Gratin Dauphinois

Now, now, now. Proceed at your own risk, unless you are sharing this with a great many people. All of them will be impressed with you, and all will want more.

A few notes about the illustrious pedigree of this dish: Auguste Escoffier wrote extensively about it; Julia Child also had an extremely popular version, and unlike many dishes that we think of as classically French, this one seems to proliferate the contemporary French table, both at home and in the restaurant.

I adapted this from the first cookbook I ever owned, The Joy of Cooking. Like many of their recipes, its success lies in its tendency to obey fundamental culinary precepts and principles. It has become a holiday standard – it travels well, reheats nicely, and if there is any remaining, it makes a welcome leftover for Day 2. Don’t expect it to last much beyond that, though.

Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic
• 2 TBS butter
• 2.5 pounds Yukon gold or other waxy potato (do not use red)
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup Gruyère cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Freshly ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Halve the clove of garlic and rub the cut side on the bottom and all sides of a baking dish, say 13x9x2. When it dries, slather the butter all over.

Place the milk, half-and-half (you can use all milk – the Joy recommends experimenting until you find the right ratio for the desired richness; this is mine), a generous amount of both salt and pepper, and a pinch of freshly ground pepper in a pot or dutch oven. Stir once to evenly distribute.

Peel and rinse the potatoes, and hold submerged in a container of cold water. Place your mandolin over the pot of milk and slice the potatoes crosswise directly into it. You’ll probably want to use something close to the thinnest setting on your mandolin – paper thin is not right, but a ¼-inch is too thick. Think thick-cut potato chips. Just thick enough to not bend or completely fold over too much if you pinch them by their very edge and hold them up. You want them to retain a little bite. If you don’t have a mandolin, I wouldn’t recommend making this – its success depends not only on the thinness of the slice, but also the uniformity of all slices. Mandolins are not expensive nor hard to find, so if the one at Williams Sonoma is backordered, you can probably call your ass an uber, head to Target, and get back to preparing this dish before the oven is done preheating.

Once all the potatoes are in the pot, stir gently to distribute the milk and spices, but so as not to break the potatoes, and place on medium heat. Cook, stirring rather frequently and paying particular attention to the bottom, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. If you have a layer of potatoes adhering to the bottom getting browned there, they may be delicious, but they will be prevented from releasing their starch into the milk, which thickens it and gives it a lovely texture, so make sure that’s not happening. Reduce your heat if you are having this problem, and for fuck’s sake get a dutch oven with a thicker bottom so that you have more even heating.

Once the mixture is finished, pour it into the baking dish. Shake the dish from side to side a few times to evenly distribute all the potatoes, uncurl (or inadvertently break) as many as you can, and press down gently on the mixture to submerge it. Sprinkle the Gruyère on top and place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake until golden on top and bubbling, then remove and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and enjoying immensely.

This can be prepared the day before, cooled, and reheated with very favorable results. Cover with tinfoil to reheat.

You can experiment with using russet potatoes – the result will be a starchier milk sauce and a more homogenous texture as your fork or tooth plunges downward through the gratin. I like it to retain a hint of its innate character, so it’s not a mush – just ever so al dente. That being said, I wouldn’t use the lower starch varieties like some red potatoes, since they might end up too brittle and crumble into pieces rather than holding their layered shape.

Enjoy this immensely and enjoy others’ enjoyment.