Recipe · By Marc Dessein · 28 October 2026

Paul Bocuse's gratin dauphinois, with milk, eggs and Comté

Name: Paul Bocuse's gratin dauphinois, with milk, eggs and Comté
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 kg potatoes, such as Bintje; 1 knob of butter for the dish; 2 garlic cloves; 1 pinch of nutmeg; 2 eggs; 1 litre milk; 250 g Comté, Emmental or Gruyère; salt and pepper

Golden cheesy potato gratin in a baking dish

Total timeAbout 1 h 50
Cook1 h 30
Serves4 as a main (6 as a side)
OriginFrance

Per serving (estimate): about 660 kcal, 34 g protein

In the Vercors, gratin dauphinois is made without cheese. Paul Bocuse made his with milk, eggs and Comté, and baked it slowly, for an hour and a half at 150 °C. The potato slices are thin, 2 mm, so they melt during that long cooking.

The potatoes cook gently in the egg and milk and turn meltingly soft. The mixture sets a little, like a custard, and the top forms a golden cheese crust.

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Peel and wash the potatoes, then pat them dry. Cut them into 2 mm slices with a mandoline or a very sharp knife.
Peel the garlic and rub it all over the gratin dish. Butter the dish.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Grate the cheese.
Pour a little of the milk mixture into the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of potatoes, then scatter over some grated cheese. Keep going until everything is used up, finishing with cheese.
Bake for about 1 h 30. If the top browns too fast, cover it with foil.

Serve hot.