Gratin Dauphinois is a traditional potatoe dish from the Dauphiné region that is great eaten on its own with a green salad or with fish or meat.
This dish was traditionally eaten by the peasants in the Dauphiné region which is a mountaineous region around Grenoble. They ldn’t have used cream as this was usually sold for income. They would have made the dish with milk which back then was richer and creamier anyhow. This recipe uses single cream in addition to the milk which the potatoes will have absorbed. This gives a great result and this method is commonly used nowadays.
There are several variations of gratin dauphinois – some add bacon, onions or eggs and gruyere, however the traditional recipe does not contain these. You can adapt the recipe given and personalise it as you wish!
Ingredients
serves 6-8
- 2kg potaotes – desiree work well
- 350ml full cream milk
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- nutmeg (about 1/2 teaspoon)
- salt and pepper
- 350ml whipping cream / single cream
- about 30g butter cut into small cubes
- parsley to garnish if required
for decoration
- you could add some chopped parsley
Method
Wash then peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Make sure you do not wash them after peeling as this will alter the starch content. Cook them in a covered saucepan with the milk, sprinkling of nutmeg, garlic clove, salt and pepper until cooked but still firm. Remove the potatoes from the milk mixture. You can keep this mixture for another day for a bechamel sauce or when making mashed potatoes.
If possible, cover and refrigerate the potatoes overnight or at least a few hours if possible. An hour before you want to eat, put the potatoes in a gratin dish and add the cream, some more salt and pepper a dot some butter over the top.
Put in the oven for 50min -1 hour at 150℃.
This recipe makes 1 large gratin that will serve 6-8 people.
You could also make smaller individual ones which can be seen in our photos:
