Cheese and Potato Bake

This creamy cheese and potato bake is made with white potatoes, sweet potatoes and fried onions. You could also call it a potato and sweet potato gratin. The sweet potatoes add extra flavour to the dish elevating it above your average cheese and onion potato bake recipe. This recipe is super simple and requires just 8 ingredients.

Ingredients

This recipe has just 8 very simple ingredients:

• Cheddar cheese 
• Egg
• Double cream
• Potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Butter
• Onions
• Garlic

How to make cheese and potato bake?

For this recipe I pre-boiled the potatoes. Although this is takes some time it saves the need to have your oven on for too long. If you prefer, you can make this dish without pre-boiling. This, however, can take over an hour and you will need to cover the top with foil to prevent it from burning.

After pre-boiling the potatoes you can layer them with the onions and cheese. Finish by pouring a mixture of cream and egg over the potatoes, sprinkling with cheese, and baking until crispy and golden on top.

Cheese, potato and onion bake: tips

• Do not substitute the double cream for single cream or add milk! It’s no secret that this isn’t a ‘healthy’ dish. Although adding milk or using single cream would reduce the calorie content of this dish it would also vastly reduce its deliciousness. Furthermore, you could end up with a very thin sauce.
• This is a great make-ahead dish. Layer up your potatoes, cheese and onions. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. When you’re ready to cook pour over the egg and cream mix and the last handful of cheese and bake!
• Add your favourite herbs for extra flavour. Why not add a sprinkling of fresh sage or thyme into your bake for extra flavour?

What to to serve with cheese and potato bake?

This bake is delicious enjoyed on its own. However, it also makes an excellent side. Here are some suggestions of what to serve it with:

• Roast dinner. Why not swap out your roast potatoes for this cheesy potato bake? These potatoes would be delicious served with my giant Yorkshire pudding roast dinner.
• This would be the perfect side dish to serve with a pie. Why not make this alongside my creamy mushroom pot pies?
• If you wanted to serve this dish as the main part of a meal it would be great alongside a salad. Why not serve it with this Brussel sprout slaw from Cookie and Kate?
• Mushroom wellington. These potatoes would be an excellent accompaniment to a mushroom wellington, and perhaps some greens. Why not check out this mushroom wellington recipe from the last food blog?
• These cheesy potatoes would also pair well with a roasted cauliflower steak and some fresh greens.

Which potatoes to use for potato bake?

For this recipe it is best to end up with soft, fluffy potatoes. Therefore, you should use a starchy potato. I recommend using Maris Piper, King Edward or Russet potatoes. For the sweet potatoes any potato with orange flesh should work well.

What cheese for potato bake?

I chose to use mature Cheddar for this recipe. It’s sharp taste pairs well with the cream and potatoes. Another great cheese to use would be Gruyère . Gruyère is creamy, nutty and melts well. Alternatively, you could use a mixture of the two cheeses. Additionally, I would recommend sprinkling your bake with a little grated vegetarian Parmesan to add extra nuttiness.

Can you freeze cheese and potato bake?

Dairy products, unfortunately, do not freeze well. When dairy freezes the water and fat separate and change the product’s texture. For this reason I would not recommend freezing your cheese and potato bake.

Similar recipes

For more cheesy recipes try these out:

• Spicy rigatoni pasta bake
• Goat cheese, apricot and walnut panini
• Comforting Christmas pasta bake

For more recipes with potatoes try these out:

• Vegan roast dinner
• Giant Yorkshire pudding roast dinner
• Broccoli and potato Caesar salad
• Couscous sweet potato salad

Cheese and Potato Bake

5 from 1 vote

Potatoes and sweet potatoes layered with cheese and onions baked in a creamy sauce. Perfect as a side dish for a roast dinner or as part of a lunch.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 large portions

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Calories: 564

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 135g mature Cheddar cheese or Gruyère grated
• 1 egg
• 180ml double cream
• 450g medium to large potatoes unpeeled weight
• 450g medium to large sweet potatoes unpeeled weight
• 30g butter
• 2 medium onions
• 1 garlic clove grated

Equipment

• 1 medium-large shallow baking dish oval shaped, if possible

Method

 

1. Peel and finely slice both types of potatoes, around 2-3mm thick. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water whilst you bring a large pot of water to the boil.
2. Once boiling drain the potatoes and carefully tip into the boiling pot of water. Boil for 3 minutes and drain. Set aside to cool.
3. Peel and finely slice the onions. Melt the butter in a medium-sized frying pan and fry the onions over a medium heat until soft and starting to lightly brown, stirring often for around 15 minutes.
4. Add in the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes.
5. Whilst the onions are cooking, preheat the oven to 200℃/180℃ fan (390℉/355℉).
6. Grease the baking dish with butter or neutral tasting oil.
7. Arrange 1/3 of the potatoes in concentric circles on the bottom of the dish. Spoon over half of the onions, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Layer another 1/3 of the potatoes. Top with the rest of the onions, another 1/3 of the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Top with the final layer of potatoes.
8. Beat the egg into the cream with a fork. Pour it over the potatoes and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
9. Bake the potatoes for 35 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling.