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Quick Gratin Dauphinoise recipe

gratin dauphinoise

gratin dauphinoise potatoes

Danny is off to India on business tomorrow. We have had a week bursting with meat and treats to salve the probability of spicy meals in Bangalore. Danny hates hot spicy food.
“Apparently there are branches of Domino Pizza everywhere.”
Sounds like a week of Super Size Me.

Tonight we had rack of lamb with runner beans fresh from the garden and gratin dauphinoise, cooked in my favourite way – with Gruyere cheese. Danny cooks a mean gratin dauphinoise without cheese (it was years before I twigged that gratin referred to the dish that it’s cooked in rather than cheese). I had 45 minutes from plucking the spuds from the basket to serving the meal so instantly propositioned Magimix as ADC.

The dish was prepared in five minutes (including peeling the spuds). I supplemented ‘real’ garlic with garlic granules and ignored the instructions for layering and even the sort of container. The wafer thin potatoes were tossed into a traditional pie dish. Sprinkled with the garlic granules and some freshly milled black pepper before pouring over the milk and cream mix and scattering the top with grated Gruyere. This meant that D could dig deep if he wanted to avoid the cheese. It was ready in half an hour but happily kept warm.

The dish was like good jazz. Haunting yet buoyant. Fresh tasting and packed with memories. The lamb was good too.

 

Quick Gratin Dauphinoise recipe
Author: Fiona Nevile
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 55 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 500g of potatoes
  • 1 tsp of garlic granules
  • 200 ml of milk and 100 ml thick single cream. Stirred together in a jug.
  • 35g of gruyere cheese, grated
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Set the oven for 220c (200c fan).
  2. Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice the potatoes thinly (2m), ideally using a mandolin or food processor.
  3. Butter a pie dish well.
  4. Put the potatoes in the dish and sprinkle the garlic granules and pepper on the top.
  5. Pour over the milk and cream mixture. The liquid should come to just below the top layer of potatoes.
  6. Sprinkle over the gruyere cheese.
  7. Pop the dish in the oven for ten minutes (top shelf), then turn the heat down to 180c (160c fan) and bake for a further 20 – 30 mins moving the dish to the bottom of the oven.

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6 Comments

  1. Fiona Nevile

    Hello Sharon

    I’m fascinated by the idea of ostrich steaks. I’ve never tried them as have had no access to them.

    Hope that your meal is a deluxe treat. If you make this recipe layer the cheese for full knobs on delight!

    Hi Casalba

    Computer semi sorted. Working this weekend so very little time to tweek.

    Poor you. It doesn™t matter what causes the computer problems “ they are a nightmare. In the good old bad old animation days the computer would often die and I™d be up all night with the engineer. The prospect of the client arriving at 8.30 am to collect the job kept all eyes open. Crazy times but learnt a lot about computers. Never really cracked the stress element.

    Hi S.O.L.

    Definitely worth a go if you want to impress!

    Hi Diane

    Runner beans freeze well. Wash, de string and chop as you would normally and freeze in bags. When the time comes to cook them, have your water boiling well and tip them in. Should be ready to eat in five or six minutes.

    There™s a link to Mark Hix™s runner bean chutney on the blog. They probably could be used to make wine!

  2. Diane Epps

    I have never understood why sliced potatoes take so long to cook in the oven. However, cutting them very thin must be an advantage.
    We too are in the middle of a glut of runner beans and hubby and I managed to eat 2lbs the other night for supper. Any good suggestions for keeping runner beans would be much appreciated as I know they don’t freeze well. I thought I might try drying them and see if that is any better…

  3. hmmm sounds delicious

  4. I’m having computer problems too, but of my own making!

    Wanted to say that I too thought gratin referred to the cheese and not the dish!

  5. So pleased to see you’ve sorted the computer problem.

  6. Oh, this sounds so yummy!

    We’re having ostrich steak next week so I’ll give this a go with it. Can’t wait!

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