Potato Gratin - The Perfect Side Dish For What You're Cooking

Whether you're cooking fish, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, or venison, potato gratin is the perfect side dish. It is creamy, buttery, and comforting. You will not find a better side dish. What's more, it seems much more complex than it actually is. The only "difficult" part is slicing the potatoes. After that, it's all a breeze. I don't know what you're having for dinner tonight, but I do know that this should be on the plate beside it.

The Potatoes

For this recipe, you can use either russet or chef potatoes or Yukon gold or yellow potatoes. Either will work fine. However, don't use white or red potatoes. Those won't hold up to the cooking process. Wash the potatoes before peeling them because washing them after peeling and slicing will remove excess starch. When making mashed potatoes, excess starch can make the potatoes gummy. However, when making potato gratin, that excess starch helps prevent the dairy from curdling and helps to hold the gratin together once cooked. So, wash the potatoes well, then peel.

Slicing The Potatoes

Potato gratin is all about layers of thinly sliced potatoes. The potatoes should be no more than 1 to 2 mm thick. The easiest and best way to cut the potatoes is on a mandolin slicer. Aka. The scariest piece of equipment in your kitchen. If you don't have a mandolin, your cheese grater or food processor may have a slicer on it as well. You can cut the potatoes by hand, but it will take a long time, and they will not be even. Don't put the sliced potatoes in water. I know this probably goes against what you've been taught, but it's essential to keep that starch in the potatoes.

Preparing The Dairy

Once the potatoes are sliced, you can get the milk ready. Pour 1 and ¾ of a cup of whole milk into a medium pot. Add two cloves of garlic and a pinch of nutmeg and pepper. Don't add salt yet, as the salt may curdle the milk.

Par Cooking The Potatoes

Put the potatoes in the milk and put the pot on the stove on medium heat. Heat the milk until it starts to steam, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer the potatoes in the milk for about 8 minutes or until the potatoes begin to soften. Stir the potatoes often, so they don't stick to the pot. Season the potatoes with salt, taste and adjust as needed.

Assembling and Cooking The Potato Gratin

While the potatoes are cooking, measure out ⅓ cup of whipping cream and cut 3 tablespoons of butter cut into small cubes. Transfer the potatoes from the pot to a greased or parchment-lined 9-inch casserole dish or bread pan. Gently press the potatoes with a spatula to flatten. Pour the cream over the potatoes. Stud the potatoes with the butter by pushing the cubes into the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a 375°F oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and the dairy has been absorbed into the potatoes. Allow the potato gratin to rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

The Wrap-Up

The finished gratin should be creamy and buttery, almost cheesy. The potatoes should be tender and melt in your mouth, but the gratin should also stand up on its own. It shouldn't be soupy. If this isn't something you've ever had, you are missing out. Potato gratin is one of the true culinary pleasures of the world. I can't wait for you to try this. For something really special, pair the potato gratin with last week's perfect bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin. You can reheat leftover potato gratin in the oven or microwave. Have a great week! I'll see you right back here next Wednesday.