Potato Gratin With Bacon And Thyme Recipes

POTATO GRATIN WITH BACON AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut off top 1/2 inch from head of garlic. Wrap garlic in foil and roast until soft, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic cloves into small bowl; mash with fork. Cover and reserve.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of onions and 1 tablespoon thyme and cook until slightly softened, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Add remaining onions and sauté until very soft, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until deep golden brown, stirring frequently, about 40 minutes longer. Set aside.
• Sauté bacon in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until bacon is beginning to crisp around edges, about 4 minutes. Pour off drippings from pan. Add cream, 1 tablespoon roasted garlic, and 2 teaspoons thyme; simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Cool.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel and thinly slice potatoes with mandoline or knife. Spoon 1/2 cup cream mixture over bottom of 8x8x2-inch metal or ceramic baking dish. Arrange 1/3 of potato slices over cream, overlapping as necessary. Sprinkle with pepper and 1/3 teaspoon coarse salt. Spread half of caramelized onions over potatoes. Spoon half of remaining cream mixture over onions. Cover with half of remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with pepper and 1/3 teaspoon salt. Spread remaining onions over potatoes. Spoon all but 2 tablespoons cream mixture over onions. Cover with remaining potato slices. Sprinkle with black pepper and remaining 1/3 teaspoon salt. Drizzle with remaining cream mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon thyme. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then foil.
• Bake until potatoes are tender when pierced with knife (pierce knife through foil), about 45 minutes. Carefully remove foil and plastic wrap (steam will be released). (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Increase oven temperature to 500°F. Bake until top is golden brown, about 10 minutes longer (or about 15 minutes if at room temperature). Let stand 10 minutes. Serve.

POTATO GRATIN WITH THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/8-inch slices - a food processor is good for this. Add potatoes to boiling water and cook 4 minutes. Drain potatoes thoroughly in a colander.
• Arrange 1/3 of the potatoes in baking dish, top with 1/3 of the cheese, 1/3 of the thyme leaves, and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Repeat twice more, ending with a layer of cheese and thyme.
• Heat milk just to boiling. In a small bowl whisk egg and add hot milk, stirring. Pour evenly over potatoes. Bake 30 minutes, or until top is golden and potatoes are tender.

POTATO GRATIN WITH CHICKEN BROTH, GARLIC AND THYME

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• With motor running, drop garlic through the feeder tube of a food processor to mince. Scrape down sides of bowl. With motor running, add oil through feeder tube; continue to process. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in thyme and set aside. Switch to the slicing blade and slice the potatoes (or thinly slice them with a knife).
• Brush a little of the garlic oil over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch (or similar size) baking dish. Make 4 layers in this order: potatoes, a generous brushing of the oil, a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Slowly add broth at one corner to avoid washing off garlic and herbs.
• Bake until most of the broth has been absorbed, about 45 minutes. To brown, move pan to middle rack and broil until spotty brown, about 5 minutes.
• Let rest so potatoes continue to absorb liquid, about 10 minutes. May be made ahead, held at room temperature while roast cooks, then reheated.

POTATO-BACON GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cut the bacon into 3/8-inch-thick slices, and stack them in two piles, then cut the bacon crosswise into 3/8-inch even-sided rectangular shapes, or lardons.
• Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat for a minute. Swirl in the olive oil and add the bacon. Cook the bacon about 5 minutes, stirring often, until tender and lightly crisped. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon, reserving the bacon fat in the pan.
• Add the onions, 2 teaspoons thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and some pepper to the pan. Cook 15 minutes, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon, until the onions start to caramelize. Turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook, about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are a deep golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes into 1/16-inch-thick rounds. Pour 1/2 cup cream evenly onto the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch (or equivalent) gratin dish. Place one layer of potatoes side by side, slightly overlapping, on the bottom of the dish. Spread a third of the onions over them and scatter a third of the bacon on top. Arrange a second layer of potatoes, drizzle a 1/4 cup cream over it, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, a healthy pinch of pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme. Press the potatoes down with your fingers, letting the cream soak up through the layers. This will ensure that the cream is evenly distributed and coats the potatoes well.
• Arrange another layer of potatoes on top, followed by another third of the caramelized onions and the bacon. Drizzle over another 1/4 cup cream, and continue with two more layers of potatoes. Drizzle with 1/2 cup cream and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Press the potatoes down with your fingers again. Scatter the rest of the onions and bacon over the potatoes, and drizzle with 1/3 cup cream. Season one last time with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon thyme, and a pinch of pepper. The cream should cover the potatoes but not be "soupy." Add more cream if the gratin seems dry.
• Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are tender when pierced. Remove from the oven, and carefully uncover. Turn the oven up to 425°F and return the gratin to the oven. Cook another 20 minutes or so, until the top is nice and golden brown (as in "gratinéed").