Potato Gratin
Potato gratin, or Gratin Dauphinois, is a classic of French cuisine. This is said to have been invented by the inhabitants of the Dauphiné, a historical region in south-east France. Gratin was first mentioned in a document on July 12, 1788 (shortly before the outbreak of the French Revolution).[1]
In its simplest form, a potato gratin is nothing more than thinly sliced potatoes, which are slowly gratinated in an oven with a milk / cream mixture, that is, baked until a brown crust is formed. Many variants of this delicacy have established themselves over time. For the purists there is only one variant: potatoes with milk / cream, nutmeg and salt.[2]
[1] Claude Muller, Les Mystères du Dauphiné, Éditions de Borée, 2001
[2] https://www.legratindauphinois.fr/
Important Questions
Pre-Cook Potatoes or not?
Pre-cooking reduces the baking time, but also makes the potatoes less ‘al-dente’. We prefer without pre-cooking.
What kind of potatoes?
There is actually no fixed rule which type of potato has to be used. It is important to find potatoes that have a fine taste of their own. Depending on the ‘Al Dente’ of the gratin, waxy potatoes are recommended for more bite and floury for a softer gratin.
Milk – Cream and how much?
Usually 500 ml of liquid per kilo of potatoes. The more cream, the tastier but of course the more rich. A ratio of 2/3: 1/3 cream to milk tastes excellent. If you prefer the gratin more liquidy, add more milk.
Ingredients
for 4 people
– 1 kg aromatic potatoes (mainly waxy)
– 300 ml cream 36%
– 200 ml of milk
– 15g butter
– 1 clove of garlic
– nutmeg
– Salt
Refine
In the potato / milk-cream mixture you can cook a wide variety of spices and flavor the gratin: rosemary, thyme, porcini mushrooms, as well as chopped tomatoes or olives.
You can also replace some of the potatoes with celery, fennel, zucchini or eggplant (eggplant).
Towards the end of the cooking time, the gratin can also be baked with cheese (Parmesan, Gruyère).
CULINAMUS
We stay classic for our Culinamus Gratin. We mainly use waxy potatoes, milk, cream, salt and a touch of nutmeg.
The low baking temperature of 150 ° C means a long cooking time. If we’re in a hurry, we’ll cook. 10 minutes potatoes and cream mix in a saucepan, then 30 minutes in an ovenproof dish in the oven at 180 degrees (top / bottom heat).
Preparation
10 Minutes
– Peel the potatoes and put them in cold water (so they don’t turn brown)
– Have cream and milk ready
– Peel and halve the clove of garlic
– Rub the baking pan with the butter and the clove of garlic
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees top / bottom heat
Zubereitung
15 minutes and 2 ½ – 3 hours in the oven
– Drain the potatoes and cut them into thin slices (approx. 2mm). This is easy with a slicer, if you use a knife, make sure that the slices are evenly thick.
– Put a first layer of the potatoes in the baking pan in a fan shape. Salt and season with a touch of nutmeg (be careful not to use too much, numeg is very powerful), pour the milk / cream mixture over it. Continue finishing in the same way until the potatoes are used up.
– The milk mix should reach just below the top layer of potatoes.
– Bake in the preheated oven at 150 degrees top and bottom heat. Depending on the height of the gratin, this takes between 2½ and 3 hours. Depending on the desired browning, you can use the grill function to add additional color (and caramelization) for the last few minutes.
– The gratin is ready when you prick with a fork or toothpick and feel that the potatoes are cooked.
– Let rest for 10 minutes before eating, this gives a better consistency.
and next...
Potato gratin is the classic accompaniment to all kinds of meat dishes with dark sauces. Heavenly! In terms of drinks, this also means that you focus more on the main course and not so much on the side dish. But it should be something substantial. After all gratin is not diet food.
CULINAMUS!