Dauphinoise Potatoes

Gratin dauphinois is a French dish of sliced potatoes baked in milk or cream, using the gratin technique, from the Dauphiné region in south-eastern France. There are many variants of the name of the dish, including pommes de terre dauphinoise, potatoes à la dauphinoise and gratin de pommes à la dauphinoise. The first mention of the dish is from 12 July 1788. It was served with ortolans at a dinner given by Charles-Henri, Duke of Clermont-Tonnerre and Lieutenant-general of the Dauphiné, for the municipal officials of the town of Gap, now in the département of Hautes-Alpes.

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 120 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 20 mins

Cooking Method: Baking

Cuisine: Europe, French

Courses: Sides

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6

Dietary: Vegetarian

Ingredients

2½ kg potatoes (starchy)
560 ml double cream
300 ml milk (semi-skimmed)
¼ tsp nutmeg (grated)
¼ tsp black pepper
350 g cheese (grated)
30 g butter
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon zest (unwaxed)

Instructions

1
Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. I use a food processor and it only takes a handful of minutes to achieve something akin to a crisp in size.
Keep the slices as even as possible. Consistent thickness matters more than making them extremely thin because it allows every layer to soften at roughly the same rate.
2
There is a lot of cream here so I’m using Elmlea Light which comes in pots of 284ml each, grab 2 and 300ml semi-skimmed milk. You can use less, it all depends on how you wish the finished product to be. Simmer gently to Incorporate the cream and milk.
Keep the dairy at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil to reduce the chance of scorching or splitting.
3
Warming gently add the potatoes, do not stir for the up to 20 minutes, let the liquid to warm and coat each slice. Begin to stir gently with a wooden spoon, do not use metal or you will break the slices. Add black pepper and nutmeg. Don't add salt as the Gruyère does that later, stir every 10 minutes.
4
Leave on a low heat for approximately 1 hour, guage your time, grab a fork and remove a single slice, if it is still gritty then you may need longer but beware, you don't wish them to break apart. Once cooked, set the pan aside to cool, you’ll burn your fingers if you don’t.
The potato should be tender enough to bite without a raw or gritty centre but still hold its shape. Test a thicker-looking slice rather than relying on time alone.
5
Grease a baking dish with garlic butter and Gruyère. Use a dish that is both deep and wide enough, I use a 2.75″ x 10″ and this is just the perfect size for the amount we have here. If you have food safe gloves, use them, and layer the potato slice by slice, ensuring each one overlaps.
6
Add black pepper and a small amount of the lemon zest, this lifts the layers adding to the flavour. Add another small amount of sauce and Gruyère, this is not a lasagne, you don't require an abundance of sauce. Repeat until the final layer.
7
Don’t forget, we cooked the slices without breaking them earlier so there should be no surprises when we serve. Finalise the top layer in the same fashion. Cover with 2 layers of foil, tightly, and cook in a pre-heated oven, you get a choice here, approximately 165°C for circa 90 minutes or closer to 200°C for 1hour; don’t forget, we've already cooked the individual slices.
8
For the last 8 to 10 minutes remove the foil and allow the top to crisp up. When you remove from the oven, cover once again with foil to permit all the flavours to finish combining and set aside for at least 10 minutes to allow the cheese to solidify slightly. Portion and serve.
Resting is important for clean portions: the sauce thickens and the layers settle as the dish stands, so cutting immediately can make it collapse.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 6

Amount Per Serving
Calories 1073.35kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 73.20g113%
Saturated Fat 44.59g223%
Cholesterol 68.83mg23%
Sodium 443.59mg19%
Potassium 146.91mg5%
Total Carbohydrate 78.33g27%
Dietary Fiber 0.07g1%
Sugars 6.04g
Protein 28.78g58%

Vitamin C 1.20 mg
Calcium 617.48 mg
Iron 0.21 mg
Vitamin D 0.22 IU

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.