The best potato dauphinoise

Name: The best potato dauphinoise
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 300 ml double cream; 300 ml whole milk; 3 large cloves garlic, finely grated or minced; 1 whole nutmeg, for very finely grating; 3 sprig/s fresh thyme; 1 sprig/s rosemary; 1 kg Maris Piper potatoes; 25 g butter, softened; 100 g Comté, grated

Creamy, rich and full of aromatic flavours from herbs, spices and garlic, how can you not fall for Martha Collison's gratin? Serve alongside roast chicken or your favourite steak for a luxurious dinner side, or a dressed green salad for lunch.

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Serves6
CourseSide
Prepare20 mins
Cook1 hr
Total time1 hr 20 mins

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Ingredients

300ml double cream
300ml whole milk
3 large cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
1 whole nutmeg, for very finely grating
3 sprig/s fresh thyme
1 sprig/s rosemary
1kg Maris Piper potatoes
25g butter, softened
100g Comté, grated

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Pour the cream and milk into a small saucepan and add the garlic, a few grinds of black pepper, a generous grating of nutmeg, the thyme and rosemary. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and allow to infuse for 15 minutes.
While you wait for the milk to infuse, peel the potatoes, then slice into thin discs using either a mandoline, a food processor with a slicing attachment or a sharp knife. When the milk is ready, remove the herbs and season with a pinch of sea salt.
Grease a large (28x33cm, or 2.5L) ceramic baking dish with the butter. Reserve ⅓ of the cheese for the top. Fill the dish by layering potato slices, the remaining grated cheese and the infused cream, then repeat until all the potato slices are used up. Tip any remaining cream over the top, then sprinkle with the reserved cheese.
Bake the dauphinoise for 50 minutes-1 hour, covering with foil midway through if the top looks too brown. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then serve immediately.

Cook’s tip

Make ahead
This recipe freezes well and can be reheated in the oven from frozen. Simply heat from frozen for 40-45 minutes until cooked through and piping hot.

Which potatoes?
In truth, I’ve not found a potato that doesn’t make a dauphinoise I love, but floury potatoes tend to yield the best result texturally. Make sure you don’t wash the slices after they’ve been cut, as the starch is crucial to helping solidify the dish.

Slicing tips
With lots of dishes, a rustic approach will do, but as the potatoes are cooked from raw in this recipe, they all need to be of equal thickness to cook at the same rate. The Oxo Good Grips Hand Held Mandoline Slicer (£19/each, John Lewis) is a must-have kitchen gadget!