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Danny’s Wonderful Gratin Dauphinoise Potatoes Recipe

gratin dauphinoise potatoes

gratin dauphinoise potatoes

Finally Danny announced that he would make his fabulous Gratin Dauphinoise Potatoes to accompany the roast beef this evening. These are a more traditional recipe than my Cheesy Dauphinoise Potatoes and are delicious.

Gratin dauphinoise reheat well. In fact, when I worked in a restaurant years ago, they were made in advance and reheated and browned under the grill on demand. Robert (pronounced Rob-bear) was French and longing to toss away his hat and paint (pictures) full time.

He smoked cigars in the kitchen and cooked like a dream. His Dauphinoise were nearly as good as Danny’s. They included a layer of gruyere cheese, which was pretty good. Danny’s Dauphinoise have a softer, gentler taste. Robert’s Dauphinoise made their presence felt.

To make good Dauphinoise potatoes you need a large shallow dish (the oval ones are often referred to as a gratin dish). If you want to save time, invest in a mandolin. One Christmas it was Danny’s turn to choose the “useful present” from my mum. She rang us to verify.
“Is this an Elizabethan guitar or a vegetable slicer?”
Danny was very quiet when he opened his present. Weeks later he was pale and totally silent when I drove him to outpatients. Be careful with the super sharp, state of the art Japanese mandolins and always use the protective attachments.


 

Danny’s Wonderful Gratin Dauphinoise Potatoes Recipe
Author: Fiona Nevile
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 kilo of potatoes (we use Maris Piper)
  • 2 medium cloves of garlic, crushed.
  • 800 ml of milk and 200 ml single cream. Stirred together in a jug.
  • 35g of butter
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Set the oven for 190c (170c fan).
  2. Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice the potatoes thinly (2m), ideally using a mandolin.
  3. Butter a large gratin dish well.
  4. Divide the potatoes into four. Put a quarter onto the base of the dish and scatter with one third of the crushed garlic and a good few twists of ground black pepper. Repeat for the next two layers. The top level has no garlic or pepper.
  5. Pour on the milk and cream mixture and add the butter in 25 tiny nuggets (you need to use your fingers for this).
  6. Bake for an hour. If they are not golden, turn up the heat and bake them for an extra ten minutes at 210c (190c fan).
Notes

Danny’s gratin dauphinoise potatoes do not contain cheese. If you prefer a little cheese in the mix I have another recipe here – https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/recipe-cheesy-…ge-smallholder-176/


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29 Comments

  1. Nooooo! Don’t wash potatoes. The starch in them thickens the liquid.

  2. wrong milk /cream ratio
    Very runny and spoilt it

    • Danny Carey

      You are not the first reader to say that, Trude. I think I will have to revisit this dish and then modify the ratios. Obviously there was an error between the cook and the writer!

  3. I’ve just put this in the oven and then read the comment from Dec 2016. Here’s hoping this turns out?! Yikes !!

  4. merry baker

    is the measurements on this recipe correct, after an hour the potatoes are swimming in milk, had to turn oven low and just hope than in another hour the milk has evaporated……..bearing in mind it is Christmas Eve bit disappointed in this recipe

  5. Ken Fargher

    Will it go with chicken mushrooms with brandy many thanks

  6. dave morrow

    I only had single cream in the fridge and I fancied something different than the usual roast spuds with my honey and brown sugar roast ham. Other recipes required double cream. The single cream didnt split- great result, great recipe.

  7. nbfrance

    Hi Danny & Fiona:

    Just dropped in (from France!) to say I really love your site which I’ve only recently discovered – living in the wilds of the countryside I’ve found foraging and cooking tips both are v. stimulating, love everyone’s useful comments! Re above recipe, we can’t easily get fresh cream or milk here, do you think it would be OK with the UHT versions? (P.S.: ‘received wisdom’ round here is that the Traditional Gratin shouldn’t have cheese – but could be cooked overnight… (?) )

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