← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 1 kg floury or all-round potatoes (Maris Piper, Russet), peeled
• 300 ml double (heavy) cream
• 300 ml whole milk
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 2 sprigs Thyme (optional)
• 1 tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated
• Black pepper
• 15 g butter, for the dish
• 50 g Gruyère, grated (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, 320°F) and butter a roughly 20 x 30 cm baking dish. Slice the potatoes as thinly and evenly as you can, about 3 mm, ideally with a mandoline. Do not rinse them: their starch thickens the sauce.
2. Put the cream, milk, garlic, thyme, salt, nutmeg and pepper in a large pan and bring to a simmer. Add the potato slices and simmer gently for 8–10 min, stirring carefully so they do not stick, until the liquid thickens and the potatoes just start to soften.
3. Remove the thyme stalks and tip everything into the dish. Press the slices down and level them so the top layer is just covered.
4. Scatter with Gruyère if you like, then bake for 1 hour, until the top is deep golden and a knife slides through the potatoes with no resistance.
5. Let it rest for 10 min before serving so the cream settles and thickens.

Tips

• Classic dauphinois from the Alps has no cheese; the Gruyère version is closer to a gratin savoyard. Both are delicious.
• Make it ahead and reheat, covered, at 160°C for 20 min.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Great British Chefs RecipeTin Eats Jamie Oliver