The potato and cream side dish everybody loves.

The gratin Dauphinois (potato gratin) is French specialty from the town of Grenoble and it is made out of top quality potatoes thinly sliced evenly, with garlic and cream. This might be hard to take, but the authentic gratin dauphinois NEVER contains cheese.

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg potatoes

• 300 ml (10 fl oz) pure cream

• 200 ml (6.8 fl oz) milk

• 25 g (0.9 oz) butter

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp salt

• 2 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp nutmeg

NOTES

• I have noticed that temperature efficiency varies and sometime you will have to leave you gratin longer than the recommended 90 minutes. Check by piercing the potatoes with a knife to see how cooked they are before you take them out of the oven. When perfectly cooked the potatoes should not give any resistance and should feel soft to cut, a simple round knife should slice through like butter.

• For best results use a medium size dish.

PROCEDURE

1. Wash and peel the potatoes, then slice them using either a mandolin or a food processor into 3 to 4-millimeter thick slices. Once sliced, set them aside in a bowl without washing to preserve the starch, which will blend with the cream and act as a binding agent, causing the potatoes to stick together.

2. Peel the garlic cloves, ensuring you remove the green germ in the middle. Then, use the garlic clove to rub the inside of your dish and generously coat it with butter. Once well-coated, set the dish aside. In a saucepan, mix the cream and milk thoroughly and set aside.

3. Using a small ladle, pour a small amount of the cream mixture at the bottom of your dish. Fill the dish with one layer of sliced potatoes, ensuring you cover the entirety of the dish. Season the top of the potatoes with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. Add a second layer of potatoes on top, season again, and repeat the process until you use all the sliced potatoes. For each layer, you can add a little cream between the potatoes. Finish by pouring the remaining cream over the top, ensuring it just about covers the top layer of potatoes.

4. Place the potato gratin in the oven on the middle tray and bake for 120 to 150 minutes, depending on the thickness of your slices, at 160 °C (300 °F). Once cooked, let the gratin cool down for an hour before serving.