What to say about this Gratin Dauphinois…? It’s classic, and it’s done properly. An obscene amount of cream…a perfect balance of garlic, pepper, and nutmeg…proper cave-aged gruyère…delicious. It’s very easy to make, with very simple ingredients, and makes for a great introduction to French food. It’s very rich and filling, and can effectively take the place of the main, paired with a simple sharp green salad to cut through the richness. I recommend mixing Maille Originale mustard with a little olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt for the dressing. Alternatively, it makes for a gorgeous side to accompany any meal for a special occasion, holiday, or dinner party. I hope you love it as much as I do.
Recipe:
Makes 1 large baking tray; serves 9-12, depending on portion size
Notes:
I specify the type of salt used, as different salts are more or less salty than others. If you don’t have the same kind of salt used, be mindful of this and adjust accordingly. Generally speaking, pink Himalayan salt is less salty than most others.
The gram value called for for the potatoes is before peeling, for ease of preparation. You will therefore end up with a lower number that actually goes into the recipe.
As for the thickness of the potato slices, this is a matter of personal preference. I prefer them cut about 0.5 cm thick, which is thicker than a lot of recipes that you may come across. I would say that the thicker cut is more traditional, and I prefer it.
For the gruyère, ask for raw, unpasteurized, cave-aged gruyère from France. Proper cheese shops will usually have it, however they will sometimes only have the equivalent from Switzerland. It is sometimes as good, and sometimes not. Cheese shops will usually let you taste it, but I think that for its function in this recipe, it’s not crucial that it be perfect, and whatever you find will work beautifully.
The French don’t put a crazy amount of cheese in their dishes. If you want to put more than what the recipe calls for, however, be my guest. You may want to slightly reduce the salt if you choose to do so.
The nutmeg can be freshly grated or pre-ground. Just make sure that it’s fresh enough; nutmeg that is old substantially loses its potency. You should be able to smell the fragrance of the nutmeg when it’s mixed in with the cream. If you can’t, add a little more!
Unlike in baking, the cream can be cold from the fridge. It doesn’t need to be room-temperature.
Ingredients
2 kilos + 450 g (2450 g - weighed before peeling) russet potatoes, peeled, and sliced about 0.5 cm thick
4 cups full-fat cream
1 tbsp + 3/4 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)
70 cracks black pepper
2 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly grated or pre-ground)
6 large cloves of garlic, minced
675 g gruyère, coarsley grated *see notes
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring that the rack is positioned in the middle.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic.
Pour 3 cups of the cream mixture into a baking dish. You will have 1 cup remaining in your bowl.
Pose a layer of potatoes down. Cover with 225 g of gruyère.
Add another layer of potatoes. Press them down with your hands, to bring the cream to the surface. Cover with another 225 g of gruyère.
Add a final layer of potatoes. Using a ladle, evenly pour the remaining cream mixture overtop.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Remove from oven, and sprinkle over the remaining 225 g of gruyère. Cover. I actually use an upside down pan, placed overtop of my baking dish, but you could also use aluminum foil.
Bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove cover (be it the pan or foil), and bake for a final 10 minutes.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!
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