Last weekend we decided to stay in town and slow down the fast pace. We took our time while making a wonderful dinner on Saturday. We drank bubbles, Lenny deboned a chicken and I made our favorite Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin. It was the perfect way to enjoy an evening. This recipe is really great, and I often make it by tossing a few ingredients together and baking.
Do you know the difference between Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin and Scalloped Potatoes? I didn’t until I did a little research. The difference is how the potatoes are cut as well as the use of cheese. For gratin, the potatoes are cut very thin and for scalloped the potatoes are cut thicker. As well, it is all about the cheese, gratin uses cheese and scalloped uses heavy cream.
This recipe comes together quickly and you can have it on the time in under 45 minutes. I use a mandolin to thinly slice the potatoes. I also generously butter the glass baking dish and it helps the potatoes and cheese from sticking. I do not add any extra ingredients such as herbs or citrus. Just good ole heavy cream, butter, and nutty gruyere.
The perfect recipe to serve along with your Christmas meal.
Recipe: Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 large cloves garlic, lightly smashed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 medium-sized russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
8 ounces gruyere cheese, grated
How To:
Preheat oven to 425.
Butter an oval baking dish (12″ in length, 8 1/2″ width and 3″ depth) with 1 tablespoon of butter. Rub the garlic all over the dish.
Pour the cream into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Toss the garlic into the cream and set aside for 10 minutes.
Slice the potatoes while the cream is cooling.
Layer a fourth of the potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish, fanning them and overlapping the circles. Sprinkle a fourth of the cheese on top. Repeat with three more layers, ending with cheese on top.
Remove the garlic from the cream, and then gently pour over the top of the potatoes and cheese. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.
Slide into the oven and bake until bubbly and golden brown; about 40 minutes.
Let sit 15 minutes before serving.
Serve.
Eat.