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Gratin dauphinoise with Gruyère

Verdict: Pretty good, but I need more iteration before I know how to make it great.

Serves 6 to 8 as a side · 9-inch pie dish · Source: Jacques Pépin's gratin dauphinois (Essential Pépin, KQED), with Gruyère added on top

Ingredients

  • 2 lb gold potatoes
  • 2½ cups milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped (1½ tsp)
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • Butter for the dish
  • 6 oz Gruyère, grated

Method

  1. Peel the 2 lb potatoes and slice them 1/8 inch thick on a mandoline. Do not rinse or soak them.
  2. Put the potatoes, 2½ cups milk, the garlic, ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spatula to separate the slices and scraping the bottom so nothing sticks. The mixture should turn thick and creamy as it nears the boil. Let it boil for a minute or so.
  3. Butter a 9-inch pie dish and pour in the potato mixture. Pour 1 cup cream over the top.
  4. Bake at 375°F for about 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover loosely with foil if the top browns too fast.
  5. To make ahead: cool, cover and refrigerate without cheese. The next day, reheat covered with foil at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
  6. Uncover, spread 6 oz Gruyère over the top, raise the oven to 425°F and bake 10 to 15 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • If the mixture boils without thickening, 1 tsp cornstarch in 1 tbsp cold water stirred into the hot mixture is a possible fix, though an untried one.
  • Watch the top from 30 minutes into the first bake. A sheet of foil on the rack below catches drips.
  • Pépin calls for Yukon Gold. He gives 1¾ lb of potatoes in Essential Pépin and 2 lb in Chez Jacques.
  • The covered reheat is forgiving. It can sit in the oven for an hour while a roast finishes.