Gratin Dauphinois

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Le Gratin Dauphinois is one of the most typical side dishes served in French restaurants all over the world. It is delicious and with such delicate flavours that can be combined with almost everything.

It does take some time to prepare, so we usually have it for a big dinner with family or at special occasions. But despite the hard work, it is definitely worth it.

Ingredients:

• 1,5 Kg potatoes

• 1 liter Milk

• 150 grams butter

• 30 grams Crème Fraîche

• 2 garlic cloves

• salt & pepper

• nutmeg or muscat nut

Preparation (1,5 hours)

• Start by cleaning and slicing the potatoes into thin layers with a thickness of 2-3mm. I use the Kitchen Aid Slicer to do it, but a manual solution works also fine.

• Slice the garlic cloves and put aside

• In a large casserole pour the milk, sliced garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook at medium heat until it boils. Then introduce the sliced potatoes and cook for about 10 to 15 min, at reduced heat (be careful, it can burn quickly)

• Once tender, remove the potatoes with a draining spoon and place them in a large oven dish. Cover the potatoes with the Crème Fraîche and add the butter in small cubes.

• Cook in the oven at 180ºC for 1 hour. Cover the dish with aluminum foil the first 30 min if using Upper and lower heat.

• Remove from the oven and let it rest for some minutes before eating.

Enjoy!

Alternative: In NYC we tried a gratin with sweet potatoes that gives it a nice touch. Just add 1/2 of a sweet potato following the same procedure, and adjust the level of salt.