Gratin Dauphinois

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 lbpotatoes, sliced paper-thin, ideally on a mandoline
• 1 2/3 cupsheavy cream
• 7/8 cupwhole milk
• 3 clovesgarlic, 1 halved, 2 minced
• 3/4 ozbutter, for the dish
• 1/4 tspnutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 1/2 tspsea salt, to taste
• 1/2 tspblack pepper, to taste

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 325°F — low and slow is what gives dauphinois its silky, even set. Rub a baking dish all over with the cut side of the halved garlic clove, then butter it well.

2. 2

   Slice the potatoes as thin as you can, around 2 mm, ideally on a mandoline. Do not rinse them — the surface starch is exactly what thickens the cream into a set. Keep the slices in a bowl as you go.

3. 3

   In a saucepan, warm the cream, milk, minced garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper until steaming, then take it off the heat and let it sit a few minutes so the garlic and nutmeg infuse.

4. 4

   Lay the potato slices into the dish in thin, even, overlapping layers, seasoning very lightly as you go. The neater and thinner the layers, the more elegant the finished gratin. Pour the warm cream over and press the potatoes down so they are submerged.

5. 5

   Bake for 70 to 80 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a knife meets no resistance anywhere in the dish. If the top colors too quickly, lay a sheet of foil over it and carry on.

6. 6

   Rest the gratin for at least 15 minutes before serving. A dauphinois only cuts into clean, layered slices once it has settled; served straight away it slumps.