Potato Gratin French Recipes

THE PERFECT POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• I love roast potatoes and you'll always find them on my Christmas table. But, if you've got a big crowd for Christmas then this gratin is an exciting and quite luxurious way of serving potatoes. You could either make them instead of, or as well as, your roast potatoes.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Butter the inside of an ovenproof dish, around 30cm x 30cm, and at least 6cm deep.
• Pour the milk and cream into a wide pan with the bay leaves and garlic. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for a minute or two. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Add the potatoes and most of the thyme leaves and stir well. Spoon into the gratin dish and shake to even everything out. Sprinkle with the Parmesan then cover with an oiled piece of foil. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a little olive oil until crispy and golden. Add the remaining thyme and stir in the chestnuts. When your gratin is ready, remove the foil and spoon the bacon and chestnut mixture over the top. Pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes until gorgeous and crispy on top.

CLASSIC BISTRO STYLE GRATIN DAUPHINOIS - FRENCH GRATIN POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300F/150C/gas mark 2.
• Take a heavy-bottomed dish or an ovenproof gratin dish (a Le Creuset is ideal - the potatoes tend not to catch), and grease it will with some of the butter.
• Layer the potato slices in the dish, slightly overlapping each other, seasoning lightly with the salt and pepper, and sprinkling a liberal amount of cheese on each layer.
• Sprinkle cheese on the top of the last layer.
• Put the double cream, garlic and sprigs of thyme in a pan and bring to them gently to the boil, then remove the thyme and pour hot cream over the potatoes.
• Dot the top of the gratin with the remaining butter and some extra cheese if you wish, and bake for about 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs, or until the potatoes are soft, and the top is crispy and golden brown.
• Serve bubbling hot as a main meal or as an accompaniment.

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.

POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel potatoes, and place in a bowl of water to prevent discoloring. Rub inside of a 9-by-12-inch oval baking dish with cut sides of garlic. Heat cream, milk, nutmeg, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around edge. Season with pepper. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, slice potatoes 1/8 inch thick; transfer to a bowl. Pour warm cream mixture over top. Mix well, using your hands to separate and coat potatoes, and transfer to prepared dish. Gently push potatoes down, and pour cream mixture from bowl over top. Sprinkle with Gruyere. Bake (with a baking sheet placed on the rack below to catch drips) until potatoes are fork tender and top is bubbling and brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

CLASSIC FRENCH GRATIN DAUPHINOIS

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350F (180C), with a rack in the middle.
• Step 1 - In a large pot over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, nutmeg, pepper, and salt and bring to a simmer.
• Step 2 - Peel the potatoes and thinly slice them, ideally with a mandoline. Drop the potato slices immediately into the milk (to avoid browning). Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes, until potatoes are just tender and can be easily pierced with a sharp knife. Stir occasionally to avoid having the potatoes stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.
• Step 3 - Rub the inside of a gratin dish with the cut side of a halved garlic clove. Then, grease the inside of the dish evenly with 1 tablespoon of butter. Transfer the potatoes and milk to the dish and spread them out in an even layer. Dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.
• Step 4 - Cover the dish with foil, poke a small hole in the center of the foil (for the steam to escape) and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the grated cheese evenly on top of the gratin. Bake for another 30 minutes (uncovered) until the cheese turns golden. Let the gratin rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

FRENCH POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Peel and slice potatoes thinly.
• Use a food processor if available.
• Lightly grease an ovenproof casserole.
• Layer potato slices in casserole, sprinkling each layer with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Press garlic over mixture.
• Add cream and milk.
• You may prepare ahead of time up to this step.
• Bake at 400 degrees F for about 40 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and creamy and golden brown on surface.

FRENCH POTATO DAUPHINOISE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 350 F. Rub inside of baking dish with garlic clove and use 1 tablespoon of butter to grease dish.
• In a large saucepan, heat milk and 3/4 cup cream until bubbles appear around sides of pan. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat egg lightly.
• Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Use a thin stream to temper egg; adding too much hot liquid can make scrambled eggs.
• Once all the hot liquid is mixed with the egg, add 3/4 cup of the cheese and return mixture to saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat, continuously stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes to melt cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Add potato slices to sauce and stir to coat.
• Transfer potatoes to buttered baking dish and spread out in an even layer.
• Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and add remaining butter on top cubed in tiny pieces.
• Place baking dish in oven and raise heat to 400 F. Bake for 1 hour.
• Transfer gratin to a heat-proof surface and let cool for 15 minutes.
• Loosen sides of the gratin with a flat knife and brush top of gratin with remaining 3/4 cup of heavy cream.
• Return baking dish to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let gratin finish browning in the receding heat for 30 minutes longer.

CLASSIC FRENCH GRATIN DAUPHINOIS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the potatoes, milk, and garlic to a gentle simmer.
• Continue to cook the potatoes, gently stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer, until just tender, about 15 minutes. Be very careful not to overcook them as they need to hold their shape for layering in the pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F.
• Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon, taking care not to break the slices. Drain the milk from the pan and reserve for another use. Add the heavy cream, crème fraiche or sour cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Gently return the potatoes to the pan.
• Heat the potato-cream mixture to barely a simmer (a few bubbles are fine but no more) for 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are very tender but not falling apart.
• Butter a large baking dish. Transfer the potatoes to the baking dish with a slotted spoon, layering them without breaking them up too much.
• Cover with the cream from the pan.
• Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese over the potatoes (if using).
• Bake in the oven until the potatoes are golden brown on top and the cream is mostly absorbed, about 50 minutes.
• Serve with your favorite main dish. Enjoy!