sausage slices, overlapping them slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
- Continue layering until you’ve used all the potatoes. Pour cheese sauce over the potatoes Gently press the potatoes down to help them absorb the liquid.
- Sprinkle with a little more cheese. Top with bread crumbs and bake for 25 minutes covered with foil.
- Combine melted butter, breadcrumbs, and minced garlic. Stir with a fork.
- Remove foil and add breadcrumbs over the top. bake 20-25 more minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and tender when prodded with a sharp knife.
- Garnish with smoked paprika and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
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