Dauphinoise potatoes are one of the creamiest and cheesiest potato dishes ever. This classic French casserole-like meal indulges all the senses and pairs awesomely with your favorite roasted meat.
The dish is made with cheese, heavy cream, and tasty Yukon gold potatoes and flavors of nutmeg, garlic, and bay leaves. All of the ingredients are covered with shreds of Gruyere cheese (the cheese sauce) and everything is baked until golden and bubbly.
Although it quickly disappears from the table, there are moments when we prepare too much and end up with leftovers. If this happens to you as well, you’re probably curious about proper storage and whether you should put the leftovers in the fridge or in the freezer.
The good news is that you needn’t throw away the leftovers just yet: there are practical ways to preserve this homemade dish and prolong its flavor and quality.
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Can You Freeze Dauphinoise Potatoes?
Since it’s not recommended to freeze raw potatoes, it’s always recommended to fully- or half-bake the dish before freezing it. Once it cools down, the dish can be stored in the freezer.
Raw potatoes aren’t freezer-friendly because the freezing process converts the starch inside the potatoes into sugar. In return, the potatoes become very sweet. However, once they’re cooked, this sweetness lowers.
Dauphinoise potatoes can be frozen for up to a month. But, if you freeze them with all the cheese and cream, you will notice changes in texture due to the freezing. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to freeze the dish without the cheese sauce.
When you want to freeze dauphinoise potatoes, it’s best to cook the potatoes and prepare the dish, but add the cheese sauce once the content defrosts and before warming it up.
You can prepare the cheese sauce while the potatoes are defrosting and then pour it over them.
The flavor will be rich thanks to the fresh sauce. If you freeze the whole dish, including the cheese sauce, there may be a slight change in its texture once it defrosts.
How to Freeze Dauphinoise Potatoes?
Freezing this dish without the cheese sauce is considered the better option. This is because the sauce tends to split when it freezes. By freezing the dish without it, you ensure its deliciousness and freshness.
To freeze dauphinoise potatoes without the cheese sauce, follow these steps:
- Cook and then cool the potatoes. Add everything except for the dairy. Make sure you adjust the temperature and timing accordingly with the lack of sauce. Once the dish has cooked and cooled down, it’s time for the second step.
- It’s time to wrap the cooked dish in layers of cling film. This will ensure the dish is airtight. Once this step is finished, proceed to the last one.
- Now, you can freeze the dish. Don’t forget to label the packages with the date and content. This will ease the orientation with the content and the dates. You can keep the potatoes in the freezer like this for a year.
Dauphinoise potatoes can be frozen along with cheese. Although the taste and texture after the defrosting won’t be optimal, this is a time-saving option.
If you wish to freeze dauphinoise potatoes with the sauce, here are the steps you should follow for optimal outcome:
- Cook and then cool the dish entirely before you go onto the second step.
- Once the dauphinoise potatoes have cooled down, it’s time to wrap them well. You can set them into freezer-safe containers or keep them in the current container, but make sure it’s a freezer-friendly one. Once it’s all packed and ready, it’s time to put them in the freezer.
- Don’t forget to label the containers with the date and what’s inside. Put them in the freezer. You can keep them there for up to a month or two.
How to Defrost Dauphinoise Potatoes?
When you plan to eat the dauphinoise potatoes, take them out of the freezer and set them to defrost entirely in the fridge. The best time to do this is overnight so that they’re ready for the next day.
If you have frozen them without the cheese sauce, you can add it once the dish has defrosted. Once this step is done, you can warm up the dish in the oven or in the microwave.
Otherwise, you just proceed to the reheating step.
Can You Reheat Dauphinoise Potatoes After Freezing?
Frozen dauphinoise potatoes can be reheated after they’ve been taken out of the freezer.
To warm up this tasty dish, you need to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and set the dauphinoise potatoes inside. Bake them for 12 to 15 minutes until hot and the cheese is melted.
You can also choose the microwave for reheating and this is a really convenient and quick option. Reheat it for several minutes in bursts until the cheese has melted and the dish is piping hot.
Can You Refreeze Dauphinoise Potatoes?
When it comes to refreezing dauphinoise potatoes, it’s not recommended to do it.
In the worst-case scenario, you could fall ill and the dish won’t taste any good. If you can’t consume the dish within 24 hours of defrosting, it’s better to discard it.
Tips You Need to Know Before Freezing Dauphinoise Potatoes
Once you know that dauphinoise potatoes are freezer-friendly, here are some extra tips you should know to ensure optimal freezing:
- Cream and cheese, especially the cheesy sauce for this dish, don’t freeze optimally. It tends to split and develop grains. This is why we recommend preparing the sauce after defrosting. Once it’s ready, you can pour it over the dish and warm it up.
- To prevent air from getting inside the dish, wrap it well using layers of cling film and tin foil.
- It’s always better to defrost the dish slowly. Keeping it in the fridge overnight is one of the best ways to defrost this yummy dish and have it ready for the oven or microwave.
Final Thoughts
Dauphinoise potatoes are a creamy and tasty dish that opens up all the senses and makes every get-together with family and friends special.
This is why we often prepare a bit more than we actually consume: it’s so yummy and irresistible! The good news is that this dish is freezer-friendly and it can be stored there for up to a month.
You can freeze it with or without the cheese sauce, although it’s recommendable to do it without because this sauce doesn’t freeze well.
The dish can be easily defrosted in the fridge and then warmed up in the oven or in the microwave and enjoyed by the whole family!
