Gratin Dauphinois
Serves 6
I’m certain that this is the most delicious potato dish ever conceived.
A mandolin makes short work of the potatoes and will ensure thin, uniform slices. The other thing to know about this recipe is that if the oven is too hot, the cream will boil and curdle. The potatoes will certainly taste fine, but will be less attractive and missing their creamy sauce.
Don’t be tempted to use more cheese - this is not a cheese dish, really. You just want enough to help meld the layers together and add a nutty richness. Too much will make the gratin greasy.
Ingredients #
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp. softened butter
- 5 tbsp. butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
- 2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and sliced 1/8” thick
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmeggiano Regiano
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions #
Preheat the oven to 300 F.
Mix the Gruyere and Parmegiano Regiano.
Cut the garlic clove in half, and rub the cut side over the inside of a 10 x 10” baking dish or comparably sized oval baking dish. Mince the rest of the clove very finely and set aside.
Butter the inside of the dish with the tbsp. of softened butter. Arrange a layer of potatoes in the baking dish and season it with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with some cheese, a few bits of garlic, and a few cubes of butter. Repeat this layering until you’ve used all the potatoes. Be sure to have some cheese left for the top.
In a small saucepan, bring the cream almost to a simmer over medium heat. Carefully pour the cream into the baking dish, and place the dish in the middle of the preheated oven for 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Check occasionally to see that the cream only barely simmers.
When the potatoes are tender all the way through and most of the cream has been absorbed, the potatoes should be beautifully brown on top. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.