Hello, young Padawan
It was known before the French Revolution and is back in fashion today.
Indeed, today’s recipe were presented for the first time on July 12, 1788, on the occasion of a dinner offered to the municipal officers of Gap, a French town in Dauphiné.
As you probably guessed, today we will make a dauphinois gratin, a real one, the original recipe, and believe me, it’s childishly simple and absolutely delicious!
Just a quick aside before we begin: no, gratin dauphinois does not contain cheese or eggs. If there’s cheese on it, it’s a potato gratin, not a dauphinois. But don’t worry, the gratin dauphinois is a thousand times better…
Let’s go.
The real recipe for Gratin dauphinois.
For 4-6 servings
70.5 oz (4.4 lbs) of Charlotte potatoes
4 cups of organic farm milk, very whole, very rich
1 tsp nutmeg
A knob of butter, to butter the gratin dish
3 cloves of garlic
Salt, Madagascar pepper
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 374°F.
Peel, wash, and dry the potatoes using a clean cloth. From here on, do not rinse the potatoes because their starch will serve as a binder for the gratin.
Cut the potatoes into strips as thin as your faithful servant’s jokes using a mandolin or a good, sharp knife. The thinner the strips, the better your gratin will be. Hence, I chose a mandolin, but watch your fingers!
In a saucepan, heat the milk. Meanwhile, peel the garlic cloves, remove the sprouts, and pass them through the garlic press over the milk. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and mix.
While the milk is heating, place the potatoes in the previously buttered gratin dish.
To do so, there are two schools: those who stack the potatoes or make pretty rosettes for a poetic rendering, and those who, like me, rather like the anarchy of the potato, but you stack them however you want, from the moment that it is done with love, glory, and beauty.
When the milk is simmering, pour it over the potatoes, and presto, in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes at 190°C. It is cooked when a nice, golden crust has formed, and your knife slides smoothly when you prick the center.
Presentation
In your most beautiful deep plate (or flat, you do as you wish, ed), place a nice portion of this lovely French gratin, which sent the pre-revolutionary times, the panache, and the joy of living. Serve with a nice green salad and the protein of your choice, knowing that it goes with everything but will never disappoint you with a good roast chicken.
It is obviously to be accompanied by a glass of red Beaujolais, to be decanted a good hour before tasting, and good friends full of elegance and eloquence ready to remake the world and, above all, prepare our future.
I wish you an excellent tasting of this sublime, unmissable gratin, even for the most novice among us, and see you next Friday for new adventures.
XO 🥔
