Gratin Dauphinois
Thin slices of potato layered in a garlic-rubbed dish, drowned in cream and milk, then baked low and slow until golden on top and melting underneath. Rich, velvety, and deeply savoury. This is the gratin dauphinois the way it's been made in the Dauphiné since 1788!
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg potatoes
- 200 ml whole milk
- 300 ml Double cream
- 2 cloves garlic
- 30 gr unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
1. Prep the potatoes
- Peel and slice the potatoes into 3mm rounds, ideally on a mandoline. Do not rinse them, as the starch is what gives the gratin its silky texture. Rest them on kitchen paper.
2. Prepare the dish
- Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan). Cut one garlic clove in half and rub it all over the inside of the dish, base and sides. Butter the dish generously.
3. Infuse the cream
- Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan with the remaining garlic clove (crushed), the nutmeg, a good pinch of salt and some pepper. Heat gently until steaming and just about to simmer, without boiling. Leave to infuse 10 minutes, then remove the garlic.
4. Layer the potatoes
- Arrange the slices in overlapping layers, seasoning lightly between each, until all are used (about 3–4 layers). Pour over the infused cream so it comes just to the top of the potatoes. Gently shake the dish to settle the liquid.
5. Bake low and slow
- Dot the top with butter and bake for 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30, until deep golden and completely tender. Cover loosely with foil if browning too fast, uncovering for the last 20 minutes.
6. Rest before serving
- Let it sit 10–15 minutes before serving, so it sets enough to cut into neat portions.
Notes
- Don't rinse the potatoes. The surface starch is what makes the gratin silky.
- Low and slow is essential. High heat splits the cream and burns the top.
- No cheese. Cheese makes it a gratin savoyard, a different dish.
- You can assemble it up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate before baking. It's also excellent the next day.