This is my Aunt Elaine’s four-ingredient potato au gratin cup recipe, copied straight from her handwritten card dated 1958. She made these tidy little portions in a muffin tin for every bridge club meeting, because they were elegant enough for company but simple enough to pull together between hands.

There’s something quietly charming about recipes that come from handwritten cards—slightly stained, edges softened by decades of use, instructions shortened because the cook never needed full sentences to remember what mattered.

This particular recipe is one of those: Aunt Elaine’s four-ingredient potato au gratin cups, dated 1958, written in neat cursive on a pale index card tucked inside a tin box. She didn’t make it in a casserole dish like most people. Instead, she portioned everything into muffin tins—perfect little golden servings that looked refined enough for guests, yet were simple enough to prepare between rounds at her bridge club.

What follows is a faithful recreation of that method, preserving its simplicity and its quiet elegance.

Aunt Elaine’s Four-Ingredient Potato Au Gratin Cups

What makes them special

Instead of a heavy, scooped casserole, these are individual potato gratin cups—crispy on the edges, creamy in the center, and perfectly portioned. They bake faster, serve cleaner, and feel just a little more special than the traditional version.

The 4 Ingredients

• Russet potatoes (thinly sliced)
• Heavy cream
• Butter
• Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt (Aunt Elaine never counted this as an “ingredient,” but it’s essential)

That’s it. No flour, no complicated seasoning blends—just simple pantry staples doing all the work.

Step-by-Step Method

1. Prepare the oven and muffin tin

Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F).

Generously butter a standard muffin tin. This step matters more than it seems—Aunt Elaine always said the edges are “where the character lives,” and butter is what creates that golden crust.

2. Slice the potatoes thinly

Peel the potatoes and slice them as thinly as possible—about 1–2 mm thick.

The thinner the slices, the more delicate and layered the cups will be. If you have a mandoline, this is its moment to shine.

Place the slices in a bowl of cold water while you prepare everything else. This removes excess starch and helps them bake evenly.

3. Create the cream base

In a small bowl or measuring jug, combine:

• Heavy cream
• A pinch of salt

That’s it. No seasoning overload—Aunt Elaine believed the potatoes and cheese would “speak for themselves.”

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