Photo: James Moffatt
Gratin daupinois, more commonly known as potato gratin or potato bake, has its roots in the historic Dauphiné region of south-eastern France – yet centuries after its inception, it remains as popular as ever. A constant on French bistro menus and family dinner tables, its appeal lies in the magic that happens when potatoes meet cream in the oven.
Wafer-thin potato slices are bathed in a mixture of milk and cream infused with golden shallots, garlic, lemon zest and herbs. Using a combination of milk and cream, rather than cream alone, creates a lighter, more balanced gratin while reducing the likelihood of the cream splitting during baking.
As it cooks, the potatoes slowly soften and transform into layers of silky, savoury indulgence. For our modern take, the potatoes are arranged upright rather than layered flat, allowing a greater surface area of exposed edges to turn golden and crisp in the oven, while delivering a contrast of textures. A scattering of Comté is not traditional, but it encourages caramelisation and lends nutty, toasted notes to the dish.
Each spoonful of tender, cream-laden potatoes with crisp, ridged tops proves that sometimes the simplest dishes are the ones that stand the test of time.
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Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced. Grease a 6-cup ovenproof baking dish with butter.
Combine cream, milk, shallot, garlic, thyme and rosemary sprigs, bay and lemon zest in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until barely simmering. Remove from the heat and stand to infuse (15 minutes), then transfer to a large bowl with chopped rosemary and thyme (discard whole herb sprigs).
Peel potatoes and place in a bowl of water to prevent discolouration.
Thinly slice potatoes lengthways on a mandolin (3mm thick) straight into the cream, tossing often to coat, add nutmeg to taste, season with 1 tbsp sea salt flakes and pepper to taste.
Layer potato slices and shallot upright into prepared dish until tightly packed. Pour two-thirds of cream mixture over the top (refrigerate remaining until required), season with 1 tsp sea salt flakes and dot with extra butter. Place on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil, cover dish with a layer of baking paper and two layers of aluminium foil and bake until potato is tender (11/2-2 hours).
Increase oven to 180°C fan-forced. Remove baking paper and foil, pour over remaining cream mixture, scatter with Comté and bake until top is golden and crisp (25-35 minutes). Stand to cool for 5 minutes, then serve.
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