gratin

Gratin Dauphinois is my favorite gratin dish. it hails from the Dauphiné region of France (where I spent many summers when I was younger) and is notable because traditionally it isn't made with any cheese. Unlike its sister dish the Gratin Savoyarde from the nearby Savoie region, which normally contains Beaufort cheese (similar to Gruyère, but a bit sharper), Gratin Dauphinois is simply made with thinly sliced waxy potatoes and cream, baked in a butter and garlic rubbed dish. Sometimes it is also adorned with a few extra knobs of butter on top... this is clearly a case of the sum of the ingredients is far greater than the individual parts. It's also, if you think about it, just a variation on good mashed potatoes.

What makes it so tricky is that the ratio of liquid to potato has to be just right and the potatoes need to be cooked perfectly without burning the top layer. I've made it many times in the past and I would say my success rate is about 10%. In the past, I think I've followed Anthony Bourdain's recipe with some success  - though he uses all sorts of herbs and cheese, that bastard! It's really not even a good guide to get the right ratio of liquid to potato since he doesn't include the weight of his potatoes. He also uses Yukon Gold potatoes, which I think would be too sweet for this dish. Some folks parboil the potatoes in milk, which makes the whole thing easier to cook, but messier to clean up...

Anyway, this time I was eating solo, and I had 1 large Russet potato in the fridge, along with some soon to be expired heavy cream. I didn't follow Bourdain's recipe because I didn't want cheese or herbs and I was using a large russet. So I just winged it. Low and behold, it came out perfectly.

I sliced the potato as thin as possible. I thinned out the cream with some milk and grated a few sprinkles of nutmeg along with a dash of salt and pepper. To the sliced potato, I added about 3/4 cup of liquid. I baked the whole thing for about an hour - 30 minutes covered with aluminum foil at 375, then 30 minutes more at 425 uncovered. Magically, it came out perfectly. Tender and sweet potatoes. A hint of nutmeg and garlic. A crispy layer on top. And no cheese whatsoever! give it a whirl :)