Potato Gratin
2010 November 11
Potatoes and cheese and cream and garlic and salt and herbs.
Baked together until rich and gooey.
Okay? [Head tilt]
Thought so. [Nods and smiles]
The next dish in the French Fridays with Dorie line-up is this delightfully scrumptious potato dish — a recipe somehow light and gloriously satisfying at the same time. As only Dorie could make it.
This dish starts off with garlic infused cream. Don’t run away. SoupAddict is not going to make you drink this from a glass. This is simply a method of evenly distributing garlic flavor throughout the dish.
Heat the garlic and cream to a simmer; stand back and let the magic happen.
How hot should the burner be? Start at medium-low and dial back as needed. The cream will let you know if the heat gets too high. It’ll blow it’s top. Seriously.
Thank goodness for farmers’ markets. SoupAddict’s own German Butterball potato crop yielded about 4 ounces of potatoes. Total.
So at the end of the season, SoupAddict snatched up a variety of potatoes from one of her favorite growers to stock the winter pantry.
SoupAddict finds it very relaxing to prep vegetables by hand. But you don’t have to. Some very smart person invented the food processor with a slicing blade. Shove that potato in the chute. Press the button. Done.
Next time, SoupAddict won’t even bother to peel the potatoes, because she really, really enjoys the earthy, rustic flavor of potato skins.
Layer the potato slices in the baking dish, adding salt and the simmered, garlic-fragrant cream as you go. Then shred some lovely aged Gruyère over the whole kit and caboodle.
Sprinkle with your favorite herbs, fresh or dried (fresh thyme is lovely).
SoupAddict wanted to pluck out the slices and eat them like potato chips. But she didn’t.
Instead, she added a few sprinklings of freshly grated Parmesan. It seemed the thing to do.
Delicious side to chicken: cheeyeck
Eloquent writing to describe said deliciousness: fail
This post is participating in French Fridays with Dorie, a blogging project where we cook our way each week through the recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s new cookbook, Around My French Table
. Given the book’s newborn status, we’ve been requested to not post the recipe. SoupAddict hopes that you’ll understand and will perhaps be inspired to either buy the book or seek out a recipe of a similar nature to try on your own. Or better yet, join us on French Fridays with Dorie!
. Given the book’s newborn status, we’ve been requested to not post the recipe. SoupAddict hopes that you’ll understand and will perhaps be inspired to either buy the book or seek out a recipe of a similar nature to try on your own. Or better yet, join us on French Fridays with Dorie!
Hello, and welcome to SoupAddict, my little corner of the foodie world on the Interwebs. I'm Karen, and it's true, I'm addicted to soup. The seasons guide my cooking and eating, and when I'm not behind the stove — or the keyboard: I'm a writer by trade — you can find me in my vegetable garden. 
I loved this article… and I must admit I love soup. So I guess I am a soup addict as well
The crunchy ones at the top are the best part! I was seriously considering just scraping off the top layer and keeping it all to myself. But alas, there were witnesses; I could have never pulled it off.
Looks fab. I did a “custom”gratin as per Bon Idea which didn’t take my fancy so much. This looks really good.
Those are some obscenely photogenic potatoes you have there. Guess I know what I’ll be making next week!
This looks fantastic! Loved the garlic infused cream!
Potatoes + cheese + garlic = happiness
What else?
Oh my goodness, you’ve made me want to make this right now! at 6 in the morning!
It sounds fantastic.
It’s never too early for cheesy goodness, is my philosophy.
I need a camera like yours, great close up shots of all the wonderful goodness of this recipe! I made this one too! Im glad you liked it.
What beautiful photos! I especially love that first one.
I used my mandolin to slice the potatoes.
This was just a fabulous dish.
You make potatoes look pretty fantastic! Can I just have the cheesy layer on top?
It was the very best part…
As always, LOVE your photos. I really need to invest in a new lens that will allow such beautiful, up-close details!! Great post!
I <3 my macro lens….
I am very excited to make this one tomorrow. It looks so scrumptious!
I made this dish and left the skins on the potatoes. It turned out great! And, I love the first picture in your post.
I think I’m up for this next week and I’m quite on page with you leaving this skins on. Bon idea!
Trevor Sis. Boom.
Your photos make me want to make this one again…beautiful!
Surprse, surprse. This was one of the French dishes served at my book club meeting last Saturday. It is to die for. Rich as so good. Then I bring up your blog and there it is again. Great dish, great pictures.
Apparently, Phyllis, it was just meant to be.
Looks awesome! I agree with you on the garlic-infused cream. It’s magical. I like your idea about NOT peeling the potatoes.
mmmm … garlic cream is perfection!
I agree!
Oh yummm! I made these last week and now I want them again.
Yours turned out so beautifully! And funny and clever commentary, to boot.
I love your step-by-step photos. The gratin was pretty amazing. But Dorie is yet to disappoint:) I peeled my potatoes, thinking that I would get creamier texture. They sure were creamy. But the skins would add a bit of color and interest, in my opinion.
Oh, it looks perfect! Mine came out really well, too. It’s my new fave side dish.
Great post and photos. The end product looks delicious!
Love the garlic infused cream, what a splendid idea. I look forward to more French Fridays, what a treat!
I will be making this soon and I’m so looking forward to it. Your Potato Gratin looks delicious! Love your photos!
Just wanted to say I love your blog. Such fantastic photos and your writing style just cracks me up.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to leave a comment – I love hearing from everyone!
With ya’ll’s input, it’s decided – the next time I make this, I’m going to leave the skins on!
I love all gratins and this one looks like no exception! Looks delicious!
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