The Ultimate Potato Gratin Recipes

THE ULTIMATE POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Finely shred the cabbage. Cut the bacon into 1/2-inch chunks. Place a small skillet over medium-low heat and fry the bacon, until crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
• Add 1 tablespoon butter to bacon fat in frying pan. When it has melted add 1/2 the garlic and give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon to soften. Add the cabbage and coat it with the butter. Slowly let it wilt. Add the bacon. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat and add most of the chives, reserving a little for the garnish.
• Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch ovenproof casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 1/2 cups of cream, 1 cup of Parmesan, and the remaining garlic. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using your hands, place a layer of potatoes in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and repeat with 2 more layers. Spoon the cabbage mixture on top and spread it out evenly over the potatoes. Top it off with 2 more layers of potato and Parmesan. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream over the dish. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Leave for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chives.
• *Cook's Note: Slice the potatoes immediately before using so they don't turn brown.

ULTIMATE GRATIN DAUPHINOIS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 4/fan oven 140C. Rub the butter all over the surface of a gratin dish, about 18x28cm/7x11in. Peel and slice the potatoes to a width of 3mm/1⁄8in. Lay the slices on a clean tea towel and pat dry. Keep them covered with the tea towel while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Add the garlic, thyme and shallot (if using). Slowly heat the milk and, just as it is about to reach boiling point and you see bubbles appearing around the edge of the pan, remove it from the heat. Strain the liquid into a large jug, sprinkle in the nutmeg and keep warm.
• Layer half the potato slices in the dish, slightly overlapping the slices and sprinkling with a little salt and freshly ground pepper between each layer. You don't have to be too neat with the lower layers, but keep some of your best slices for later, so the top looks good.
• Pour half the hot milk and cream over the potatoes, then finish off layering the rest of the potatoes (arranging them a bit more carefully this time). Pour over the rest of the hot milk and cream. Scatter the cheese over the top and bake for about one hour, until golden and tender. Leave the dish to stand for about 5 minutes, then serve sprinkled with a few fresh thyme leaves.

POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 14-inch oval gratin dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Put the cream, stock, bay leaf, and salt in a medium pot, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and let steep while you prepare the potatoes.
• Peel the potatoes. Use a mandoline slicer or a knife to cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Neatly layer the slices in the gratin dish, overlapping slightly, like shingles on a rooftop, making 3 or 4 layers. It's important to slice the potatoes and immediately assemble the gratin, before the potatoes oxidize and turn brown. Avoid putting the potatoes in water. You don't want to rinse off any of the potato starch-the starch is essential for a rich, creamy gratin.
• Remove the bay leaf from the cream mixture and discard. Gently pour the mixture over the potatoes. The liquid level should be just below the surface of the potatoes; when you gently press the potatoes down with a spatula, the cream mixture should spill over the top layer of potatoes. Dot the remaining 2 tablespoons butter on top, and cover tightly with foil.
• Bake until the potatoes are almost tender when pierced with a small, sharp knife, about 35 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Press the potatoes down with a spatula to an even thickness, allowing the creamy juices to baste the top. Sprinkle the thyme and black pepper on top. Continue to bake, uncovered, pressing the potatoes down with a spatula to baste periodically, until the gratin is nicely browned, about 30 minutes. (It's okay if the gratin is a little loose and creamy at this point.) Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving, to allow the gratin to settle and absorb some of the cream.

ULTIMATE POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Finely shred cabbage and cut bacon into 1/2-inch chunks.
• Place a small skillet over medium-low heat and fry bacon until crispy.
• Remove from pan with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Set aside.
• Add 1 tablespoon butter to bacon fat in frying pan.
• When it has melted, add 1/2 the garlic and let soften.
• Add cabbage and coat it with the butter, let it wilt.
• Add the bacon and season with salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat and add most of the chives, leaving some for garnish.
• Generously butter the bottom and sides of an ovenproof casserole dish (13 x 9).
• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 1/2 cups cream, 1 cup parmesan and remaining garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Using your hands, place a layer of potatoes in the greased casserole dish.
• Sprinkle with parmesan and repeat with 2 more layers of potatoes.
• Spoon the cabbage mixture on top and spread it out evenly over the potatoes.
• Top it off with 2 more layers of potato and parmesan.
• Pour the remaining 1 cup cream over the dish.
• Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
• Cover dish with foil and bake for 1 hour, then bake uncovered for another 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let sit for 10 minutes and garnish with remaining fresh chives before serving.

PRETTY DARN QUICK POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter an 8x8-inch baking dish.
• Fit a food processor with shredding disk and use it to shred cheese. Transfer to a small bowl. Fit processor with slicing disk and use it to slice potatoes.
• Put potatoes in a large saucepan with half-and-half, garlic, salt, and nutmeg; stir gently to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook at a gentle boil, stirring often with a heat-safe spatula to prevent sticking, until half-and-half has reduced and thickly coats potatoes, about 8 minutes.
• Spoon into prepared baking dish. Smooth top and sprinkle evenly with cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.