Potatoes are plants that have starchy tubers and are consumed in most parts of the world as a major source of carbohydrates. They are considered a staple food by most people similar to rice, corn, and wheat. They originated in Peru and were brought to Europe by Spanish sailors. Aside from carbohydrates, potatoes also contains phytochemicals such as phenols and carotenoids, potassium, thiamin, folate, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, iron, zinc, and phosphorous.
They are also rich in dietary fiber which protects against colon cancer, lowers cholesterol, and helps reduce fat.
Potatoes are used to make vodka and other alcoholic drinks, and industrial uses have also been found for them. They are most commonly prepared as food, though, whether whole or sliced, peeled or not, seasoned or unseasoned. Two popular ways to prepare potatoes are as scalloped potatoes or au gratin potatoes. Scalloped potatoes are a type of casserole which has several different versions including American and Irish ones. It is likely a mixture of many influences, and recipe books each have their own takes.
Au gratin potatoes have a much more definitive origin story. This famed recipe made its first appearance at a sophisticated state dinner and supposedly included a little bit of Gruyere cheese! Like many French culinary contributions, there is still some debate among world-renowned chefs regarding which cheese au gratin potatoes should include.
Origin aside, the word gratin itself refers to the culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust.
A prime example from our own archives combines potatoes and Brussels sprouts for a creamy and cheesy alternative with the added health benefits of veggies. A rather traditional gratin is crunchy asparagus topped with cheese and broiled until crispy.
Easy, delicious, and very much au gratin! These dishes are often topped using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg, or butter to achieve that signature first-bite crunch. While the origin of these two dishes is still a bit cloudy, we can tell you how they became a staple side dish in the American household. Potatoes are a robust, high-yield crop known for their caloric density and starchy satisfaction that can feed a lot of people fast, which was perfect to help America grow in the 20th century.
By the s, America found its green thumb, and potatoes were growing heartier than ever. As time progressed, and with more available time and money, old potato recipes were set aside for newer, fancier preparations like au gratin and scalloped potatoes. We can thank Betty Crocker for making these technical dishes a daily possibility for American families and were a big help as women headed off to the workforce. The humble American origins of these dishes may not match those of French nobility, but they have earned their rightful place as some of our most unforgettable comfort foods.
I strongly suggest passing over the nutritional information and embrace every single bite of these delectably cheesy potato dishes- they are definitely not for anyone counting calories. However, with all the similarities in these two potato dishes, you can be assured that their nutritional values are quite similar. With the sheer amount of available fall vegetable varieties, creamy and cheesy potatoes might not be the perfect choice if you are creating a healthy meal for your family or friends.
And while it is handy to know the difference between scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin especially if you're ordering them at a restaurant , it is not a crime to get the names of these dishes mixed up. We'll admit that our own test kitchen does it sometimes—you'll find many recipes for scalloped potatoes with cheese on our site like the video above. And we've even published a Potato Au Gratin Casserole made with frozen hash browns, tons of cheese, and a cornflake topping.
It's absolutely unorthodox and completely delicious. By Lisa Cericola. Gratin is a French word that means the crust that forms on top of a dish when you brown it in the oven or under the broiler. Potatoes au gratin are slices of pre-cooked usually boiled potato cooked in cream and topped with cheese which makes the gratin. Gratin Dauphinoise, on the other hand, is a dish made of thinly-sliced not pre-cooked potatoes that cook in cream.
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