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–+ servings

Gratin Dauphinois

Dinner
Thin slices of potato, layered in a dish rubbed with garlic, drowned in cream and milk, then baked low and slow until the top is golden and the inside is melting and rich. This is gratin dauphinois is the real one, without cheese. It's been made this way in the Dauphiné region since at least 1788, and there's a reason it hasn't changed.
Gratin Dauphinois recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients 

Equipment

Instructions

  1. 1. Prep the potatoes
    Peel the potatoes and slice them into thin rounds, about 3mm thick. A mandoline makes this quick work, but a sharp knife and patience will get you there. The key is consistency: uneven slices mean uneven cooking.
    Important note: do not rinse the potatoes. That starchy coating is what gives the gratin its silky texture and helps bind everything together. Set them aside on kitchen paper but don't wash them.
  2. 2. Prepare the dish
    Preheat your oven to 150°C (130°C fan). Cut one of the garlic cloves in half and rub it vigorously all over the inside of your oven dish, bottom and sides. The heat of the oven will release that garlic flavour into the cream as it cooks. Butter the dish generously.
  3. 3. Infuse the cream
    Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Crush the remaining garlic clove with the flat of a knife and add it to the pan along with the nutmeg, a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Heat gently until steaming and just starting to simmer, don't let it boil. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes, then fish out the garlic.
  4. 4. Layer the potatoes
    Arrange a layer of potato slices in the dish, overlapping them slightly like roof tiles. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add another layer, season again. Continue until you've used all the potatoes, you're aiming for about 3-4 layers depending on your dish size.
    Pour over the infused cream mixture. It should come just to the top of the potatoes without completely submerging them. Give the dish a gentle shake to help the liquid settle between the layers.
  5. 5. Bake low and slow
    Dot the top with small pieces of butter and slide into the oven. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a knife. The cream will have reduced and thickened, absorbed by the potatoes into something gloriously rich.
    If the top is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil for part of the cooking time, removing it for the last 20 minutes to let it colour.
  6. 6. Rest before serving
    Let the gratin sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. This isn't just about not burning your mouth, the resting time allows everything to set slightly, making it easier to cut into portions that hold together rather than collapsing into a delicious heap.

Notes

  • You want a variety of potatoes that's waxy enough to hold its shape but starchy enough to absorb the cream. Maris Piper is the best all-rounder available in UK supermarkets. Charlotte works well too. Avoid anything too floury (like King Edwards) which can fall apart, or too waxy (like new potatoes) which won't absorb the cream properly.
  • Don't rinse the potatoes: This is the single biggest mistake people make. The surface starch is essential, it combines with the cream to create that silky, unctuous texture. Rinsing it away gives you watery, separated gratin.
  • Low and slow is essential: High heat makes the cream split and the top burn before the potatoes are cooked through. Keep it gentle; the long cook time is what creates the magic.
  • No cheese, really: The authentic gratin dauphinois contains no cheese. If you add cheese, you've made gratin savoyard – delicious, but a different dish entirely.
  • Make ahead: You can assemble the gratin, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. It's also excellent reheated, many say it's even better the next day.