Potatoes Dauphinoise

I love this dish.  It’s much more fiddly than simply steaming some potatoes it’s true but it’s such a delicious side dish that I think it’s well worth the effort.  I first had this only a year or two ago in France and it was the high point of possibly the best meal of my life.  I have to apologise for this being another recipe which really needs specialist bits and bobs but I’ve had the mandoline out and I’m in love with another kitchen gadget!  It’s magic, I was so impressed with how easy it made slicing everything up so thinly.   I may even have to try making my own crisps.  I’ve also made this dish with celeriac recently and I have to recommend that as an excellent way to eat it.  I hate celery with a passion, it’s one of the Five Foods of Doom that I will not eat, so I was a bit worried but celeriac dauphinoise was a delicious introduction to the vegetable and not celery-y at all.  The creamyness of this dish goes very well with beef, I’ve had it with steak, boeuf bourguignon and, tonight, roast beef. 

Serves 4 generously

approx 3 large potatoes (Use your head and cater for how big a dish you want to fill and how big your tatties are.)
300ml cream
50g butter
splash of milk
2 cloves garlic, very finely sliced (I used a mini mandoline, also very useful!)
2 tsp thyme leaves

– First peel your potatoes and slice finely, preferably with a mandoline if not be careful! 
– Heat the cream, butter and milk in a pan until piping hot but not boiling. 
– Grease an oven proof dish and pour in a shallow layer of cream. 
– Lay potato slices on top of this, scatter with a few garlic slices, sprinkle with a bit of thyme and season with salt and pepper. 
– Spoon more cream over this then another layer of potatoes on top, scatter with garlic and thyme, season and repeat until you reach the top of your dish or run out of potatoes.  (I try to keep back enough good slices to make the top layer aesthetically pleasing and bury the tatty bits in the middle.)
– If you have any cream left pour this on top.
– Cook in the oven at gas mark 7 for an hour, placing foil on top to prevent burning half way through. 
– Test with a sharp knife to see if it’s cooked through, there should be little to no resistance. 

Advertisement