Gratin Dauphinois

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C (150 °C fan) (oven). Cut half the garlic in two and rub the cut sides all over the inside of a 20×15 cm baking dish, then grease it with half the butter. Finely chop the garlic you rubbed with.

   Add in this stepGarlic (cloves) ½Butter 7.5 g

   oven

2. Peel the potatoes and slice them evenly 3 mm thick. Do not rinse the slices: their surface starch is what thickens the cream. Uneven slices cook unevenly, so a mandoline (with its hand guard) helps.

   Add in this stepPotatoes (all-purpose, e.g. Yukon Gold) 450 g

3. Put the milk, cream, all the chopped garlic (the rubbed and the remaining cloves), salt, white pepper and nutmeg in a 20 cm pot and add the potatoes. Heat over medium heat until the edges bubble, then lower to medium-low heat and cook for 10 min, stirring gently along the bottom with a wooden spoon, until the slices are bendy and the cream has thickened. A hard boil will scorch the bottom.

   Add in this stepWhole milk 200 mlDouble/heavy cream 150 mlGarlic (cloves) ½Salt ¾ tspWhite pepper 1 pinchGround nutmeg 1 pinch

   medium heat→medium-low heat

4. Pour the potatoes and cream into the dish and level the top; the cream should just reach the top layer. Dot with the rest of the butter and bake (oven) for 55 min, until deep golden on top and a knife tip slides in with no resistance.

   Add in this stepButter 7.5 g

   oven

5. Leave it out of the oven for 10 min. The cream sets so it serves neatly, and it cools enough not to burn your mouth.