The potato gratin is a simple and tasty side dish, perfect also as an appetizer. You only need three basic ingredients – potatoes, butter, and parmesan – to prepare it in a few easy steps. Despite its simplicity, this dish captivates with its inviting and elegant appearance, making it suitable for both informal dinners and special occasions. Its flavor somewhat resembles the potato gateau, but it stands out for its simpler and quicker preparation: the potatoes are sliced, blanched for a few minutes, and then layered in a baking dish, alternating with butter and parmesan, much like the French gratin dauphinois. However, compared to the latter, the potato gratin is lighter and has a more familiar taste, in line with Italian tradition. Versatile and always appreciated, potato gratin is one of the potato side dishes you can pair with meat or egg main courses: with its golden crust and irresistible flavor, it will win everyone over at the first bite!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 290.69 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 39.75 (g) of which sugars 1.96 (g)
- Proteins 7.97 (g)
- Fat 11.61 (g) of which saturated 7.50 (g)of which unsaturated 4.07 (g)
- Fibers 4.84 (g)
- Sodium 171.19 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 220 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 the Potato Gratin
- 2.2 lbs potatoes
- 2.5 tbsp butter (+ a few slices for the surface)
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1.4 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot
- 1 Baking dish for tart 10 inches in diameter
- Parchment paper
- 1 Brush
How to Prepare Potato Gratin with Butter and Parmesan
To prepare the potato gratin, start by peeling the potatoes. Then slice them with a knife, trying to obtain slices of the same thickness (about 1/8 inch) (1). If you prefer, you can use a mandoline slicer to speed up the process, but don’t set it too thin or they will fall apart when you blanch them. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, then add the potato slices and blanch them for 4-5 minutes (2).
Make sure not to overcook them or they will break. Drain them and let them cool just enough to handle. Then take a 10-inch diameter tart pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat (or in the microwave) and use a kitchen brush to lightly grease the parchment paper (3). Cover the bottom with some potato slices, slightly overlapping them, then brush them with a little bit of butter (4)
Season them with a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and some grated parmesan (5). Then cover with another layer of potato slices (6), which you will also brush with a little butter and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and parmesan.
Continue in this way, forming more layers of potatoes always seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg, butter, and parmesan, until you run out of potatoes. Finish off with parmesan and a few knobs of butter (7). Bake the potato gratin in a preheated oven at 356°F (static) for about 40 minutes, turning on the grill to maximum power for the last 2 minutes. When the potatoes are golden and gratinated on the surface (8), you can take it out of the oven.
Serve the potato gratin immediately, as an appetizer or as a tasty side dish.
Storage
The potato gratin is best when freshly made, but if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge until the next day.
Tips and Variations
If you like, you can add aromatic herbs like chopped rosemary and sage to the potatoes.
