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Potato and Onion Gratin

Source of Recipe

From "Williams Sonoma: Cooking at Home" by Chuck Williams


Recipe Introduction

"The potatoes, onions, and garlic in this crusty gratin require a good deal of baking time to become tender. Be sure your baking dish is large enough so that the potatoes are well below the rim; this prevents the milk and cream from bubbling over while baking."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and very thinly cut crosswise into slices of uniform thickness
â—¦ Salt and ground pepper
â—¦ Freshly grated nutmeg
â—¦ 1 sweet onion, peeled, halved lengthwise and each half thinly sliced lengthwise
â—¦ 1 cup whole milk
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream


Recipe

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375° F. Butter a 1 ½- or 2-quart oval or rectangular baking dish.

Sprinkle the garlic over the bottom of the baking dish. Layer half of the potato slices, in overlapping rows, over the garlic. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Spread the onion slices evenly over the potatoes, then layer the remaining potato slices over the top. Carefully pour the milk over the potatoes, moistening all of the potato slices as you do. Then pour ½ cup of the cream over the potato slices, also being careful to moisten all of the slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Bake until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, are golden brown on top, and have absorbed most of the milk and cream, 1 to 1 ½ hours. During the first 40 minutes of baking, baste the potatoes every 10 minutes by tipping the dish a little and scooping up the liquid with a large spoon. Be sure to baste all of the potato slices so that an even golden coating forms. During the last 20 to 40 minutes of baking, baste the potatoes every 10 minutes with the remaining ½ cup cream, again being sure to coat all of the slices. You may not need all of the cream.

Remove the gratin from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve directly from the dish with a large spoon.

Makes 4 servings