Thanksgiving Recipe of the Day: Classic Potato Gratin

Note: With Turkey Day coming up, I thought I might steer attention to the online culinary world’s flowering of Thanksgiving-themed recipes for a few weeks.

Love It: I have nothing against mashed potatoes (I love Scott’s labor-of-love Herbed Mashed Potatoes at Thanksgiving each year), but I imagine some people out there might be plagued with gluey slop on the table each year (though I won’t go accusing others of resorting to potato buds on this most sacred food holiday). Here’s an alternative that’s steam-facial free and (yay!) includes cheese.

Fear It: Oh yeah, and cream. Three cups of it.

Teach It: Important! Note the instructions to let the gratin rest after it exits the oven. If you try to serve it right away, your guests’ plates will be awash is scalding-hot cream.

Eat It: You probably don’t need to drown this in any gravy. Though this gratin may be termed “Classic,” I imagine it would best be suited to a more upscale, more nontraditional Thanksgiving spread. This is the recipe for the kind of person who makes the “upscale” sort of green-bean casserole with real mushrooms and onions.

Classic Potato Gratin
Source: Fine Cooking
Yield: 6-8 servings

Try to get a good-quality Gruyère or Emmental, which will be moderately assertive yet mellow and nutty.

• 2 lb. Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled
• 3 cups whipping or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• ¾ cup finely shredded Gruyère, Emmental, or Comté

Heat the oven to 400°F. Using a very sharp knife or a mandoline, carefully cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch slices (no thicker).

Put the potatoes in a large heavy-based saucepan and add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat until the cream is boiling, stirring occasionally (very gently with a rubber spatula so you don’t break up the slices).

When the cream boils, pour the mixture into a 2-1/2- or 3-qt. baking dish. If you don’t want a tender but garlicky surprise mouthful, remove and discard the garlic cloves. Shake the dish a bit to let the slices settle and then sprinkle the surface with the cheese.

Bake in the hot oven until the top is deep golden brown, the cream has thickened, and the potatoes are extremely tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. Don’t worry if the dish looks too liquidy at this point; it will set up as it cools a bit. Before serving, let the potatoes cool until they’re very warm but not hot (at least 15 minutes) or serve them at room temperature.

Notes:
from Fine Cooking #36, pp. 36-37

Download Classic Potato Gratin from MacGourmet.