Dauphinois – 1

Cooking with Andrew

Metric

  • 1 tablespoon butter (14 g)
  •  750 ml heavy cream
  •  2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a knife blade but not chopped
  •  2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  •  1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
  •  1.4 kg Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/8 inch thick)
  •  Freshly ground nutmeg
  •  Freshly ground black pepper
  •  250 g grated Parmesan cheese

Imperial

  •  1 tablespoon butter (1/2 oz)
  •  3 cups heavy cream
  •  2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a knife blade but not chopped
  •  2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  •  1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
  •  3 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/8 inch thick)
  •  Freshly ground nutmeg
  •  Freshly ground black pepper
  •  1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARE YOUR SACRAFICE

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter a 9-by-13-inch or a 9-by-9-inch baking dish or similar-size casserole.

Place the cream in a pot with the garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and salt and warm it over medium-high heat just until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pot, maybe 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, discarding the garlic and thyme.

Ladle a small amount of seasoned cream in the bottom of the baking dish. Add a layer of potatoes, overlapping them slightly and spreading them evenly. Sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg and some salt and fresh ground pepper. Spoon a layer of cream over top, and repeat with the remaining ingredients, alternating layers of potatoes, nutmeg, salt and pepper and seasoned cream. When finished, pour any excess cream over the top, shaking the casserole dish around to distribute the cream evenly. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes if using a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours if using a 9-by-9-inch square baking dish.

Remove the foil, top the potatoes with the cheese, and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly and a small knife slides easily into the center of the potatoes. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.