Food is something that everyone relishes. It connects people from all over the world. We can see that the food industry is the industry that always blooms. No one can survive without food and water. We can make anyone happy by giving him a delicious treat.
We have heard about the Italian pasta, vines of Greece, spices of India, etc. Our knowledge about French food is limited to French fries. France is famous for haute couture but there is a lot more to explore in France when it comes to the dishes they serve. French cuisine is inspired by the cultures of Spain, Italy, Greece, and Switzerland. Thus many of the dishes have the same flavours and spices.
The distinction between the French piece of bread and the Truffles they use in the cuisine is singular. French dishes are a flavorful amalgamation of history and cultural spices.
Gratin Dauphinois
Gratin Dauphinois is one such dish that is quite famous all over the world. It is made up of a unique blend of two ingredients potato and cream. This dish originated from the Dauphine region of South-Eastern France. And it is made up of grated potatoes thus it is named Gratin Dauphinois. It is also called potatoes au gratin in America. Speaking about the history of this dish then the prince of France, Prince Charles used to eat this mostly for dinner.
How is Gratin Dauphinois prepared?
Gratin Dauphinois has two ingredients potatoes and cream which are blended in the right proportion along with other spices to give it the right aroma and taste. Potatoes are thinly sliced and cooked in a pre-greased buttered dish with a spoonful of a garlic paste. This batter is cooked in an oven at a low temperature so that potatoes do not break out while cooking and get blended properly. Some people do not like cheese in it as they think that cream is sufficient. But most chefs prefer cheese coating over Gratin potatoes and they like to relish this with some soft grape vines.
This is a dish that deserves a splurge on holidays and occasions. It is eaten with much more love in winters as it contains a lot of carbohydrates which warms our body. This is completely a baking dish that does not require any extra sauce or spices. This does not need any stove for cooking. It is spicy and sweet at the same time. Potatoes and cream make it sweet while garlic and the addition of spices make it spicy.
The Recipe for Making Gratin Dauphinois
There are plenty of dishes made up of potatoes like fondant potatoes, roasted potatoes, Mashed red potatoes, skillet potatoes, etc among all the dishes Gratin Dauphinois is the easiest to make and serve. This dish even tastes better when eaten on the other when you again heat it because by that time potatoes get totally melted and cream just makes your heart sway and want more. So, let us move to the recipe of this mouth-watering dish Gratin Dauphinois.
Ingredients for making Gratin Dauphinois
Potatoes- The first thing which we need is, of course, the main ingredient and this is potato. It is important to look for the right potatoes because waxy potatoes will not give a good taste as these are having excessive moisture so when choosing potatoes go for rough potatoes.
Cream- you need heavy cream for making gratin Dauphinois. It can be made using untoned milk that can work as a double cream product.
Cheese- it is disputed though but people love it with cheese as it gives something extra to the dish
Salt- you might see people using Koshar salt but it is nothing it is just the French name for normal table salt
Butter- As gratin Dauphinios are fluffy and creamy so far even greasing the dish we need butter.
Garlic- is needed for rubbing the baking dish. Garlic and cream are such a good combination it adds flavour to the prepared dish
Whole Milk
Black pepper- It is known for its health benefits but when black pepper is cooked with cream it is a gem of a blend.
Chives- we need chives for only garnishing purposes
Preparation of Gratin Dauphinois
- It is the ultimate side dish made with raw potatoes. It makes it different because potatoes are not boiled or smashed these are used in a raw state. The work starts with slicing the potatoes into round pieces. For this, you need a sharp knife so that shape does not get disturbed. This is the right time you can use a sliding disc for slicing the potatoes into equal round shapes.
- So, you need to decide on the portion of the ingredients which would be like: 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 glass of milk, ½ large clove, butter, 2 tablespoons of salt, ½ tablespoon of black pepper, cheese, ¼ cup of chives and 2-4 potatoes depending upon the size.
- Preheat the oven to 350degree.
- Now, cut the garlic cloves and rub the cloves gently on the sides of the dish then apply a coating of butter over it. The coating needs to be thick.
- The next step for making gratin dauphinoise is to mix the cream with milk and then whisk it well without leaving any lumps
- Layer down all the sliced potatoes on the dish and sprinkle salt and black paper over it. Pour that whisked mixture over it and leave it for a minute to settle down. Again, pour the mixture on the potatoes so that potatoes get covered with the mixture nicely. Now, put it in the oven for 70 minutes so that it gets brown on the edges. Later, sprinkle it with cheese.
- Now, put it in the oven for another 15 minutes so that the cheese gets melted easily.
- The last step is to take the Gratin Dauphinois out of the oven and sprinkle chive leaves all over it.
Winding Up
This is an easy-to-make recipe that you can relish on holidays, events and even when you are willing to eat something with some already available ingredients which you can find at your home. The best part of this dish is this you do not need to put some extra effort to get ingredients and Gratin Dauphinois is something that you can prepare and eat at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What goes along with Gratin Dauphinois?
Gratin Dauphinois is a bit sweet and spicy so anything plain can go well. French pieces of bread can be taken along with it as you can eat the gravy with it. Champagne and salad also work well with this.
Is Gratin Dauphinois is too heavy?
It is heavy because it contains a lot of cream and carbohydrates but if you are having it twice or thrice a month then definitely it would not affect your health. It is super delicious so you can spend some extra hours in the gym for this if you are so much conscious about health.
Can we use boiled potatoes for making Gratin Dauphinois?
It is preferred that you use raw potatoes because this differentiates Gratin Dauphinois from other similar recipes. The best of it you can only get when you use it raw.