Gratin dauphinois

Name: Gratin dauphinois
Total time: 90 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Dauphiné
Ingredients: 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) waxy potatoes (Charlotte or Belle de Fontenay); 500 ml (2 cups) thick crème fraîche; 300 ml (1¼ cups) whole milk; 4 garlic cloves; 60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter; 1 pinch of nutmeg; 1 tsp fine salt; 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Creamy garlic potato gratin from the Dauphiné

⏱ 90 minServes 6Medium420 kcal

A recipe from Le Chaudron — the cooking of France’s regions.

01 — Ingredients6 servings

1.5 kg (3.3 lb)waxy potatoesCharlotte or Belle de Fontenay
500 ml (2 cups)thick crème fraîche
300 ml (1¼ cups)whole milk
4 clovesgarlic
60 g (2 oz)unsalted butter
1 pinchnutmeg
1 tspfine salt
1 tspfreshly ground pepper

1.5 kg (3.3 lb) waxy potatoes Charlotte or Belle de Fontenay
500 ml (2 cups) thick crème fraîche
300 ml (1¼ cups) whole milk
4 cloves garlic
60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Serves 6. In the app, quantities adjust to the number of guests on their own — and the ingredients go straight to your shopping list.

02 — Equipment

1 large earthenware gratin dish (30 cm / 12 in)

1 mandoline or a sharp knife

03 — Method

Preheat the oven to 160 °C (325 °F) fan. Peel the 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) of waxy potatoes and slice them very thin, 3 mm (⅛ in), on a mandoline — that’s what makes the gratin cook evenly.
Don’t rinse the potato slices: their starch is what makes the gratin creamy. A true gratin dauphinois has no cheese — that’s the Savoy version.
Remove the germ from the 4 garlic cloves and crush them with the flat of a knife. Rub the inside of the large earthenware gratin dish well with 2 halved garlic cloves before buttering it.
Butter the dish generously with half the soft unsalted butter, inside and up the sides, so the gratin doesn’t stick.
In the large saucepan, mix the thick crème fraîche, whole milk, the rest of the crushed garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring, to infuse the garlic.
Layer the potato slices in the buttered dish in neat overlapping spirals — the classic look of a gratin dauphinois.
Pour the hot cream over the potatoes, pressing them down with a spatula so they’re all covered. Dot with the rest of the butter for a golden, crisp top.
Bake for 1½ hours at 160 °C (325 °F) until golden on top and a knife slides easily into the center. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving so the layers hold together when cut.