Potatoes au Gratin

Potatoes au gratin are a very typical family dish in France, especially in winter. They are great with a roast beef, a nice roasted chicken, or just on their own with a green salad of lettuce in garlicky vinaigrette.

Serves: 8 / Hands-on: 20 minutes / Total: 50 minutes / Difficulty: Medium

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. butter, diced
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Peel the garlic clove, and rub it inside a large baking dish. Butter the dish with 1 teaspoon of butter. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a medium saucepan, pour the milk and the cream and add nutmeg. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir well, and add the potato slices. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, take the potato slices out of the saucepan and lay them in the buttered baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat of the stove to medium to reduce the milk and cream combination by half. Pour on the potatoes and add 3 tablespoons of diced butter on top. Put in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
  4. Serve lukewarm.