My mom and Dad gave me Mastering the Art of French Cooking for Christmas about 10 years ago and it is a book that I always come back to find a delicious tried and true French recipe. These days because of all the technology we, literally, have at our finger tips hard copy cookbooks can be forgotten. I know many bloggers who make annual goals to use their cookbooks more and rely less on searching the internet. I suppose this is a doubled edged sword because, as bloggers, we want traffic coming to our sites! However, to me, cookbooks are so beautiful and I have a large collection taking many shelves at my home. In an effort to cook a bit more from my favorites I went back to my parent’s gift . If you have not had a chance to see this cookbook it is a big one, but filled with so many wonderful recipes. It was really fun to re-read the book after our trip to France last summer because so many of the words were fresh in my head and the flavors of the dishes were still on my lips. I miss France....especially Normady.
One of my favorite recipes from this cookbook is Gratin Dauphinois. It is a delightfully simple scalloped potatoes with milk, cheese, and a bit of garlic. I opted to use a swiss Gruyere because it is one of my favorite cheeses to use when baking. The flavor is sweet and salty with a bit of a nutty aftertaste and melts really well. It is popular in France and is traditionally used in French Onion Soup and Croque Monsieur. My favorite part of this dish is the golden brown cheese on top. The cheese turns an absolutely lovely color and it is nearly impossible to stop drooling once this beauty comes out of the oven. I have made this recipe many times and always had wonderful results and many compliments- my two year old loves it too! I served these potatoes alongside an herb roasted chicken and roasted green beans…such a wonderful meal!
Tonight, I am relaxing and doing a bit of pie baking for Pi Day this weekend. I have one recipe done, and another to complete tonight! Survivor is also on tonight and I am excited because each week has had great blindsides and twists. I am sure it will evolve as the season goes on, but I am liking the theme so far. Also, it seems like there is not a dominating team yet. I kind of thought that the Blue Collar team would dominate a bit more, but so far it seems like a pretty even playing field but it’s still early.
Happy hump day to all!
Ingredients
2 lbs potatoes (I use russet)
1/2 clove unpeeled garlic
4 Tbl butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup grated Swiss Gruyere cheese
1 cup boiling milk (I use whole milk)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F. Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8 inch thick. Place in dish with cold water. Drain when ready to use. Rub the baking dish with cut garlic. Smear the dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
Drain the potatoes and dry them in a towel (make sure to get out as much water as you can). Spread half of them in the bottom of the dish. Divide over them half the salt, pepper, cheese, and butter.
Arrange the remaining potatoes over the first layer and season. Spread on the rest of the cheese and divide the butter over it. Pour boiling milk over the potatoes.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, the milk is absorbed, and the top is a golden brown.