Gratin Des Pommes De Terre De Fonte Melting Potatoes Recipes

JULIA CHILD'S PROVENçAL POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees and place a rack at the middle level. In a large saucepan, combine onions and 2 tablespoons olive oil and stir to coat over low heat. Sprinkle lightly with salt. At a gentle simmer, cook uncovered until onions are softened and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Do not brown; lower the heat if necessary. When done, fold in tomatoes just until heated through. Set aside.
• In a small food processor or a mortar, add the anchovies - anywhere from 6 to 12 fillets, depending on their size and your taste. Add garlic, herbs and a dozen grinds of pepper. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil (or use the oil from the anchovy can, if you like). Crush or pulse together into a chunky paste, thinning with oil as needed to make a loose, fluid mixture.
• In a medium-size baking dish, spread a quarter of the onion-tomato mixture. On top, arrange half the potato slices, then half the anchovy mixture. Add half the remaining onion-tomato mixture. Build one more layer with remaining potato slices, anchovy mixture and onion-tomato mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil.
• If the dish is very full, place on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered, until potatoes are tender and have absorbed all of the juices in the bottom of the dish, 40 to 50 minutes. Test by tasting a bit of potato; it should be soft all the way through, with no raw taste. If the top is browning too fast, cover very loosely with a sheet of foil. If the top is not brown enough when the potatoes are cooked, broil briefly until deliciously glazed.
• Serve gratin hot or warm. Can be cooled and reheated later the same day, but do not refrigerate.

GRATIN DE POMMES DE TERRE FORESTIER

Steps:

• Working in a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, sauté each variety of mushroom in just enough butter to keep the mushrooms from sticking. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, just until they are tender but not colored, a few minutes for each batch.
• When one type of mushroom is cooked, drain, turn it into a bowl, and repeat with the next type. You need to sauté the mushrooms separately because each type has a different cooking time, but, once cooked, all the mushrooms should be mixed together in the bowl, along with the garlic and thyme. Set aside at room temperature until needed. (The mushrooms can be sautéed up to 2 hours ahead and kept covered with plastic wrap at room temperature).
• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of an ovenproof 10-inch sauté pan or skillet.
• Pour the cream into a large bowl and whisk in salt and pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. (Add more salt than you might normally, because the potatoes will need it.) One at a time, peel the potatoes and slice them into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. The best way to get rounds this thin is to use a mandolin. Lacking that, use the thinnest slicing blade on the food processor or a sharp knife. Toss the potatoes into the cream as you slice them.
• Using your hands, pull enough potato slices out of the cream to make a single layer on the bottom of the buttered pan, arranging them in even, slightly overlapping concentric circles. Make a second layer of potato slices and then pour some cream over the layers.
• Press down on the potatoes to compact the layers - when you do this, some of the cream should rise up between the slices. Spread the mushrooms (minus what ever liquid they may have accumulated in the bowl) over the potatoes and pour in more cream, again using your hands to press down on the ingredients and bring the cream to the top.
• Arrange the remaining potatoes in attractive layers over the mushrooms, pouring in cream and pressing down as you finish each layer. You may not need all of the cream - you'll know you've added enough when, without pressing down, you see cream at the edges of the pan.
• Dust the gratin evenly with the Parmesan cheese and place the pan on a foil-lined baking sheet that can act as a drip-catcher.
• Bake the gratin for 45 minutes, then check that it's not getting too brown. If necessary, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F to keep the gratin from coloring too much. Bake for 15 minutes more, or until you can easily pass a slender sharp knife through all the layers.
• Remove the gratin from the oven and let it stand in a warm place for about 20 minutes, time enough for the potatoes to soak up more cream. If it's more convenient, you can keep the gratin warm in a 200 degree F oven. Bring the gratin to the table and cut it into wedges.

CLASSIC POMMES BOULANGèRE - FRENCH GRATIN POTATOES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 150C/300F/Gas mark 3.
• Butter a large shallow ovenproof dish.
• Peel potatoes thinly, do not rinse.
• Peel and slice the onions thinly.
• Using a mandolin slice if possible,slice the potatoes very thinly, again do not rinse.
• Arrange the potatoes over the base of the dish slightly overlapping, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and then add the sliced onions.
• Continue until all the potatoes & onions are used up, ending with a potato layer.
• Pour over the hot stock.
• Brush with the top of the potatoes with the melted butter.
• Place the potatoes on the high shelf of the oven for 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs or until tender and the top layer is a crisp golden brown.
• Serve immediately with roasted meats, as an alternative to roast potatoes, or with a pot roast, hot-pot and vegetables.