Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Great Chistmas Potato Gratin

It has become somewhat of tradition at the Walsh family Christmas that I make some sort of cheesy potato dish. Layering a gratin can be as simple as mixing everything up and smashing it into a pan and baking it or you can take the time, and put the effort into making uniform layers with evenly distributed ingredients. This year I decided to put in that effort. Whether you decide to take the easy route or not, here is a list of ingredients that makes enough to fill a 10 inch square baking dish, and roughly 6-10 people.

Cheesy Potato Gratin

5-6 pounds large Idaho potatoes, cleaned and sliced 1/4 inch thick on a mandolin
1 onion sliced as thin as possible
8 oz cheddar
6 oz fontina
4 oz parmesan
1 pint heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1 heaping tablespoon roasted garlic
salt and pepper

Shred the cheeses and mix them together. Mix the cream, eggs, and roasted garlic together. Assemble the grain by nicely alternating layers of potato and cheese. Every third layer add some of the cream mix, but make sure you save some cream for the top and final layer. Don't forget to salt and pepper each layer.

Bake, covered at 400 degrees for about an hour and a half. Pressing the gratin at this point is optional. If you press it this makes unmolding it and cutting it into serving very easy. If you are serving it in the dish there is no reason to press it. To re-heat microwave until warm then bake for 5-10 minutes to form a crusty top.

3 comments:

MOM said...

Thank You Michael, your taters were awsome!

Live to Cook at Home said...

I made a similar one for my family, except mine had bacon in it too. It turned out very well. Here's the recipe:

Asiago, Potato, and Bacon Gratin

1 1/2 pounds peeled Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 teaspoon salt, divided
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender. Drain. Sprinkle potatoes evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside and keep warm.

Heat a medium saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Sprinkle flour over shallots. Gradually add 1/2 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 9 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt, Asiago, chives, pepper, and bacon.

Arrange half of potato slices in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour half of cheese sauce over potato slices. Top with remaining potato slices and cheese sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Michael Walsh said...

LCH great recipe, thanks for sharing. When we make individual gratins in 6 oz ramekins we pre-blanch the potatos like in your recipe. It is a great way to assure they are all cooked thru.

This recipe sure does look a bit more healthy as well!

cheers