Gratin Dauphinois - Classic French Potatoes Baked in Cream |
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Prep Time: 40 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Minutes |
Ready In: 41 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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Very simple with no cheese topping or onions, just potatoes, butter, and cream, with a bit of garlic. Optional - If you add cheese to this dish, it will become a Gratin Savoyard. The recipe originated in the Dauphine, a region of mountains, forests, and pasturelands that lies between the Savoy with its alpine lakes and snowy peaks, and Provence, home to sunshine and lavender. Serve with meat or poultry. Note: Make sure your baking dish is large enough to allow the cream to completely cover the potatoes. Adapted from Williams-Sonoma. Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves |
3 1/2 lbs charlotte potatoes or 3 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled |
salt & freshly ground black pepper |
1 1/4 cups heavy double cream or 1 1/4 cups whipping cream |
2 cups grated gruyere cheese (optional) |
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits |
2 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh chives and flat-leaf italian parsley |
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
2. Rub a large 3-qt. (3-l) baking dish about 3 1/2 inches deep with a split garlic clove and butter generously.
3. Chop the garlic.
4. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible, about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Blot the slices dry with paper towels.
5. Spread a layer of potatoes in the prepared dish, slightly overlapping them if desired, and sprinkle with salt & pepper; cover evenly with a small amount of cream, and sprinkle with a little chopped garlic (sprinkle layers and top with grated gruyere cheese, if using).
6. Repeat the layering until all the potatoes and garlic are used and the potatoes are completely submerged by the cream.
7. Dot with small bits of butter.
8. Bake in the hot preheated oven for a good hour, then increase the temperature to 400F (200C) for the last 15-20 minutes until the potatoes have absorbed all of the cream and the top has turned a nice golden brown in color.
9. Serve in the cooking dish straight from the oven, sprinkling each portion with some of the chives and parsley.
10. Menu idea: Serve with steak, peaches in red wine and a beaujolais wine to drink!
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