The Ultimate Potato Gratin
The Ultimate Potato Gratin
I call this the ultimate potato gratin because it’s that rare baked potato dish that I consider to be a showstopper, especially as a hearty side to roasted meats in the fall and winter. With this method, salted cream infused with garlic soaks into the potatoes as they bake. As if that’s not enough, it’s topped with a layer of Gruyère cheese, which bubbles and browns to form a decadent crust. My advice: don’t soak the potatoes in water—you need their starch to thicken the sauce.
Ingrediënten
Serves 8 to 10 as a side
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 7 russet potatoes peeled, rinsed, and cut into ÂĽ-inch slices
- 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
Instructies
It helps to know: This recipe requires an 8 by 12-inch gratin dish.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- In a medium pot on medium heat, combine the cream, garlic, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Taste the cream every few minutes until it transforms from tasting very salty to tasting strongly of garlic, about 10 minutes.
- Strain over a large bowl.
- Discard the garlic and set the bowl of infused cream aside.
- Don’t be alarmed if the cream tastes far too salty at this point; the potatoes will soak up the salt as they bake.
- Coat the bottom and sides of your baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the butter, then cover the bottom with a thin layer of infused cream.
- Spread a layer of potatoes on top of the cream, overlapping the slices to resemble shingles.
- Add just enough cream to cover the potatoes.
- Continue this process, adding layers of cream, then potatoes, then cream, then potatoes, until you’ve filled your gratin dish (you may not use all of the potato slices).
- Dot the surface of the dish with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, placing small pieces of butter evenly across the top.
- Cover with aluminum foil, making sure the foil doesn’t touch the surface of the potatoes.
- Use a knife to poke holes in the top to allow some steam to escape.
- Place the gratin dish on a baking sheet to save you from a mess in your oven if the cream bubbles over.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake until the surface starts to brown, about 20 minutes.
- Top with the Gruyère and bake until the cheese is melted and browned, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the dish from your oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
