Potato Gratin with Chicken

Ingredients

• 1.8 lbpotatoes, thinly sliced
• 2onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 3/8 cupchicken stock, or vegetable stock
• 7 ozcrème fraîche, full-fat
• 1 1/2 ozparmesan, grated
• 4chicken breasts, optional — leave out for a vegetarian gratin
• 4 slicesbacon, optional
• 7 ozbaby spinach
• 7 ozfrozen peas
• 1 tspsea salt, to taste
• 1/2 tspblack pepper, to taste

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 375°F. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, slide in the sliced potatoes, and par-boil for 5 to 8 minutes until bendy but not fully soft — a knife should still meet a little resistance. Drain well and leave them to steam-dry in the colander.

2. 2

   Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and pale gold. Pour in the stock, let it bubble for a minute, then take the pan off the heat.

3. 3

   Lightly oil a baking dish. Spread a third of the potatoes across the base in an overlapping layer and season with salt and pepper. Scatter over half the onions. Repeat — potatoes, season, the rest of the onions — then finish with a neat top layer of the remaining potatoes.

4. 4

   Spoon the crème fraîche over the top and spread it so it covers the potatoes without swamping them. Season, then scatter the Parmesan evenly over. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a knife slides through the center with no resistance and the top is deep golden. For a darker crust, finish under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.

5. 5

   If you want them, cook these while the gratin bakes: pat the chicken breasts dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high and lay in the bacon; cook 3 to 4 minutes until crisp, then set aside. Add the chicken to the bacon fat and cook 5 to 6 minutes a side, until golden and the thickest part reaches 165°F with no pink left. Rest 5 minutes, then slice.

6. 6

   A few minutes before serving, boil the peas for 2 to 3 minutes until bright and tender, then drain. Add the spinach to a still-hot pan and turn it through the residual heat until just wilted. Serve a scoop of gratin with the sliced chicken and crisp bacon if you cooked them, and the peas and spinach alongside.