French Onion Soup Potatoes (Printable)

Roasted potato slices with caramelized onions and melted Gruyère cheese, inspired by classic French flavors.

# What You'll Need:

→ Potatoes

01 - 3.3 lbs Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/3 inch thick
02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1/2 tsp kosher salt
04 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Caramelized Onions

05 - 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
06 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
07 - 1 tbsp olive oil
08 - 1/2 tsp kosher salt
09 - 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
10 - 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

→ Topping

11 - 7 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
12 - 1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
13 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Toss potato slices with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping once, until golden and tender.
03 - While potatoes roast, heat butter and 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and salt; cook, stirring often, for 25-30 minutes until deeply golden and caramelized. Stir in thyme and balsamic vinegar; cook 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
04 - Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.
05 - Arrange roasted potato slices in a lightly greased baking dish, slightly overlapping. Spoon caramelized onions evenly over the potatoes. Sprinkle Gruyère (and Parmesan, if using) over the top.
06 - Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.
07 - Let cool slightly. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like French onion soup's sophisticated cousin but requires way less babysitting and no bread bowl negotiations.
  • The combination of crispy potato edges and creamy cheese center hits that sweet spot between comfort and elegance.
  • You can prep everything ahead and just bake it when you're ready, which secretly makes you look like a kitchen wizard.
02 -
  • Caramelizing onions is genuinely a 30-minute commitment and there's no real shortcut; rushing them over high heat gives you brown onions, not caramelized ones, and that's a completely different thing.
  • Don't skip flipping the potatoes halfway through roasting because the bottom side needs that direct heat to get crispy, and it actually makes a visible difference in texture.
  • If your cheese isn't bubbling and starting to brown at the edges after 15 minutes, give it another 5; an underbaked cheese top feels sad and doesn't have that slight crust that makes this dish special.
03 -
  • A splash of dry white wine stirred into the onions during caramelization adds a subtle complexity that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is.
  • If you don't have a mandoline or patience for knife work, a food processor's slicing blade gets potatoes thin and even in seconds.
  • Letting the cheese bubble for just a minute longer than you think necessary creates those browned, crispy edges that honestly make the entire dish worth making.
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