Updated for 2026 – The JewBelong Passover Haggadah!
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Bring a little Italian flair to your Jewish Thanksgiving table with this creamy, pepper-forward potato gratin. Thinly sliced potatoes get coated in a rich cacio e pepe cream sauce, then baked until golden and bubbly. Bold, flavorful, and irresistibly comforting, it’s the kind of side dish that makes everyone at the table ask for seconds — and maybe even thirds.
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375ºF. Coat a 9×13-inch or other 3-quart baking dish with butter.
Finely grate 6 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese if needed, or measure out 1 1/2 cups store-bought grated. Peel and thinly slice 3 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes with a knife or on a mandolin into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Place in a large bowl. Finely chop 1 large shallot (scant 1 cup).
Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and season with 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is soft and translucent and the pepper is fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add 2 cups heavy cream and 1/4 cup water, stir to combine, and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove the pan from the heat. While whisking constantly, add 1 cup of the cheese a few tablespoons at a time, and whisk until the sauce is smooth.
Transfer the sauce to the bowl of potatoes and toss thoroughly to coat. Arrange half of the potato mixture in the baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheese and a few generous grinds of black pepper. Arrange the remaining potato mixture over the top. Pour the remaining sauce from the bowl evenly over the potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and grind another generous amount of black pepper over the surface.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes.
Uncover the baking dish. Increase the oven temperature to 425ºF. Bake until the top is browned and the sauce has thickened slightly, 20 to 25 minutes more. Let the gratin cool for 10 minutes before serving, the sauce will thicken as it cools.
