Potatoes Gratin Dauphinoise

I have been wanting to make Potatoes Gratin Dauphinoise for over a year now and just never have done it. I really had high expectations because the recipe blog I took it from made it look so heavenly. I went a little nuts with the garlic. No one will want to be around us for the next few days. I am a salt-a-holic and these definately were more mild than I like. So here are the photos and the recipe follows. Maybe you will want to try them. Maybe you will experiment with them. Let me know if doll this recipe up.



There aren't very many ingredients in this recipe. Just a very few. These are the players!



Make the slices about an 1/8 of an inch thick!



As you slice the potatoes, slide them into a bowl of cold water until ready to use. Make sure you dry them well before you layer in the pan.



Layer with the butter and garlic. (you could probably use a little garlic powder instead of the real stuff if you prefer)



Ready for the oven. Make sure to cover with foil for the first 30 minutes!



Out of the oven. I left them in the oven a little longer because I wanted the brown on top. I even used the broiler a little bit.




The finished product. Serve them with any meat that you might have. They are on the fancy side and would be good for a nice dinner. The potatoes were good but not really what I was hoping for. I love food that has more flavor and these seemed on the mild side (except for the garlic). I am not sure if I will make them again or not but I'm glad I made them once. Maybe you will like them better than I did.


Potatoes Gratin Dauphinoise
Source: Williams-Sonoma Vegetable
Serves 4.

5 large russet potatoes, about 2 1/2 lb total weight, peeled (I actually used 2 1/2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes)
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped, plus 1 clove, halved (optional)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Cut the potatoes crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices. Slide the potatoes slices as you cut them to a large bowl with cold water (enough to cover all the potatoes when you are done). Let the potatoes soak for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Center a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat it to 325 degrees F. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Rub the bottom and sides of a 2-qt baking dish with the halved garlic clove (if you are using it), then butter the dish with 2 tablespoons of the room temperature butter.

Drain the potato slices and dry them well with a clean kitchen towel. Cut the 4 tablespoons of butter into small pieces. Arrange a layer of the potato slices in the baking dish, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, then dot with pieces of butter, and add a light scattering of the chopped garlic, if using. Repeat the layering until all the potatoes are used, seasoning each layer as you go along. Reserve some of the butter for the top of the gratin. The potatoes should reach no higher than within 1/2-inch of the rim of the dish. Pour the cream evenly over the potatoes. Dot bits of butter across the top and sprinkle the top with some salt and pepper.

Cover the gratin with foil and bake until the potatoes are translucent and the cream is bubbling, 30-40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is crusty and the potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes more. If it seems dry, baste the top occasionally with the liquid in the dish. Serve at once, directly from the baking dish. You can sprinkle the gratin with chopped fresh parsley right before serving, if desired.