I love gratin dauphinois. I’m kind of obsessed with it. I remember as a kid, seeing the commercial’s for Betty Crocker’s Scalloped potatoes, and thinking, why won’t my mom make this for me? (It’s the same feeling I had for the snoopy sno cone machine.) No matter how much I begged and pleaded, my mother would NOT make scalloped potatoes, nor did they ever purchase the sno cone machine for me. (I swear, I still want one. And and easy bake oven).
But I digress. When I started to cook myself, I made this. Wow. I was mystified at the fact that something so easy could be so good. It really is a sophisticated dish, fragrant and flavorful. Decadent, warm and seriously addictive. Because I had left over sliced potatoes from Saturday nights dinner, I made this to go with the Osso Buco, which I will post tomorrow.
So, if you are so inclined to indulge, here’s what you’re going to need:
1 clove of garlic, minced
3/4 cup milk
6 tbsp heavy cream
1 lb russet potatoes, sliced thinly with a mandoline
Salt and White Pepper to taste
2 pinches of cinnamon
4 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Add the garlic, milk and cream to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sliced potatoes, salt and spices. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring and coating the potatoes carefully.
Butter a baking dish. Add the potatoes and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown, about 45-50 minutes. Serve hot!
Carla