Gratin Dauphinois

We have been meaning to jot down this recipe for some time, and then we received a request for it, so here we go!

In Spain, it seems that the potatoes are perfect for Gratin Dauphinois and it has become something of a favourite for us. In the UK, I never quite managed to get the perfect result. In my opinion, you need a good firm potato, one with a waxy texture rather than the type that goes floury when boiled. It also helps that the potatoes here have a wonderful flavour.

Some purists also suggest that you shouldn’t rinse the potatoes once you have sliced them, but I always do.

Anyway, this is my recipe and if you don’t like it…

Ingredients

Enough potatoes for the number of people you expect to feed! For two people, I select 3 medium-to-large potatoes, and this provides left-overs!
A clove of garlic.
Single or double pouring cream.
Strong cheddar or manchego cheese, grated
A pinch of salt.

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 centigrade.

Peel the potatoes and then slice them as thinly as possible. It is important that the slices are very thin!

Rinse them under cold water and strain well. Then spread the slices out onto a clean, dry tea-towel or cloth and dab with kitchen roll to dry all the slices as much as you can. You don’t want excess moisture during the cooking process.

Take a fairly shallow oven-proof dish, cut the clove of garlic in half and rub each half all around the base and sides of the dish.

Arrange half of the potato slices in the dish and then sprinkle a little salt and a layer of grated cheese on top of these first layers of potatoes. Add the remaining potato slices, another sprinkle of salt and a generous layer of grated cheese.

Gradually pour over the cream until the level of cream becomes visible beneath the top layer or two of potatoes; don’t fill right to the top as it will all bubble over when cooking.

Place in the oven and cook for around 1 hour. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover with some foil and reduce the oven temperature a little. Depending on the depth of the dish and the number of potatoes you have used, you may need to leave them in the oven for a little longer until you can easily dig into the potato deliciousness with a fork. Most of the cream will have soaked into the potatoes, but there should still be some liquid, and the top will be a golden, bubbling, creamy yum.

You can bake this dish in advance, and then just reheat it thoroughly before serving.

We particularly love gratin dauphinois with these dishes:

Beef Goulash with a Spanish Twist

Carilleras de Cerdo al Pedro Ximénez

and you don’t need too large a portion of either as they are all rich. New Year, New Me! Let’s eat…