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Prudent Potatoes au Gratin

Source of Recipe

From "Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook" by Diane Mott Davidson


Recipe Introduction

"Jim is a muscled athlete with an extremely low body mass index. But you wouldn't know it from learning this is his favorite potato dish."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 2 cups very thinly sliced yellow onions (about 1 large onion)
â—¦ ½ pound Gruyère cheese, grated
â—¦ ½ pound Comté or fontina cheese, grated
â—¦ ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
â—¦ 4 pounds russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
â—¦ 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
â—¦ 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream


Recipe

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter with the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is very limp and has caramelized without burning, 15 to 25 minutes. Be sure to cook until the onion has completely changed color. Set the pan aside.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.

In a bowl, toss together the grated cheeses.

Place a layer of sliced potatoes in the baking dish, followed by a scattering of the cooked onions. Sprinkle on a layer of cheese, then sprinkle on some of the sage. Continue to layer until you have used up the potatoes, onions, cheese, and sage. End with a layer of cheese.

In a bowl, stir the salt and pepper into the heavy cream and pour slowly over the potato mixture so as not to disturb the cheese topping. Bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is golden brown.

Makes 8 to 12 servings