 Potato Gratin
Gratin Dauphinois
(Serves 6-8)
1 clove garlic (halved)
4 lb. new potatoes (peeled and sliced)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
dash of nutmeg (freshly grated)
4-6 T butter
6 C light cream *
Preheat oven to 325. Rub garlic cloves around the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 baking pan. Then lightly butter the pan. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with seasonings. Layer potatoes in the baking pan, leaving at least 1/2" at the top. Cover with cream and dot with butter. Bake 1 1/2 -2 hours till top is bubbly and golden brown. Serve immediately.
* You can also use half-&-half instead of cream to trim calories. |
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Tips & Glossary: French
Bouquet Garni: (boo-kay gar-nee) bundle of herbs tied together with string or wrapped in cheese cloth square; usually parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Flavor is released during long cooking. Remove before serving.
Chervil: (sher-vil) related to parsley but has a delicate anise flavor. Long cooking kills flavor, so add at the last minute.
Cornichon: (kor-nee-shon) teeny-tiny pickle, served with pates & smoked meats; found in specialty food stores.
Fines Herbes: (feen-airb) mix of finely chopped herbs: parsley, chives, tarragon, & chervil. Not as strong as a bouqet garni. Buy it at most grocery stores.
Fromage: (fra-mahj) Cheese! The French eat more than any nationality, 45 pounds per year; and the country makes more cheeses than any other country, about 400. The three great pedigreed French cheeses are:
• Brie (East of Paris)
• Camembert (Normandy)
• Roquefort (Southwest France, from sheep’s milk)
There are also wonderful lesser-known cheeses:
• Beaufort (Rhone Alps, hard, yellow Gruyere-type)
• Chevre (Loire Valley, soft, goat’s milk)
• Comte (Alps region, hard, yellow Gruyere-type)
• Emmental (Alps region, “Swiss” cheese with holes)
• Gruyere (hard, yellow cheese—originally French, now most is Swiss)
• Tomme (means “cheese”; soft, many varieties, all from skim milk)
Herbes de Provence: (airb-duh-pro-vonce) mix of dried herbs, usually thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, & bay leaf. Can be found at most grocery stores.
Mutarde: (moo-tard), mustard. Most famous:
• Dijon ( from the town in Burgundy)
• Meaux (from Meaux, east of Paris; whole-grained; made by Pommery).
Nicoise Olive: (nee-swaz- oh-leev) small, purplish-black olive with a mellow, nutty flavor; used primarily in Salade Nicoise. The Picholine variety is a green, medium-sized olive with a light, nutty flavor.
Roux: (roo) paste-like mix of melted butter and flour, into which liquid is gradually added. The basis of every classic French sauce.
Basic Roux: 1 part butter to 1 part flour. Melt butter and add flour, stirring vigorously, till it becomes a paste-like consistency. At this point, add slowly whatever liquid your recipe calls for.
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