The gratin dauphinois is a typical recipe of French cuisine, which consists, in its classic version, of a potato casserole gratinated with milk, cream, and butter. Originating from the ancient province of Dauphiné (southeast of France), the pommes de terre à la dauphinois maintain the typical flavors of French Alpine cuisine – potatoes, butter, cream, garlic, nutmeg – and can be served as a hearty side dish or appetizer. Preparing French-style gratinated potatoes is quite simple. You have two options: cook the potatoes directly in the oven or blanch them in milk for a few minutes. I prefer the second option because that way, the oven cooking is shorter and more controlled, meaning that by putting the raw potatoes, there is always the risk that the liquid will run out before the potatoes are actually cooked. In any case, the recipe includes instructions on how to prepare gratin dauphinois both ways. Over time, gratin dauphinois has undergone many variations (the most typical: gratin savoyard, with the addition of cheese). The recipe I propose is the traditional one.
You might also like:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: French
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 392.57 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 38.26 (g) of which sugars 10.10 (g)
- Proteins 9.65 (g)
- Fat 22.97 (g) of which saturated 6.56 (g)of which unsaturated 3.73 (g)
- Fibers 3.57 (g)
- Sodium 139.20 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 191 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for gratin dauphinois
- 2.2 lbs potatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4.2 cups whole milk
- 0.8 cup fresh cream (unsweetened)
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pan large, with high edges
- 1 Baking Dish with high edges
- 1 Garlic Press
How to prepare French-style gratinated potatoes (gratin dauphinois)
To prepare the gratin dauphinois, start by peeling the potatoes. Then cut them into 1/8-inch thick slices if you plan to pre-boil them in milk (1), or very thin slices if you intend to cook them directly in the oven. In the second case, a mandoline can be helpful, allowing you to obtain slices about 1/16-inch thick more easily. If you decide to pre-boil them, pour the milk into a large, wide-rimmed pan and add the garlic crushed with the garlic press (2). If you don’t have it, you can finely chop it with a knife.
Turn on the heat and bring to a boil, then add the potatoes, ensuring they remain submerged in the milk (3). Season them with two pinches of salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and some pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and, as soon as the milk returns to a boil, slightly move the lid to leave a small gap (4). This way, you will prevent the milk from overflowing during cooking.
Cook the potatoes for 7-8 minutes, then let them rest briefly off the heat (5). In the meantime, butter a high-edged baking dish with 10 g of butter, covering both the bottom and the sides (6).
Transfer the potatoes – pre-boiled or raw, depending on the method you have chosen – distributing them evenly across the entire baking dish and slightly overlapping them (7). If you have pre-boiled the potatoes, also add the milk that remained in the pan and pour the fresh cream over everything (8). If you are using raw potatoes, after seasoning them with salt and pepper, mix the milk, cream, nutmeg, and crushed garlic in a bowl. Then pour everything into the dish.
Finish by garnishing the gratin dauphinois with 20 g of butter in small pieces, scattered here and there (9). Bake the gratinated potatoes in a preheated oven at 350°F (static) for 45 minutes if you have pre-boiled the potatoes. If you have used raw potatoes, it will take at least 1 hour, still at the same temperature, but before removing them from the oven, always check the cooking by piercing them with a fork. Remove the gratin dauphinois from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
The gratin dauphinois prepared with this recipe is usually served as a side dish for meat-based dishes. Being quite a caloric preparation, a portion is generally considered not too large, about 6-7 oz per person. These doses are therefore suitable for 6 people.
Storage
You can store the gratin dauphinois at room temperature for 3 or 4 hours. If you put it in the fridge, it should be consumed within a couple of days.
Tips and variations
As mentioned earlier, there are many very popular variations of gratin dauphinois: the most well-known is “à la savoyarde” with the addition of grated Gruyère cheese; but also aux oeufs (with eggs beaten together with the cream), with ham or bacon (to be added in cubes, after sautéing them slightly) … in all these cases, the recipe becomes an excellent, tasty and substantial main course.
If you decide not to pre-boil the potatoes, make sure to use a high-edged baking dish that can comfortably contain all the potatoes and all the liquids, to avoid them spilling out of the dish during cooking.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I replace the cream with more milk?
You can, but the result won’t be quite the same because for a good gratin, a mixture rich in fat is necessary. Historically, farm milk was used, freshly milked, unpasteurized, and not skimmed, which today can be replaced with a mixture of cream and milk.
