Recipe. You Won't Want to Miss This!

Recipe. You Won't Want to Miss This!

Potato Gratin           

There are dozens of potato gratin recipes—with cream, cheese, breadcrumbs, onions, etc.  Many people think “gratin” indicates a topping of cheese, but it merely means a dish browned on the top.  The following recipe is easy-to-prepare and not nearly as rich as some of the versions you will see propagated in cookbooks.

2 lbs. waxy potatoes such as Yukon Gold

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tbs. butter or olive oil

2 tbs. sweet or salted butter

¾-1 cup light cream

pepper to taste

 Preheat oven to 350º F.

Peel the potatoes and cut into thin 1/8-inch slices. If you have a mandolin, this is an easy job. Rinse thoroughly and dry.

In a small frying pan, melt 1 tbs. butter and sauté the onion until translucent and soft.  Mix with the potatoes and layer them in a shallow baking dish.  Dot with 2 tbs. butter.  Pour over the cream (use only enough to moisten the potatoes; don’t drown them) mixed with a generous amount of pepper.  Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until the potatoes are done, about 30 minutes.  Now, place the pan under the broiler and grill until the top is browned and the cream is bubbling.  Serve immediately.

 Serves 4-6

 Notes

  1. You can, of course add grated cheese, but you may end up with a heavy dish considering the butter and cream already there.
  2. You can save time by pre-boiling the potato slices for 10 minutes before mixing them with the onions and cream.  However, this will deprive the potatoes of starch which is a natural thickener when the potatoes are started raw.
  3. The top layer of potatoes provides the crunch.  Don’t make the dish stodgy by scattering breadcrumbs over it.  The beauty of this gratin is its simplicity.

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