Everyone needs a good recipe for potato gratin. It’s a really good side dish for many proteins and it’s even really good with a bit of fresh salad on the side. This potato gratin has tons of flavour because we first infuse the milk and cream before taking it to the oven.
I made this potato gratin for my family on Christmas Eve and they LOVED IT. It’s full of flavour and it also has gruyère cheese at the center and top so it goes golden. You could also use a mix of parmesan and gruyère if you prefer.
I sprinkled a few thyme leaves on top after it came out of the oven but it’s completely optional :). Aside from that you could also add cooked leek of onions to the potato mix.
The potatoes go really nice and soft and with the cream and milk everything is just extremely smooth and delicious.
Potato Gratin or Dauphinoise Potatoes
Ingredients
- 500 ml whole milk
- 500 ml whipping cream
- 1/2 onion, cut in half
- 2 peeled garlic cloves
- 1 bayleaf
- 2 cloves
- 4 peppercorns
- salt and pepper
- 150 g gruyère cheese, freshly grated
- 1 1/2 kg potatoes, peeled and cut in 3mm slices
Instructions
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Put the cream, milk, onion, garlic cloves, bayleaf, cloves and peppercorns in a pot on medium-low heat for 15min starting from the moment where you see lots of steam coming out.
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Pass through a sieve and season. When you try the milk you should feel that the level of salt is slightly higher than you like because potatoes take lots of salt before you can feel it.
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Put a bit of milk at the base of the mould so the first layer of potatoes doesn't stick.
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On top of that lay 2 layers of potato slices.
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On top of that add more of the milk until you can see it peeking through the potatoes. Then add salt, pepper and a bit of grated cheese.
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Repeat these layers until you use all the potatoes and reserve some cheese for the top for later on.
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Flatten out the potatoes using a spatula, cover with cling film and take to a preheated oven at 180C for 40min-1hour or until the potatoes are well cooked. You know they're done when you can easily put a knife through the layers.
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Halfway through the cooking process remove the tin foil and check if it has dried too much; you should be able to see milk and cream peaking though the potatoes. If it needs more liquid, fill with the excess you had left. Also flatten the potatoes once again, put the foil back on and into the oven to finish cooking.
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Remove the tin foil and add the rest of the cheese.
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Return to the oven until it's golden on top, about 15-20min.
