This crispy-topped sliced potato bake is creamy and cheesy with subtle flavours of garlic, leek and chipotle. They are so wonderful to serve as a comforting side dish on the weekend or for a special occasion.
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This sliced potato bake is my take on scalloped potatoes or potatoes au gratin but not as rich or heavy. The potatoes are thinly sliced and arranged in an accordion snail fashion in a round skillet, giving this dish such a gorgeous appearance. They look a bit like hassleback potatoes. Yes, it’s a bit of a process to get those thin potato slices tightly packed into the baking dish but the result is worth it!
The flavour comes from the cream sauce infused with garlic, leek and smoky chipotle. Topped with cheese and baked until crispy, soft and gooey, this baked potato skillet recipe is comforting and irresistibly delicious.
I hope you will love this potato bake as much as me and my family.
👉 For more potato recipes, check out this crispy smashed potato salad, country skillet potatoes, roasted Greek potatoes with feta and peppers, or these fun Spanish tortilla egg potato muffins.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you will need for this potato bake. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Potatoes – you can use regular brushed potatoes such as Sebago or Yukon Gold. These need to be scrubbed clean as we’re keeping the skin on during baking. If you want, you can of course peel the potatoes first. Potatoes need to be sliced thinly and evenly.
- For the cream sauce – this is the sauce that you pour over the potatoes and that gets absorbed into the spuds while you cook, so the idea is to make it flavourful AND creamy. As such, you will be using cream and milk, plus garlic, leek, salt, and pepper to infuse the sauce with flavour.
- Chipotle in adobo – this is an optional addition to the cream sauce. It’s a popular ingredient used in Mexican and Southwestern cuisines and consists of chipotle peppers, which are smoke-dried jalapeños, that have been rehydrated and canned in a sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, salt, and spices. The peppers are smoky, spicy, and slightly sweet and can be used to add depth and heat to a variety of dishes.
- Cheese – I like a mixture of Cheddar and Parmesan which melts into the potatoes as they bake, adding to the flavour and creaminess of the dish. You will also need a little bit of butter.
Variations & Substituions
- Make a Swedish version: Instead of using smoky chipotle, add 3 salted anchovies to the cream mixture but keep them out when straining; this will add wonderful umami flavour without the fishiness.
- Make it extra garlicky: Add extra chopped garlic in between potato rows.
- Add some bacon: Fry up bacon rashers until crispy, chop into small pieces and add in between potatoes.
- Lower-calorie version: instead of heavy cream, use light cream or light sour cream and light milk. Replace the melted butter at the end with olive oil or light olive oil spray to reduce the overall fat content and thus the calories. You can also opt for reduced-fat or part-skim cheese options.
- Tomato version: Instead of using creamy baking sauce, make 1-2 cups of seasoned tomato broth. Combine 1 cup of vegetable stock with 1 cup of tomato passata or marinara sauce, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, herbs and a little olive oil and pour over the potatoes. Then add the cheese as in the dairy version.
- Vegan creamy variation: Substitute the heavy cream and milk with plant-based alternatives like oat or almond milk and some vegetable stock. Use vegan cheese or nutritional yeast as a replacement for the cheddar and Parmesan cheese. Replace the butter with a vegan butter substitute or extra-virgin olive oil. Omit the chipotle in adobo or use a vegan-friendly alternative like chipotle hot sauce.
How To Make Potato Bake With Sliced Potatoes
Jump to the full recipe card below for more detailed instructions, ingredients list and nutrition info.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a cast iron skillet or round baking dish.
- Heat heavy cream, milk, minced garlic, chipotle in adobo, and leeks over medium heat in a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper without boiling.
- Strain the mixture using a fine sieve and set aside. You will pour it over the potatoes once they are sliced and arranged in the skillet.
- Use a mandolin or a sharp knife to cut the potatoes into 2mm-thick slices. Discard the end slices of each potato and place them in stacks on a work surface. Arrange the slices standing on their sides, 1 stack at a time, in tightly packed rows in the prepared skillet or casserole dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Sprinkle cheese mixture between potato rows and pour the hot cream mixture over potatoes until evenly covered.
- Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 60 minutes or until tender. Remove foil, brush potatoes with melted butter, and bake for another 20 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Let rest for a few minutes, then sprinkle with fresh herbs, optional sea salt, and black pepper.
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Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet or baking casserole dish
- 1 sheet of foil
Ingredients
- 2 lbs potatoes about 900 grams, skin on, washed, dried and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the baking cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 chipotle in adobo minced (optional)
- 1 leek white and light green parts, washed and sliced, see notes*
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Extra toppings
- 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs parsley, thyme or rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a cast iron skillet.
- In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream, milk, minced garlic, minced chipotle in adobo, and sliced leeks over medium heat. Add salt and pepper. Do not boil, just heat it enough for the flavors to blend.
- Strain the milk and cream mixture using a fine sieve and set aside.
- In the cast iron, place the potato slices vertically, side by side, forming rows. You may need to press them slightly to keep them in a vertical position. Once all potato slices are in, sprinkle evenly with ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Between each row of potatoes, sprinkle a portion of the cheese mixture.
- Pour the hot flavored cream mixture over the potatoes, making sure to cover all the slices. If you run out of cream mixture, add a little extra water.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove the aluminum foil and brush the top of the potatoes with melted butter. Return the dish to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden and crisp.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. Sprinkle the chopped fresh herbs on top. I also like to sprinkle a little bit of sea salt and extra black pepper but these are optional.
Notes
- Leeks can be replaced with regular sliced onion.
- You can adjust the amount of chipotle in adobo according to your desired level of spiciness or leave them out completely.
- Make sure to slice the potatoes thinly to ensure even cooking.
- Using a cast iron skillet will help achieve a crispy texture on the potatoes.
- Storage tips: Allow the potato bake to cool to room temperature after cooking. Avoid leaving it out for more than 2 hours to prevent bacterial growth. Consider dividing it into portions for easier reheating. For short-term storage, refrigerate the potato bake for 3-5 days. For long-term storage, freeze it. Wrap the container in foil or plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn and store it for up to 3 months; remember to label.
This recipe is perfection, I prepared this recipe and my family loves it. Will make more of this, thanks for sharing
You just can’t beat a savory potato dish like this one! This side dish is always requested in my household. Thanks, Irena, for another great recipe.
Oh my goodness, these pictures are so amazing that as soon as I saw this post, I just had to make this dish right away! The cheesiness of the dish is so comforting!
Irena, can I just say how much I love the flavor and texture of this dish!!! I got a lot of compliments for how pretty it was as well, just so lovely.
Anything with potatoes already has my attention, so I knew I had to make this as soon as I saw it. It was cheesy, savory, creamy, just as you described it. Definitely making it again!
A very impressive dish!