The Difference between Potatoes Au Gratin & Scalloped Potatoes

Potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes are side dishes.

Potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes are most often served as side dishes, but can be served as a main dish by adding ham or smoked sausage. They can be prepared in the oven, in a crock pot or on the stove top and can be made from scratch or from a pre-made package.

Potatoes Au Gratin

The phrase "au gratin" means "with cheese," so potatoes au gratin is a dish that has potatoes and cheese as main ingredients. A basic recipe for potatoes au gratin uses thinly sliced potatoes, onion, butter, flour, salt, milk and cheddar cheese to make a casserole-type dish.

Scalloped Potatoes

There are many recipe variations for scalloped potatoes, but all include potatoes and some type of cream and seasonings. A typical recipe for scalloped potatoes calls for thinly sliced potatoes, heavy cream, milk, garlic, thyme, nutmeg and black pepper. A common recipe variation uses creamy condensed soup in place of heavy cream.

The Difference

Potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes are both forms of creamy sliced potatoes cooked with seasonings. Although there are many different recipe variations for each, the difference between them is that scalloped potatoes never have cheese and potatoes au gratin always have cheese.

References

• FineCooking: Classic Scalloped Potatoes
• AllRecipes: Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes