Gamjatang Potato Gratin with Perilla Cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Peel the potatoes, slice them 3 mm thick and cook them in boiling salted water on high heat for 4 min, until they bend without breaking. Drain and spread them out to let the steam escape; wet potatoes make a watery gratin.

   Add in this stepPotatoes 450 gSalt ¾ tsp

   oven→high heat

2. Heat the oil in a 24 cm frying pan on medium-high heat, fry the finely chopped onion for 1 minute, then add the pork. Break it up with a spatula and fry for 5 min, until no pink remains and the edges are browned.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbspOnion ½Minced pork 200 g

   medium-high heat

3. Turn the heat down to medium-low heat, add the garlic, gochugaru, doenjang and soy sauce and fry for 1 min so the seasoning coats the meat evenly. Gochugaru burns easily, so do lower the heat. Take off the heat and stir in half the perilla leaves, shredded.

   Add in this stepMinced garlic 2 tspGochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) 2 tspDoenjang (Korean soybean paste) 2 tspSoy sauce 1 tspPerilla leaves (kkaennip) 2½

   medium-low heat

4. Put the milk, cream, ground perilla seeds, salt and pepper in a small pan and warm on medium-low heat for 3 min, stirring, until steaming and slightly thickened, then turn off the heat. Don't let it boil hard or it will boil over and split.

   Add in this stepMilk 150 mlDouble cream (heavy cream) 80 mlGround perilla seeds (deulkkae-garu) 2 tbspSalt ¼ tspGround black pepper to taste

   medium-low heat

5. Butter the inside of a 20×15 cm ovenproof dish. Lay half the potatoes in overlapping rows, spread all the seasoned pork evenly over them and cover with the remaining potatoes. Pour the perilla cream evenly over the top and scatter generously with mozzarella.

   Add in this stepButter, for greasing 1 tspGrated mozzarella 80 g

6. Bake in the oven at 200 °C for 18 min, until bubbling at the edges and the cheese is golden with brown spots; a knife tip should slide easily into the potatoes. Let it stand for 5 minutes, then top with the remaining shredded perilla leaves and sliced spring onion. The dish is very hot, so use oven gloves.

   Add in this stepPerilla leaves (kkaennip) 2½Spring onion 1

   oven